Could have versus could of

[Trendyname]

Could have done.✔️
could of done. Incorrect

Explanation:

Could = ability in past. Being able to in a time which is past now.

Could have = something that was possible in past.

have is followed by past participle

Past participle is what we write after have in sentences. Eg done, eaten, bought.

could have + finished
could have + gone
could have + written
could have + done

Easier way to remember is:

The ‘have done’ after could is similar to when we use ‘have done’ in a sentence like
‘I have done all my tasks for today’
or ‘ I have finished all my tasks for today’

You ‘could have picked’ some vegetables on your way home.

We never say ‘ I of done my tasks for today’ or ‘ I of finished my work’

‘Would have’ has a similar structure in the sentence, the meaning is different. I think we all know the meaning but some of us use structure wrongly.

Would have ✔️

Would of incorrect

Maybe I am AIBU to post here, but I see so many people use it incorrectly here. English is my second language, so if you find any mistakes, please go ahead and correct.

Ditto alot, abit, and aswell.

Well, no. There's no proper sentence structure, bad punctuation, as well as it being really badly written.

Meanwhile, unless you have very, very, very poor comprehension, 'could of', is easily understood. I like dialects, some people write as they speak. I agree that it shouldn't happen in official/legal correspondence, but on social media etc? That's fine.

Should have put this on https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/pedants_corner @Trendyname 😉

Coulda, woulda, shoulda.

It wasn't until I got to sixth form that this was pointed out to me after 12 years of full time state education in the UK.

Off topic but I've had to teach myself many things that I should have been taught in school including budgeting and financial planning.

We home educated our own children and I firmly believe they have reached adulthood with a better education than I had.

Needless to say, they won't get caught out using 'could of', 'should of', 'would of' like I did!!

Maybe. I tried my best to simplify but I guess it’s not good. Sorry

I am afraid now ;)

People are writing 'wondering around' instead of 'wandering around'. Do they really believe they're using the right word?

I've just encountered another 'alot' as well.

I don't think people are reading books very much now, as this can improve spelling and grammar.

When I was a primary teacher, I used to correct the incorrect use of 'of' whenever it arose in a child's writing (Y5/6). After a book scrutiny, I was told to let it go as it was disheartening the children. It was even argued by some colleagues that it was a natural progression of language and not that important.

Our weekly newsletter, written by either the Head or Deputy, used to contain many spalling and grammar errors including 'could of', 'would of' and I was greatly disheartened by that.

Arrghhh spelling, not spalling. The irony.

This. Plus, they are probably non readers so don't see it written down regularly

I genuinely believe fewer people read books and mostly read online, where the content is often hastily thrown together and not well edited (ahem local news). There's no gentle challenge of reading things written correctly, to shape your own writing (like the literacy version of pro-social modelling). Direct challenge is always harder for people to hear.

I agree that part of the problem is that fewer people read books, so they are less exposed to the correct form of writing. Furthermore, due to the increase in the use of the written word because of text messages, email and SM posting (whereas previous generations would have used the telephone or face to face communication）young people are being more exposed to such errors...... and are being judged negatively by potential future employers and anyone else who did learn to use the language correctly. There's nothing wrong with using non standard forms if you realise you're doing it and know when it is inappropriate to use them.

I’ve noticed a lot of people write ‘noone’ instead of ‘no one’, I find that really odd. My phone doesn’t recognise it and wants to correct the spelling.

I also have a very intelligent manager at work who regularly asks me to arrange meetings with ‘Graham and I’. I’ve told him it’s wrong but he thinks using ‘I’ is formal and ‘me’ is informal. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I agree with pps saying that fewer people are reading books, and it could be that what they are reading may not be very literate. I do notice a fall in standards in areas where you wouldn’t have seen mistakes 30 years ago.

Good for your husband that he’s been so successful in life - that’s great, and I’m glad his lack of secondary education hasn’t held him back.

But I don’t agree with his denigration of education. Just because it can’t automatically translate into money doesn’t mean it has no value.

We’ve never been high earners (public services) but we’re both highly educated and our lives are infinitely enriched by that. Education is always, always worth having whether it’s from schools and colleges or by your own efforts, and it can go on until the last day of your life.

I feel strongly about this!

The peasants that get it wrong won't have the reading comprehension to understand the OP.

Being poor at spelling or grammar doesn't actually say anything about your intelligence or ability to do well in the workplace though.

Maybe I am AIBU to post here, but I see so many people use it incorrectly here. English is my second language, so if you find any mistakes, please go ahead and correct.

Yes you are because:

1. It's been done to death, dug up, resuscitated and done to death again.
2. This is AIBU, not school.

Well played though, adding that English is your second language as you know people will mention stones and glass houses

I have friends of seemingly average intelligence, who will text ‘could of’ etc. I despair.

Even more annoying is people using ‘His’ instead of ‘He’s’
I see it on a regular basis and they mean 2 completely different things!!

Ode to a spell checker:

Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a quay and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
It’s rarely ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect in it’s weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.

Surely when people say “could of” they mean “could’ve” which is actually “could have” - there’s no “of” about it.

It’s pretty crap when that person is Head of Communications - believe me!

It's not about feeling superior. It is about communicating clearly.
English is the main international language in the region and majority of ESL learners learn it differently, with bigger proportion of written language.

In the ESL grammar-based teaching, it is practically impossible to make this mistake, it just isn't the same thing for us, it looks wrong. And it is very hard to understand that so many Brittons don't know it. We've learnt it at school while learning our second or third language, what else have you spent all those time at school learning?