Could of, would of and should of...

[pictish]

NO!

could have
would have
should have

It's past tense...it's stating what you could have done, would have done or should havedone. Could've, should've, would've are actual contractions of those terms...they're in the dictionary and everything!

It's not could'f, would'f or should'f is it?
'Of' makes no fucking sense! Stop using it!

I'm not generally one for the grammar pedantry but this one makes people look thick in a way that other common grammar mistakes don't imo.

Sorry...but I felt the need to express. Boot me about if you want.

They're there their Pictish (agree with you completely drives me nuts even my lower attaining Y3 get it right)

I think it's rude to correct someone's grammar on a thread too, but must admit I have been tempted with this one. Never done it but I want to.

Just so they know - not to put them down.

It puts me off of posting for help be because my grammar isn't very good. I have wanted to post a thread for ages asking for help, but I don't want to get called out on my poor spelling and grammar.

I am trying to learn and improve. It is something I have always struggled with.

Nah, I notice it (and sometimes it makes me laugh), but generally, if someone is writing something which is clearly understood in context, that's fine with me. The poster is communicating their thoughts/feelings which are being understood = mission accomplished!

SenecaFalls

For example, if someone on a thread continually types 'of' when it should be 'have' or 've' and several people point out their mistake, they never take any notice at all and just carry on doing it.

Maybe they ignore it because they don't want to call attention to the rudeness of the people correcting them.

So is it better that they continue to make errors and come across as ignorant, then?

I have a friend who types he's instead of his.

As in "look at he's little face"...

Gives me the rage!

I can tolerate it but not as much as "abit". Where the fuck did this come from?! It's new and it's hideous. Fuck off with your abit of cake.

What is it pacifically that annoys you about it?

I do agree with you Tiger. For example when someone just replies, "Paragraphs!" after a heartfelt OP I think, "oh you arsehole" - so I do get it. This is not a written exam, it's a chat forum.

But yeah...would of, could of, should of...makes me cringe.

It makes me twitch when I read it, as does misuse of their/there/they're and your/you're.

As I admitted on another thread though, I continually misuse did/done and seen/saw.

I did it. I done it. I seen it. I saw.

They all sound correct to me (I know, I know, it's awful)

Loads of family and friends do it too so wondering if it's a colloquialism.

At the risk of sounding like a thick idiot I just don't use them, instead saying, 'I finished that' or 'I was watched that'

Ahh, mustard love, just say it!

I speak 3 languages fluently, write 2 of them fluently, need a dictionary to write the third but I speak another 3 and it's only through the grace and good humour of the native speakers that we communicate. I SO wish that English people showed the same grace. Sadly, some don't

I point out in a lecture to first year engineering students that "could of" etc is wrong. It's part of my "Rouge Galley" of common mistakes. There are three reactions:

1. All the students for whom English is a second language are confused because they would never think of writing "could of" because it makes no sense.
2. Some native speakers look at me as if I am half-witted for suggesting they would ever write it.
3. Many students look astonished and a few argue with me that it is right. They have clearly written this many times in their school careers without being helped to understand that it is wrong.

I will say, however, that understanding of the apostrophe, which reached a nadir about 10 years ago, has improved recently.

I had the misfortune, at primary school, to have a head teacher who, amongst other grammatical heresies, used I were/we was. She did not like having her grammar corrected in assembly.

Yep, bugs me too.

Something I've noticed more and more over the past few years, is people writing then instead of than, e.g "My car is bigger then yours". It makes no sense, and I was really disappointed when I saw it on the BBC news website!

You are 100% NBU.

Yes, this grates on me too. Not really on a chat forum too much because I think there is so much room for typos and autocorrect errors. What really gets me is the incorrect usage of 'to' 'too' and 'two'. I have a friend that just uses 'too' for everything and it drives me insane! No, you are not going 'too the park'

Myself of never come across this.
DH and me of never heard it neither.

Of is not s verb. Of is a preposition.

I've called my two older sister's to complain about our younger sisters husband. Their of the opinion its none of they're business.

Then/than is another pronunciation problem - and a trap that I fall into if not careful. I also used to say could of (as a child) and my mum shouted have each time. Now I find it difficult not to do the same!

Today 13:54 nina2b

Of is not a verb. Of is a preposition.

confused

Sleepthief84 not being able to spell a two letter word (i.e. 'to') is a bit shocking I must say! That's taught in primary school.

I done/seen is v common in NI dialect and we was v common in Wiltshire and the South generally