The car needs cleaned.

"The car needs cleaned" is not grammatically incorrect. It's a part of Pittsburghese dialect.

''It's me'' or ''Who did you see?'' sound grammatically incorrect to me, so what?!Does this make you stop using these sloppy constructions?

Or ''It's me'' is not an error because you use it, and "The car needs cleaned" is an error since only Pittsburghese and some Scotch people use it?! Come on! Play fair!

Don't call us the Scotch.

Scotch is a drink. We're the Scottish.

And it's not just Pittsburgh.

mjd, what did you mean by "folksy"?

This was a very common regionalism where I grew up (western Maryland) and I didn't realize that until a college English prof. pointed it out. It doesn't bother me, though, no more than any other contraction does.

>>Did a quick Google search, and it turns out this construction is used in various places from Pennsylvania (where it's thought to be derived from German grammar) to Texas (where it's considered to be a Scottish holdover). It appears to be pretty common in the Midwest.<<

I don't hear "the car needs cleaned" at all around here at least, and to me it sounds very off one way or another. As for the example of "the car needs cleaning", that at least makes sense and does not sound ungrammatical to me, even though it is not the sort of form that I would normally choose to use, or would expect to hear much here.

What is ungrammatical in one accent/dialect, may be grammatical in another, and vice-versa....

TOM: Are ye absolutely lootley sure you're Scottish? I'm prepared to believe you but it's what you said at the start of this thread that has me wondering a wee bit....no native English speaker anywhere in the UK would ever say "the car needs cleaned"! It's grammatically incorrect and even sounds stupid to be honest with ye! Add "to be" after needs and that's OK. OK? guid! :-)

''there's many things'' sounds grammatically incorrect as well

so what?!

your grammar needs read:)
I ain't Tarzan, but thou art Jane :)

I had been meaning to post this but kept forgetting over the last few months. In Basic Training for the US Air Force you have this book called the BMTG (Basic Military Training Guide) which you can't keep when you leave. It has instructions for things you'll probably only need to know at Basic, like setting up your clothing drawer and making your bed. In the section about bed sheets it says "let your MTI know if anything needs repaired."

<<"The car needs cleaned." --> sounds horrible, doesn't make any sense and isn't correct.>>

But mjd, it's a valid construction in some dialects of English. It may sound very weird to people whose dialects don't have such a feature, and it may not be "standard," but that doesn't mean it's incorrect. Millions of native speakers use that form daily. Anyway, good to see you around again :)

"The car needs cleaned" - sounds incorrect to me... incorrect to the point that I would cringe if it was said. I know you love to lecture on how we must consider all constructions valid because it is present in one dialect or another, but really, I couldn't help but do a double take if I heard that one.

"The car needs cleaning." - sounds better, I might use it.

"The car needs to be cleaned." - sounds best.

Rooms to let

Rooms to be let


Which is correct?
thanks

I think "rooms to let" is the preferred version.

That reminds me of a song, by the way...
Trailers for sale or rent
Rooms to let, fifty cents
No phone, no pool, no pets
Ain't got no cigarettes
But two hours of pushin' broom buys a
Eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means,
King of the road

;-)