COULD OF – COULD HAVE
SHOULD OF – SHOULD HAVE
WOULD OF – WOULD HAVE
I am absolutely amazed (frusrated, sickened, disheartened, saddened, angered, etc) that there are functional human beings who do not understand the difference.
A weblog about (mostly) Great Falls, Montana! NOTE: my posts here reflects MY opinions and observations, not those of my employer. You're smart enough to know that, right?
agreed.
OK. I can relate to a point. I tend to be a proponent for correct english and grammatically correct content as well. However, even I was victim to typing a phrase that I had heard for 40 plus years now:
http://rgrimshaw.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/for-all-intensive-purposes/
Much of this is due (do?) to people who speak more than they type, and then do not know the difference when they do type it. How many times have you seen people confuse “too”, and “to” or “there”, “they’re” and “their” in written text? Some proponents of British English will even express their distaste for the entire American usage of contractions. To wit, it is a part of my job as a knowledge-base content developer to make sure that I don’t (ahem, do not) use contractions in my posted how-to articles.
‘Nuff sed. Ur Still my BFF and Fave website, Dave.
TTYL
Here is someone you can blame for it all. Here’s a blogger from Atlanta who is a free-lance writer. According to her ‘About’ page, among her turn-offs : “abysmal spelling and/or grammar”, yet her blog is:
http://wouldashoulda.com/about-mir/
Thanks a lot, Mir!
Woulda Coulda Shoulda isn’t abysmal spelling or grammar, Ron, it’s slang. Totally different!
(Mostly because I say so. And also because I’m aware they’re not actually words, which is very different than the OP’s lament about the whole “could of” thing where people believe that’s actually correct.)
As long as we’re linking, my very favorite retort to ridiculous usage is http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html (enjoy).