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

[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"??

Your post is interesting @LyingWitchInTheWardrobe

I only discovered Pedants' Corner a month or so ago. On reading the threads, I assumed it was to have a bit of a grumble about incorrect use of words/grammar etc., rather than berate posters directly in general threads, hence my thread in here re use of the word 'gotten'.

The fact that it was previously used in a different way is interesting too. I'll have a look through some of the old threads in here!

butterpuffed, it really was an Aladin's Cave of very informative snippets from some very erudite and interesting posters. Nothing personal, no sniping at people for SPaG transgressions, just really worth reading.

I found your post interesting too, specifically the point about 'grumbling here, not berating posters on the thread'. I can't imagine anybody idling by on a thread, seeing a poster being picked up on their literacy without this being challenged. Every time I see it, I report it. It's not that I don't agree that SPaG is important, nor that I'm not saddened to see how far it's become fairly standard for innocuous and repetitive errors to creep in, but because people have the right to post here without being picked on for something that they may not be able to help and even if there is no other reason than carelessness, there's no mandate that gives posters the right to do that. If 'corrections' were suggested via personal message that might be marginally better but, I imagine the 'red pen' type of person would fear a rebuke from MNHQ or the poster themselves. Far better then to be snide on a thread and make a 'call to arms' for others of their ilk to join them. Safety in numbers and all that.

Posters here (on MN, not specifically this thread) can be snobbish and elite-ist. Looking at the way they post, they really have no cause to preen. Sign of the times though, 'Live... but don't let live'. What a maxim to live by? Not for me.

Enjoy reading of better days! :)

The problem is that English is not being taught correctly any more,and the uneducated and non native English speakers are now speaking on the radio and writing on social media so those who hear and see it think that is "correct" English and use it themselves.
I knew the end was here when I heard the Head of English at a Nottingham school begin a sentance :"Myself and my staff have been "verb" (which I cannot remember)........ I cannot stand the now common misuse of "myself" !

Hello Lying! (You and I often chat about how PC used to be before it became a place where posters seem to think it's open season to mock others)
@butterpuffed- you will need to go back probably a couple of years, look for long threads with posters like Prism on them. Lots of interesting quirky stuff about language. You won't find much finger pointing at the thicko who doesn't know that "should of" is wrong in earlier threads, but there will be pages of animated discussion as to WHY people make the "should of" error.

“My DM gifted me a watch for my birthday”.
She gave you a watch.

FFS.

"nothink","anythink" etc drive me wild...."return back".....tautology;idiots.

"cusp" instead of "verge"

Discrete and discreet do it for me. You wouldn't use rows rather than rose as they mean different things, so why do people use discrete when they mean discreet?

Because the education system is rubbish !

Drives me mad.
As for education... Both my parents had their education severely affected by ww2 (moved away from friends/family, lack of teachers, left school younger), and at senior school I had a raft of terrible teachers. We all still learned how to write coherently.

When 'kinda', 'shoulda', 'woulda' get traction on MN then we'll be looking back fondly at the 'kind of', 'should of', 'would of' times when people at least knew it was two words. Even if one of them was wrong
I've seen these 'a' variants creeping into FB group posts more and more.

My pet peeve is mixing "your" and "you're". Whenever someone posts "your right", I always have to resist the urge to reply "my right what?"

@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?

It may sound similar but writing 'of' makes no grammatical sense.

@RiftGibbon

Drives me mad. As for education... Both my parents had their education severely affected by ww2 (moved away from friends/family, lack of teachers, left school younger), and at senior school I had a raft of terrible teachers. We all still learned how to write coherently.

Quite. My parents left school at 14 and managed to speak with good grammar (both had strong regional accents and could use their local dialects as well).

As well as those words mentioned, my pet hate is X and Y share two children. No. They are the parents of two children. I imagine them chopping the children in two.

I find it embarrassing when a senior manager based in the U.K. is sending out communications to global clients with should of and apostrophes for plurals. Most non native English speakers will not make this mistake and it looks horribly uneducated. Not a good advert for a company.

The newsletter of my local Lib Dem Councillors always has 'it's' as a possessive. Four times in today's. I have emailed them before now, but it still happens.

You mean you became bored of it?

I also hate the over-use of 'got' and 'get'. Schools always taught they were words to use sparingly. However I have recently seen "I got given...", instead of, "I was given...", and the like. It really grates.