We all have our peeves (even when we know we shouldn't)

 

Early on I got it in my head that you should never use "there's" before a plural. "There's," is a contraction of "there is," which has a singular verb. There is milk in the fridge.

For something plural you'd use "there are": There are strawberries in the fridge.

But does that mean it's wrong to say "there's strawberries"? How about if we put a singular-sounding modifier in there like "a lot": There's a lot of strawberries?

"There's" before a plural isn't wrong. Yet it's one of those peeves that I still can't shake, even though I know it's not an error. Others include "chaise lounge," "chomping at the bit," "beg the question" and "hone in on" — all of which I discuss more fully in this recent column.

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