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It's elementary, my dear Watson.
Lynette and I were just discussing the current, and so not grammatical, trend of substituting "should of" for "should have" the other day.
Then, as I was browsing a grammar site last night (yes, this is what I do when no one posts to their damn knitting blogs, I go browse the grammar freaks), and someone had written in complaining about this same phenomenon: "Where did anyone get the idea that “of” was a verb or that it was permanently affixed to the end of the word “should”?
Dear Commenter,
I understand how it BOTHERS you when people get it wrong. But I don't understand your CONFUSION over how this error started.
"Should have" contracts to "should've."
Say it fast. Come on now. "Should've" SOUNDS LIKE "should of."
People are just too dumb to realize it's not spelled the way it sounds! Doh!
Putting out fires wherever I go,
You're welcome,
Duff.
Posted by Duff at October 26, 2005 07:02 AM Posted to strunk&white.
"just to dumb"?
You're baiting us, right?
Posted by: Delf at October 26, 2005 07:00 PM
I feel partially responsible for this. Sorry. I'll try to update more often, really.
Posted by: molly at October 26, 2005 08:01 PM
then there's the shuda .. take North grammar doesn't feature the spoken or written language of anyone I met .. does that make us last of the literate generation? .. is there even an English literate generation? ..
did the grammar/glammar experts ever stop to think that the language they seek to generate isn't even a living one .. ever try quoting sources onto word doc and then receiving huge reminders from your computer that it's grammatically incorrect!!! .. and b/c lecturers demand u quote verbatim, u find yourself questioning the literate competancy of the author!!! ..
I'm sure u know that glamour and grammar were once the same word .. maybe it's all just magic b/c inspite of the way we speak or write, the receiver always manages to comprehend ..
Posted by: A(*) at October 27, 2005 02:48 AM