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Would Of

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It drives me a little nuts when people use the phrase "would of" [but probably not nearly as much as when I hear "could care less" (see my first post... http://grammarguidelines.blogspot.com/search/label/Could%20Care%20Less)]. What they really mean when they say "would of" is "would have."

I realize habits are hard to break. That's why people should think carefully before they speak. If they do, they will reduce the likelihood of misspeaking. It is embarrassing to make mistakes when speaking to someone, particularly if they are intelligent. And yes, I do make mistakes when speaking. When writing, not so much--that is editable. Sometimes, though, you don't even realize what you are saying because it is something that you've heard your entire life.

For me, I tend to say "sump'n" instead of "something." Maybe it's a Southern thing like "ain't." Of course, I don't write it that way and never even realized I said it that way until my husband pointed it out. He thinks it is endearing. However, that is not a mistake I want to make when I am conversing with an intelligent person.

Incorrect: would of
Correct: would have
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  1. UnknownMonday, August 13, 2012

    I was actually thinking about this just the other day!

    I finally realized that the problem comes from people (myself included) using the contraction "would've", which sounds remarkably like "would of". Once I had that realization, I stopped using the contraction and consciously separate the words into "would have". Partly, this is so people don't think I'm accidentally saying "would of" and partly so those who do say "would of" realize it's supposed to be "would have".

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