Hooray! I finally got DS to say "could have"...

[MardyBra]

... and then in the next sentence he reverted to "would of".

Euphemia - it was a definite "of". We've been through the "could've" option as he heard me use the contraction and accused me of saying "of"!

Good for you. I get intensely irritated by could "of". It makes the writer sound thick. I realise that when it is spoken it is "could've", but to see "could of" written down is annoying.

I often see it corrected on forums by like minded pedantics like me.

it isn't pronounced 'have' or 've' half the time - quite often it's just 'u'. so long as he writes it 've' or 'have' he's getting it right

merci - the plot thickens - coulda, woulda, shoulda... He knows 've is acceptable though.

"it isn't pronounced 'have' or 've' half the time - quite often it's just 'u'. so long as he writes it 've' or 'have' he's getting it right"

Where do you live that people talk like that? In South Yorkshire they say should've (of)

My pet hate! I find reading "could of", "should of" and "would of" an uncomfortable experience. It's so common, though, that I wonder if I'm alone. Is it acceptable to comment on this on MN? Would I be taken to task for being pedantic?