# Should OF? Would OF? Could OF? I'm screaming... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 15, 2005, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404 "2005-06-15T17:10:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/1 "2005-06-15T17:10:31Z")
What in god’s name is going on? I know that most people are not as literate, nor spell as well, as your average Doper…but my god. I play poker online a great deal, and the first time I read “I should of called”, I thought it was almost funny. Then it happened again. Then once more…then… it’s everywhere! WTF? This scares me, really it does. Between the government Newspeak (“clear skies initiative”) and the rampant illiteracy i’m seeing on the internet, I don’t think it will be long before the English language, one of My Favorite Things, will be reduced to 1000 simple words spelled phonetically. Or maybe we’ll just end up pointing and grunting most of the time. This nonsensical of-ness has moved to the top of my list, nudging out “continue ON” (though that one still makes me weep), and the nonstop mangling of “fewer/less” (I wrote to Mason Malmuth the other day to give him a helpful tip about that…pretty alarming considering that he is a professional writer and publisher.) Fewer mistakes, less irritation… ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/2 "2005-06-15T17:22:32Z")
I’m usually very anal when it comes to stuff like this, but this one doesn’t bother me nearly as much as others. Should’ve, Could’ve–say them out loud, they sound like Should Of, Could Of, it’s easy to see how people make the mistake. But if I see one more person complaining about loosing something, I’m going to loose my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/3 "2005-06-15T17:28:29Z")
Your going to start loosing you’re mind if you start complaining about everything people could of wrote better. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/4 "2005-06-15T17:29:32Z")
You really need to get a grip. The English language will not be reduced to one thousand simple words. However, it will evolve over time, sometimes in ways that annoy you. This is what it has always done. Perhaps one day “should of” will be considered correct to all but yourself, who nobody will want to talk to because of the constant whining about how when _I_ was young people used to say “should have”. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/5 "2005-06-15T17:31:56Z")
Trivial matters of grammar do not rise to the level of blasphemy. Going all in on the turn, hoping to catch one card to an inside straight, that makes Baby Doyle Brunson cry. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/6 "2005-06-15T17:34:12Z")
Ah, yes. “Soon EVERYONE will do it incorrectly, and then it will be correct!” My favorite argument. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/7 "2005-06-15T17:43:07Z")
Those who make excuses for the dumbing-down of English, spoken or written, are the same who think it’s acceptable to park in a fire lane, because they were only inside “for a minute.” Cast both into the pit of ever darkness. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/8 "2005-06-15T17:44:18Z")
Ugh. I don’t have the best spelling and grammar in the world, but “should of” and its ilk grates on my nerves in the worst way imaginable. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/9 "2005-06-15T17:57:37Z")
Your right **Driver8**. Everyone here is just being rediculous. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/10 "2005-06-15T18:02:57Z")
_Poker in the front, should of in the rear._ ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/11 "2005-06-15T18:15:15Z")
> [@Nanoda](#): > > Your right **Driver8**. Everyone here is just being rediculous. Ah, you rouge, you. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/12 "2005-06-15T18:33:54Z")
I must agree with you, **Stoid**. It’s not like typing “[space]of” saves keystrokes from “'ve”, it’s just plain, new-fangled ignorance (distinguishable from plain, old-fashioned ignorance because it employs a computer). When I’m elected _Lord High Emperor of All I Purvey for Life_, this will be punishable by death. Time to give the gene pool a good skimming! ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/13 "2005-06-15T18:45:32Z")
Well, you’re already a de facto emperor of all you purvey, otherwise you wouldn’t be a purveyor of it, now would you? If you meant “survey” on the other hand, I’m right there with you. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/14 "2005-06-15T18:54:15Z")
Is this all you of to complain about? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/15 "2005-06-15T19:24:11Z")
There is some shit up with which I will not put! ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/16 "2005-06-15T19:43:04Z")
Here’s a good one. A former lady aquantance of mine used bad grammar fairly often. I’m far from perfect myself but here’s were not the occasional slips but regular missuse of the language. When I would try to point it out and correct her politely {evidently there is no polite way to do that} her response was “Well that just the way I say it” How do you correct somone or make a grammatic suggestion without appearing to be a pompous ass? ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/17 "2005-06-15T19:46:13Z")
Funny “looser” story. Right after the election, I was lazy and didn’t take off my Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker (in my window). I was also lazy and didn’t get my car washed. One day, as I am leaving school, I find this scene: (On my window) [KERRY EDWARDS 04] ^ Looser ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/18 "2005-06-15T19:48:22Z")
:rolleyes: It’s “should uh”. Duh. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/19 "2005-06-15T19:55:37Z")
> [@Happy Scrappy Hero Pup](#): > > Well, you’re already a de facto emperor of all you purvey, otherwise you wouldn’t be a purveyor of it, now would you? > If you meant “survey” on the other hand, I’m right there with you. > 😃 Guess I just slipped into that pool that I was skimming. Ah well, when I’m emperor, I’ll just change the definitions. _Paging Gaudere, cleanup in aisle 5!_ ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404/20 "2005-06-15T19:56:19Z")
> [@Happy Scrappy Hero Pup](#): > > Ah, yes. > > “Soon EVERYONE will do it incorrectly, and then it will be correct!” > > My favorite argument. :dubious: It’s basically the foundation of descriptive grammar (_vice_ prescriptive grammar), which bases grammatical rules on communication. It is a bit of a self-licking ice cream cone, because it assumes they are innovating on purpose, and deviating from prescriptive grammar. I’m a militant **prescriptive** grammarian, so I’m going to point out that this is not even a grammar mistake. “Of” and “have” are completely different parts of speech. This is a homophone spelling error. A sentence using a past participle usually includes the verb “to have”. The erring parties above have replaced the sound of “apostrophe-V-E” (not a full word, but a sound which fills in for a word) with a word that sounds the same to their ears. The “could of/could have” error is no different than writing “His head” when you mean “He said”. So… is there a hyphen in anal-retentive? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-of-would-of-could-of-im-screaming/308404.md?page=2)