To think when people say 'Should of' instead of 'Should HAVE' - it makes them look incredibly thick

[Vajizzle]

Honestly I do not understand how people can continue making this mistake

I know people who are very clever and have professional jobs, that continue to do this

It makes me fkin scream inside

OP, why don’t you end your final sentences with a full-stop?

Yet you don't feel the same (clearly) about incorrect punctuation and the misuse of relative pronouns. Why is that?
Fwiw, almost everyone says something akin to "should of" instead of "should have", unless they are using emphatic word stress.
Did you mean writes?

I wouldn’t necessarily notice it in speech, since the contractions sound similar, but I certainly do in writing.
I wouldn’t necessarily brand anyone as thick, but do think they’ve probably gone to a rubbish school or had crap teachers, and don’t read much*, or else they’d have picked up the difference.
*anything reasonably literate, that is.

Only messing around.

Although when I read your post I thought you meant that 'should of' was the correct usage! I'm more maths based than English and definitely in the 'should have/should've' camp so was a bit worried for a moment.

Although I'm still a thicko.

Genuine question. To all the people who say/write should of, could of etc, what do you think when you hear people say should have/could have etc or when you see it in text?

Something I hammer into my kids when they dare use the word 'of' in place of 'have' is to replace the word 'have' with 'of' in another sentence and then see how much sense it makes.

Eg, I have been shopping/I of been shopping.
I was going to have that /I was going to of that.

Couldn't agree more, for some strange reason it just makes my blood boil.

@Vajizzle · Today 11:16
I'm PMSL at how triggered people are

You start a goady thread and when people respond you attack them?? Having a bad day are we?

I've taken to writing it as shoulda woulda coulda informally. Also gonna. I like that the English language evolves.

Normally I'm a stickler for grammar and spelling as well, but hey, it's just should have shortened to should've which as others have pointed out, sounds a lot like should of.

I think my favorite is wouldn't've. Would not have which sounds like wouldnta.

On the other hand I cringe when I hear people say "I seen" something instead "I saw". But I'm getting more tolerant as I get older.

Perhaps to solve the should of problem we should ban contractions?

Few schools teach grammar in any depth.

judging people by their grammar, accent etc often indicates an inferiority complex.

the main thing is - did you understand what they meant? If so, why criticise them?

they sound similar tho when you say the contraction quickly - should've sounds like should of

so maybe you are just mishearing?

So you're just winding people up?

How can an OP saying people are thick be seen as anything other than accusatory?

That said, as your posts each contain at least one mistake, if not more, you presumably don't mind being lumped in with those "thick" people you want to mock?

Try educating yourself and improving your own SpaG before throwing stones inside a very fragile glass house.

You could check out Muphry and Dunning-Kruger for starters.

🤣🤣🤣

Where I come from, our accent sounds pretty similar whether you say 'of' or 'have' after should. Are we all thick here then?

A) you're quoting the OP who said her opening post isn't accusatory.
B) I don't give much of a shit if my writing isn't perfect on a chat forum.

HTH.

It makes sense when you consider should've sounds very similar.
I don't care how people speak, for the most part. Not everybody has the luxury of a good education. Hearing should've as "Should have" etc is understandable.

You honestly, genuinely cannot work out why people might write it OP? You can't imagine that "should've" sounds like "should of" when spoken? If you can't comprehend that, I don't think it's them that's thick. Just sayin'.

Yes!!! This drives me insane! My husband has a professional job and is a lot more intelligent than I am, yet he will type ‘should of’ in a message 🙄🙈 I’m not the grammar police by far and I make loads of mistakes but this one grates on me so much, I don’t even know why 😂

I believe at some people, myself included, have an innate feeling for grammar and are therefore hyper-aware of poor grammar. It’s a bit like being musical or artistic — no credit due, just genetic.
I have known educated people who say think instead of thing as in somethink.
There is a growing tendency to “elaborate” words eg conversate instead of converse.
Most people now sat “ I was sat” rather than “I was sitting” which is rarely heard.
It irritates but is beyond my control and it won’t matter to me when I’m dead.
PS Does anyone here know of a forum that discusses such things?

Personally I wouldn't call it a grammatical mistake, because to me grammar is about structure. I'd call it a usage mistake.

I don't think it makes people look "thick". It makes them look as if they have missed out on being taught properly, and they haven't spent much time reading.

@ilovesooty I think it is a choice - if people are wound up by my dislike of this bad grammar - then they can crack on, it is not my problem, but it does make me laugh how triggered people are......

I am not Derren Brown, I cannot mind control people

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and for the rest of the thread

I make loads of spelling and grammar mistakes on here - It is a forum, and I am typing lazy and not conducting a formal work email - so I won't waste my time talking to people who say 'oh OP you did not use a full stop' - they are the replies that are making me snigger, that this is so important to some people they sit scanning for any grammar issues.

This morning I had a formal email with 'SHOULD OF' on, and I just immediately lost respect for the sender

There's a big difference between being "thick" and being poorly educated. As anyone with any self-awareness would realise.

Yes substituting "should of" for "should have" is incorrect and jarring. But it's obviously due to poor education.

Franky saying everyone who does this is "thick" says more about you and your mindset than it does about them.

Isnt it lovely though how this thread has attracted lots of brand new to M

@Longdarkcloud there's a board on here called Pedant's Corner where the OP probably should have posted this. It would be a very different set of replies, let's put it that way.

I think I may say it accidentally in conversation it's a midlands accent. I don't do it when writing as it just looks (and is) so wrong! I'm definitely not thick though op

See it sound same in accent I grew up in and DH - both midlands accents.

Unfortunately we also went through school system late 80s early 90 when grammar teaching was still out of fashion so was often inconsistent and patchy to none existent - with the expectation children would just pick it up - like emergent spelling idea.

We've gone through life learning quiet a bit of grammar punctuation - would have been better to have been explicitly taught IMO.

I'm dyslexic and a poor speller and was left trying to support my own children with reading and writing problems - so had to use pre set programs - and luckily one we used covered this grammar and like everything else drilled it into them - so my own children haven't been left trying to fill in educational gaps.

So I think it's less innate intelligence but more an education deficit.

Bloody phone.
"Brand new to MN posters"

Welcome one and all! Though I rather imagine there are fewer of you than we think.

Getting a bit chilly, I think I'll go and put my "socks" on.