Writing "of" instead of "have"

[SmartPlay]

Why? Just why?

Because they sound very similar in normal speech in the context of a sentence. Some people aren't sufficiently educated to know which is correct, which gives insufferable snobs the chance to feel superior. So that's nice.

You want Pedant's Corner.

Personally I really don't care 🤷🏻‍♀️

I do not read posts if this glaring error appears.

Is it really pedantic and snobbish to think it's horrible when people use a completely different word with a completely different meaning, just because it sounds slightly similar to the correct one?
It's not like it's a small spelling or grammar mistake.

It gives me the pip too.

What's worse than seeing it written is hearing it spoken.

It's simply a lack of basic grammar, which is a sad indictment of our education system.

It drives me mad too but I'm assuming it comes from the pronunciation of 'should've', would've'.

Nothing to do with pronunciation - it is more to do with limited learning.

Yes is poor education. Or dyslexia. Or someone using a reader/speaker device. Or...you get the picture.

@smartly yes. I find it bizarre that adults who enjoy the privilege of a good education cannot pass up the chance to crow over the minor errors of people who don't share this good fortune. No-one deliberately writes "of" instead of "have" just for a laugh. It's weird to mock or look down on people for this.

Surely though when it’s written down you can see it doesn’t make sense.

If you say ‘I should of gone to the shops’
And then you really DID go to the shops, you wouldn’t say ‘I of gone to the shops’

It drives me bananas.

Surely it is better for people who make this error to find out it is wrong and to learn to express themselves properly?

Why pussyfoot around an issue like this and makes excuses for nonsense, basically?

Not everyone has a rigorous understanding of grammatical function words. Surely you can see that.

There is nothing rigorous about it. It is basic English.

...make excuses...

Lots of grammar doesn't follow rules so I can understand why people get things wrong. I have a bespoke ear worm now.

Should've would of could have were the last words of a fool.

I am sure the masses of self-loathing of-misusers currently trawling Mumsnet for clarification will be deeply grateful for this thread.

It annoys me. I don’t ever point it out, as that would very ill-mannered, but it does lead me to think the writer is not very well-educated, and therefore I am likely to discount their viewpoint as a result.

@SylvanianFrenemies Privilege of a good education? Shouldn't that be part of basic language and writing skills on a primary level?

I like the name you gave me, though ;)

Drives me crazy too Op.

Basic English? Like the difference between make and makes?

Lots of people of all levels of Education make mistakes. It's not hard to grasp that if people make frequent or multiple errors it's an education issue. Why on earth would anyone sneer at that?

You can thank my kindle for that, OP. Maybe it knows something I dont!

Ok, so why sneer at people who don't have the educational basics then?