Of of of of of of of of of of

[BrickBiscuit]

That's the approximate number of rogue 'of's I have seen on Mumsnet posts today alone. 'Should of', 'would of', even an 'I of' somewhere. It is spread by repetition. Should we counter by correcting every instance we can, and enforce the correct use of 'have' by repetition?

Incidentally, my title is an old crossword clue. Do solve it if you like.

YABU: no, we should leave the 'of' people unchallenged;
YANBU: yes, let's have a campaign to correct each and every instance of the error.

Yes!! I can't listen to them!

😂

Tbh I don't think so. They both sound passive aggressive (just let me read it at my own time!) But the poor grammar adds extra annoyance

Instead of etc
ect
really irritating

But it's just good manners to make the effort to make posts reasonably comprehensible and literate.

I've clearly skipped a lot of the thread, I'll read back through! It feels wrong though...

Drives me nuts - & I'm dyslexic.

Precisely.

One of the real pleasures of the English language is the possibility of expressing precise and careful shades of meaning by selecting exactly the right word - cold, chilly, freezing, dank... militiaman, trooper, infantryman, soldier... tree, pollard, coppice, sapling, cordon... raging, furious, angry, livid, fuming...

If you lose the shades of meaning, the language loses precision and vitality.

Note that "I've sent that to yourself" sounds softer than "I've sent that to you."

It sounds mental. Like it was written by AI.

AI that was trained on Netmums.

You’re and your. Good god, how do so many people not know the difference? They’re, there and their. To, too and two. 😖

It's awful..... I absolutely hate it .... my 6 year old granddaughter said "I would of..." the other day.... she hears it from her mother.... drives me nuts....I first noticed it was becoming commonly used about 15 years ago when I was still working and dealt with a lot of application forms completed by people in their twenties.... Aaaarrrggghhhh !!!!
"OFTEN"

Well I agree its annoying but correcting people is quite mean. And shouldn't be allowed.

It’s not though. You shouldn’t say ‘would of ’ any more than you should write it.

The use of 'of' is not evolution of language, it makes no sense. You would never say 'of' instead of 'have' in any other context.
I have had my dinner.✅️
I of had my dinner.❌️
I should have had my dinner.✅️
I should of had my dinner. ❌️

It's really not complicated.

The other things like less/fewer, sat/sitting even me/myself, although I hate them, could be regarded as evolution.

Try not to start your sentences with ‘and.’

It sounds like people trying to sound smarter, but instead they sound very much the opposite!

Only If you’re semi-literate and don’t mind that you’re actively irritating your addressee.

I have (another) colleague who starts every email with "I hope your well...."
It's been three years. No one can bear to point it out.

How else are they going to learn? It's an act of kindness. How else will someone understand that "draw" doesn't have the same meaning as "drawer" (or loose and lose)?

It’s not mean. It’s educational.

If your name means you’re from the north east it’s possible.

Quite. It's helpful.

That's reminded me: "bear" and "bare"
"Bare with me"
"No thanks, I hardly know you"

Eta I realise it's used correctly in the post I quoted btw

I got it. Shame it was wasted on that poster🤣

Run to You

”… if they ever find out about you and I”

I wince, every time.