to be surprised how many people write 'should of', 'would of' etc on forums?

[Mymblesson]

I would've thought it was easy enough to remember how to write it properly.

Maybe I should've known better.

You even hear people using the wrong versions when speaking these days. One of my work colleagues is a bugger for it.

That annoys me too. They probably think it's correct because must have is shortened to must've which people think sounds like must of, so they think it's right. YANBU to be annoyed aboued it but all things considered, YABU to be surprised about it

YANBU - but with teachers no longer taking the time to correct spelling, grammar etc - and the Left doing its best to make such concerns a thing of the past, this is hardly surprising.

The sad thing is, such people will forever fail to be considered for the top jobs - I lost count of how many CVs I reject for poor spelling.

But surely nothing is as irritating as 'I was sat'?

I was SITTING.

SITTING!!!

Phew, I've been looking to get that off my chest, thanks, OP.

No problem Lemon

Yes stubborn

And if you are mature and have a job which does not require received English, then its up to the individual....Cameron aint gunna bring out a bill requiring Etonian grammar from the populace. (He may if it will get him on TV)

Write how you like on mumsnet. "Gabby"

It is my most hated mistake, it astonishes me how many otherwise quite literate people write such nonsense. I'm afraid DS gets shouted at if he says it, as certainly since he's been at school HAVE has gradually mutated into OF. I'm glad to say he has not dared to write it yet though!

YANBU.

All those who think it's OK, how would you feel if your child brought a report form home from their teacher saying "Junior should of......" etc?

Just curious, as I spent days altering the report forms filled in by one of the teachers I am responsible for.....I could of (sic) saved myself the bother if I knew correct English was so unimportant.

As I often (well, always) say when this crops up, it seems to only be in Britain that mediocrity in any form is celebrated and defended. No wonder we can't win a World Cup when people don't even care how their own language is used.

I hate it. I don't even see why it should be abbreviated either, it is "would have", "should have" etc.

It is very, very poor. My non-native English speaking DH would never make this mistake.

"I was sat" - I hear this all the time on the radio, it is fucking ridiculous. Sorry, but I feel that strongly about it. It makes no sense at all.

The other one I'm baffled by is "kind of" as in a weird American form of "soft of". It seems to be taking over the world!

"Should of" I can understand, because it does at least sound that way.

Lose does sound like it has a long o sound.

Definately makes no sense because it sounds like def-in-IT-ly not def-in-AT-ly.

"30 years ago it wasn't common at all" - which internet forum were you reading 30 years ago? I expect any written communications that you were reading 30 years ago were far more formal.

I hate it as well. I understand that posting on forums is a bit sloppier than RL - I frequently misspell things and my grammar is all over the place, but using should of and would of is a mark of a really poor grasp of English.

I don't think mistakes such as this should be preserved as 'dialect'

I agree with Bucharest.

TrillianAstra - To point out that "should of" sounds nearly right is to beg the question.

If you speak correctly and clearly, "should have" sounds exactly like "should have".

which internet forum were you reading 30 years ago?

None of course, I didn't start using the internet until 1993. Good point about other written material being more formal. I also meant that you didn't hear it much in speech back then, the difference between ''ve' and 'of' was clear.

My friend can hardly read or write because for most of her childhood she was a carer. She had far more challenging things to concern herself with than the rights and wrongs of grammar. I also find this 'nit picking' rude. Not everyone was fortunate enough to receive a good or even adequate education for a variety of reasons. So to all of you who have nothing better to do than attack people's written skills take a moment to think of the reasons. Your self righteous attitude could lead to those who lack confidence not to post at all. Still at least that way they won't be offending you then will they!!

YABU and mean!!

NoSuchThing - do you object to people saying "don't" rather than "do not" if you object to "should've" rather than "should have"?

I am not an advocate of 'let people write how they like', by the way. I think everyone should want to know how to write correctly. I am just not surprised that people write "should of".

slipperandpjsmum - fair enough but the sad thing is is that for as long as there remains this attitude that correct spelling and grammar do not matter, people who lack the skill or knowledge to correct themselves will forever rule themselves out of the running for decent jobs.

I shudder at how poor we are at what should really be very basic stuff.

When in the Army, I remember comparing journals written by recruits from overseas and being shocked at how much better those from the West Indies/Africa/Asia were at handwriting/spelling/grammar than recruits from the UK. Outrageous.

YANBU Mymblesson.

And coming a close second, those people who have failed to master the very simple rules as to when you say "DH and I" and when you would say "DH and me". It's not rocket science: take out the "DH", and see whether "I" or "me" is right.

In what dialect is it the norm? Bad grammar, whatever you think of it, is definitely not a dialect.

My pet hate is when 'less' and 'fewer' get mixed up and used incorrectly .... even on BBC R4!!! In a world of 'would ofs' and 'C U L8Rs', however, I don't hold out much hope of improvement for that one.

Ooh yes chil, this is getting more pedantic now but I agree. And I don't think there's much hope on this one, because my DH has a first from Oxford and says 'less chips', 'less people'. I love correcting him on it ( I went to a good old red brick!).

YANBU.

I have also been surprised by the number of times I have seen it.

Thinking about Radio 4,one absolute howler I heard on there concerned an item about American currency. The announcer actually said "a ahundred dollar bill". It sounded dreadful.

Don't get me started on there,their and they're!!!!

I agree with TrillianAstra. It's a perfectly logical mistake to make if no one has ever sat you down and explained it to you.

It doesn't surprise me at all that non-native English speakers make this mistake less often. They have been taught English verb conjugations in a formal way (presumably). Most native English speakers have not.

"Should've" and "Could've" are perfectly acceptable contractions in spoken English and are pretty much indistinguishable from "should of" and "could of".

I also agree with the posters who have said that this kind of pedantry in AIBU might be a bit off-putting to MNers who have less than perfect grammar.

Most people type quickly and without too much thought for whether or not their posts are going to be scrutinised for spelling and grammar.

I agree it's grating (I'm a pedant and proud of it) but I also think that what people have to say is more important than how they say it.

YABU

"My pet hate is when 'less' and 'fewer' get mixed up and used incorrectly .... even on BBC R4!!! In a world of 'would ofs' and 'C U L8Rs', however, I don't hold out much hope of improvement for that one."

My mum refuses to go into Tesco because they have "7 items or less". She goes to Waitrose where they have "8 items or fewer".