Could have been v could of been

[abc123d]

I am a little bit confused with "could of been" etc because English is not my first language. I see the use of "could of" regularly when read comments but did not notice this new fashion or whatever it is last year though. Is it prevalent in chat groups?

Just read yet another post when I came across the word 'defiantly' when I'm sure the poster meant 'definitely'. Something clicked with couthymow's explanation of autocorrect on iphones/ipads: because so, so many people don't know how to spell 'definitely' correct and use an 'a' (including many teachers), autocorrect must be turning it into 'defiantly'?

I despair at technology which is less rather than more helpful in our lives. And what of all the schools spending thousands of pounds on tablets? Children will be even worse spellers than they are now!!

No one has offered any suggestion why people are nowadays adding of to the word off*.

eg "He fell off of the log".

Why FGS???????????????????

I started using 'off of' in speaking cos it wound up my brother so amusingly. Of course I wouldn't use it in writing. For the same reason I say 'toilet' and 'lounge', and 'garridge'.....love to see him gnashing his teeth with rage.
Should of in written English drives me insane, but when speaking, should've could be either really.

People write down 'should of' etc., because that's what the spoken 'should've' sounds most like, I think.

I explain it to students by writing sentences on the board like this:

I have gone shopping.
I could have gone shopping.

Then ask them, "Do these sentences make sense?" The answer is always yes.
Then write down:

I could of gone shopping.

Same question: "Does it make sense?" Many of them will still answer yes but start to see where I'm going with this.

Then write down:

I of gone shopping.

Does that make sense?

Anyone who answers yes to that gets a strong glare... Hope that helps to understand it!