What the 's here stands for?

[jupiter]

Hi teachers,

I want to know what the 's here stands for.
Does it come from is ? If it is, why does things (plural) use with is (singular)?

Thanks in advance

Jupiter

[Alan]

Hi Jupiter,

You would imagine that the 's stands for is and probably you're right. It's simply, I think, that it's easier to say: How's things? than if you tried to contract How are things?

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story A day in the life of a parliamentary candidate

[jupiter]

Hi Alan,

Thanks for your quick response.
You wrote I can be right that 's could stand for is.
But why do we use is with plural (things)?

Thanks

Jupiter

[Alan]

Hi jupiter,

As a rule you don't use is with plural nouns but as I tried to point out, this is an anomaly. It's not grammatical but conversational and conversational/idiomatic/slang expressions don't always follow the rules of grammar!

Alan
_________________
English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story Words, words, words...

[Mister Micawber]

.
We do the same thing in spoken English with There's and where's, Jupiter. They're easier to say than there're, where're:

Wow! There's a lot of people in line! Where's my pencils?, etc.

Not formally grammatical, as Alan makes clear, but certainly common in the casual spoken language.
.
_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mister Micawber

[Tom]

[Yankee]

Hi Tom
Hope you don't mind my butting in here...

[Conchita]

[Yankee]

Never fear, Conchita

I shan't be using butt again. Not in this thread anyway. No ifs, ands, or but(t)s about it.

(Did that sound suitably British? )
_________________
Amy
.
ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[jupiter]

Hi all of you,

It was interesting to read your discussion.
I'm pretty much clear now.

Thanks a million times! (Is it correct?)

Jupiter