To be or not to be

[Mycatismadeofstringcheese]

I’ve seen this a lot recently:

• The field needs planted
• The car needs cleaned
• The living room needs tidied
• The item needs sold now

Anyone else spotted this? Are we just not bothering with “to be” anymore?

It does seem new but I can't say I mind it. Can you think of any cases where "to be" would add clarity?

"Needs sweeping" is traditional usage too, isn't it.

Does anyone see any difference of tone between needs sweeping / to be swept / swept? (I don't).

It’s a relatively widespread regionalism, isn’t it?

It bothers me. See also "I'm going London" instead of "going to London".

Nothing wrong with it - it's just a regional variation. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pedants_corner/2508840-Needs-replaced?pg=2

Commonplace usage in Scotland (and also in Pennsylvania, randomly).

I don’t like it either, OP.

But then I also don’t like this:

“Not that big of a deal” instead of “Not that big a deal”.

I haven't spotted this trend but reading what you wrote makes my head hurt!

I don't mind it in speech but I don't like seeing it written down. Same with most regionalisms, tbh. I'm from the north and would definitely say "I'm goin't'pub" but I wouldn't write that, even in a text.

It's regional, it's not new.

It's fine. As I probably said on the other thread.

I didn’t know there was another thread. If it’s a regionalism it’s definitely spreading as I hadn’t heard it locally until very recently and now I see it on a lot of local Facebook selling groups.

I find it really jarring.

“The car needs cleaning”, sounds fine to me.
“The car needs cleaned”, sounds incorrect to me.

Don't worry, the other thread was 6 years ago! Just because it sounds incorrect to you (as it does to me, as a speaker from southern England) that doesn't mean it's wrong.

Definitely regional. Common in Scotland and Northern Ireland.