Caught one!

[NorkyPiesWithJingleBellsOn]

Blimey, look here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1368911-to-of-made-my-mum-cry

Feel as if I've caught a rare specimen. This surely can't be a typo? How long before we're all using 'of' instead of 'have'?

I think it's a mishearing of could've - which does sound far more like could of than could have.

I don't think I would have corrected the OP of that thread, but it would have annoyed me too!

Is this necessary? Somebody has already 'corrected' the OP on the actual thread.

i don't get this need to correct other people either. what do you get out of it?

Welcome to Pedants' corner

This is THE place where correcting is OK isn't it?

well yes but the OP of the thread linked to has already been publicly humiliated.

i wouldn't have thought any thread on here was for pointing out others mistakes so individually

i thought it was for people who wanted clarification on where to use commas!

party on

True. It's all getting a bit serious out there and starting to feel like bullying. Correct use of English is important but I'll keep my inner pedant silent.

Not correcting, just observing. There seems to be a rapid language change taking place. 'Linguistics is descriptive, not prescriptive' - any other linguisticians out there?