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Pedants' corner

Should "of", would "of", could "of"

44 replies

CochonDinde · 21/08/2020 00:32

I can't fucking take it anymore. I have misophonia yet seeing the "of" word used in such a way induces a similar response. Fuck knows why, as other misspellings don't bother me. But seriously, "should OF"??

OP posts:
CannonCaboodle · 21/08/2020 00:35

You should of just gone to sleep instead of writing a post about this

Grin
It gets my goat, too.

askinfforfriend · 21/08/2020 00:45

I'm with you, just impossible to understand.... and English isn't my first language

WTF99 · 21/08/2020 00:48

This has been done to death. Many people just don't get it. Sad but true.

MikeUniformMike · 21/08/2020 00:53

Today's posts included this one:
"What would you of liked to use?"

I was tempted to correct it but someone already had.

premiumshoes · 21/08/2020 00:56

Many people don't have the benefit of a reasonable education, let alone a decent one.

When I see/hear this and other errors I can't help but feel for the person who either hadn't been taught well enough or simply hasn't got a high enough IQ to learn it. It's not something to be angered about; it makes me feel rather sad.

MashedSpud · 21/08/2020 01:02

Those and defiantly for definitely and loose for lose.

MikeUniformMike · 21/08/2020 01:02

But we get 12 years of free education and for most that will be almost entirely through the medium of English.
How can you not learn that it makes no sense?

MrsTerryPratchett · 21/08/2020 01:06

'Could of' doesn't bother me. Loose and lose being used interchangeably drives me batty. Because I loose Grin the meaning of the sentence.

premiumshoes · 21/08/2020 01:07

But we get 12 years of free education and for most that will be almost entirely through the medium of English.

Lots of kids actually don't get this at all. It's available, but so many kids fall through the net. It's very simplistic to say 'but education exists'. It's not always accessed and it's not always good.

premiumshoes · 21/08/2020 01:07

Also, we are all adults, more kids fell through the net when we were young than every will now.

MrsJemimaDuck · 21/08/2020 01:18

I’ve always sort of assumed people were saying:

Should’ve
Could’ve
Would’ve

When I hear that. Maybe not proper, but just a bit smushed together?

BetterEatCheese · 21/08/2020 01:57

That's exactly the origin of it @MrsJemimaDuck but people then forgot that's what they're saying.

My partner does it and we had a chat the other day and he thought of was ok and wasn't saying 've

He now understands. I'm such an arse

managedmis · 21/08/2020 02:04

Is this a TAAT? I mentioned that last night on here, I've ever seen anyone else mention it on here before Grin

Topseyt · 21/08/2020 02:07

I am with you too. It really gets on my wick.

Sadly, this butchery of the English language seems to be increasing.

CorianderLord · 21/08/2020 05:02

It irritates me a bit but people using it tend to have had less education and opportunity so I let it go

Hangingover · 21/08/2020 05:20

Tbf should and would got long lost when people stopped saying ought/must

Toilenstripes · 21/08/2020 05:30

Add to this, “I was sat...” is incorrect.

It’s supposed to be “I was sitting” but so many people get it wrong.

Toilenstripes · 21/08/2020 05:34

@MrsJemimaDuck

I’ve always sort of assumed people were saying:

Should’ve
Could’ve
Would’ve

When I hear that. Maybe not proper, but just a bit smushed together?

But in school we were taught specifically how to use contractions.

Could + have = could’ve

Would + have = would’ve

grey12 · 21/08/2020 05:47

When kids at school stop talking about the "3 Rs" for reading/Writing/Arithmetic then that kind of thing will definitely improve!!!! Hmm

PhilCornwall1 · 21/08/2020 05:56

@CochonDinde

I can't fucking take it anymore. I have misophonia yet seeing the "of" word used in such a way induces a similar response. Fuck knows why, as other misspellings don't bother me. But seriously, "should OF"??
It grips my shit too.

The one that really gets me, pacifically instead of specifically, argghhhh!!!!! We have a Director at work who does this. We had a full section meeting the other day and they started doing this. I left the call in the end as I was getting really pissed off. Pretty sure out of 260 on the call it wasn't noticed I went.

DPSLB · 21/08/2020 06:07

Aksed instead of asked
and
"You have 3 choices" No, you don't. You have one choice with 3 options.

Both drive me nuts.

CochonDinde · 21/08/2020 09:10

I know I was being entirely unreasonable and overly angered by this, hence why I posted in Pedants - just needed to rant Grin The person who used it last night which ground my gears is a colleague - University educated, middle manager, non-dyslexic.

However, I'm over it now. Today is a new day - and may bring a whole host of new things to be angered about! 😆

OP posts:
MikeUniformMike · 21/08/2020 10:18

I of a dream
We of all the time in the world
Of I Got News For You
Of your cake and eat it
Ofing a baby
Ofing the time of my life

I suspect that the last on my list would be written as 'Ofing the time off my life' on MN.

Pobblebonk · 31/08/2020 08:57

Lots of kids actually don't get this at all. It's available, but so many kids fall through the net. It's very simplistic to say 'but education exists'. It's not always accessed and it's not always good.

It's difficult to believe that any child has gone through 12 years of education without ever being told that "could of" is wrong.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe · 31/08/2020 10:54

I feel a bit of a jolt sometimes reading posts with spelling and/or grammatical errors but that's because I was taught differently. I wouldn't dream of making a comment about it. I don't understand the need some posters have for garnering 'support' for their criticisms of other people's literacy, craving some sort of tribal consensus.

Pedants Corner used to be so different. Full of interesting discussions about the English language and usage. Not this.

The proper use of English may not be quite what it was but sadly, neither is Pedants Corner. Slipped standards abound...