Foo - Is this grammatically correct?

"Those dishes need washed."

My roommate and 50% of the people on my campus say stuff like this, omitting the verb "to be." I've been told that, contrary to my understanding, this is actually grammatically correct. Is it really?

No, it is not.

However, "Those dishes need washing" is grammatically correct.

I am betting your roommate and 50% of the people on campus are not English majors.

those dishes need washing.

Either way, they are still dirty.

According to this page (http://hubpages.com/hub/Education-Discussion-American-Tongues), it is part of a Michigan/Ohio regional dialect. I've heard something to that effect, although I seem to remember it was more like Ohio/West Virginia. In the context of the dialect, yes it is correct (as correct as "y'all" in the South).

Haha, well most of the people who say this are from Pittsburgh/Northwestern PA.

OR, you could say"those dishes need TO BE washed". People make all sorts of activities into verbs in WV, too. I've also heard it fromfolks living in Ohio and NC - as a native NYer, it's kind of like chalk screeching against the board... They also refer to furniture sets (suites) as suits - even tho they spell it with an "e" - I've seen this on TV ads, and Gallapolis is Gal - a - police instead of gallop - o - li. Hurricane is Hur-can. But meanwhile, back in the holler, I need snow plowed.

these pretzels are making me thirsty

That's pretty common around here and I'm a bit annoyed by it. Another local thing, although less frequent, is to use the word "whenever" where "when" should be used.

I am betting your roommate and 50% of the people on campus are not adequately prepared for college.
fify.

Paper plates would solve this issue.

No english majors here..

Clearly, it is "Thems dishes need warshed."

This shirt make you looked fat.

"Those dishes need washed."

My roommate and 50% of the people on my campus say stuff like this, omitting the verb "to be." I've been told that, contrary to my understanding, this is actually grammatically correct. Is it really?

Nope.

But ....

'These dishes need Washed' would be correct if Washed is the name of a good dishwashing detergent.

It's in the same category as someone deciding to join you in going somewhere and saying, "Can I go with?"

or the use of "OF" for, alternatively, "IN", "BY" or "FOR", or "borrowed me" instead of "loaned me"...note: chances are if you lend someone something, and that someone thinks you "borrowed them" it, you will NOT get whatever it is back!

Haha, well most of the people who say this are from Pittsburgh/Northwestern PA.

I was going to say it sounds PA-Dutchy

It's pronounced "warshed'".

+1

Paper plates would solve this issue.

You scrape , I'll erase

I was going to say it sounds PA-Dutchy

Those dishes need warshed an@. I'll git to it right after I redd up.

j'eet yet? no j'ou?

j'eet yet? no j'ou?
at school in Indiana, one of the "native" students would say:
j'eet yet? ya'on to?

at school in Indiana, one of the "native" students would say:
j'eet yet? ya'on to?Naw, but I's afixin' to.

yo do me a solid

Are you going to school in a third world country? If so, yes it is correct.

Lord, I had to speak those aloud to have any hope of figuring them out.

This should help (http://www.pittsburghese.com/).

Enjoy (http://www.pittsburghese.com/quiz.shtml)!

at school in Indiana, one of the "native" students would say:
j'eet yet? ya'on to?

I always thought that was just a JD Salinger reference.

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/9884/grammarnazi.jpg (http://img130.imageshack.us/i/grammarnazi.jpg/)

:thumb: