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Needs…?

(55 Posts)
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notgran Tue 28-Mar-23 08:09:50

I wonder if this is a regional thing. I haven't ever heard anyone use "needs" in that way.

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Marydoll Tue 28-Mar-23 08:08:43

I've always said, needs washed

This is a feature of Scots dialect: “This is needing cleaned ”, so people who say “This needs cleaned ” are either Scots, or influenced by Scottish English. Educated Scots do use dialect features when they think they are speaking Standard English. Continuous tenses of the verb “need” are another of these features.

By the way, I am an educated Scot. 😉

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notnecessarilywiser Tue 28-Mar-23 08:06:39

Agreed. It's on a par with "going school/toilet/Sainsbury's" - really offends my ear!

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Juliet27 Tue 28-Mar-23 07:56:09

As annoying as ‘I’ll come with’ !

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Cabbie21 Tue 28-Mar-23 07:51:53

I have always said something needs doing eg This shirt needs washing, but nowadays I hear a past participle being used eg This shirt needs washed.
Are both correct?
The latter grates as I want to say “ needs to be washed”
Any thoughts please?

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