should "of " could "of " would "of "

[serendipity1]

isnt it supposed to be should have, so many people say "of"

[Quizmonster]

Should've, could've and would've are the actual abbreviated words involved but - because 'of' sounds just like 've' in these circumstances - lazy people confuse the two.

[serendipity1]

yes but we abbreviate would have as would've and not would of yes?

[Quizmonster]

Yes...these are the actual words, as I said.

[jno]

to be fair, QM, it's almost certainly ignorance rather than laziness; people just don't know the difference, because they sound identical. Serendipity, 'have' is what is called an auxiliary verb - it helps out with other verbs. I have done it, I would have done it, I could have done it. But they are seldom pronounced that way; I have done it is often shortened to I've done it, and would have and could have are almost invariably shortened to would've and could've (and should've) as QM says.

[Pippa24]

colloquoillism comes in to it or should I say pronounciation. Not everyone pronounces should've as should of but those that do then write it that way.

Some people pronounce "our house" as "are house" so that when their children start school and start writing they write "our house" as "are house"

[JillP]

Very interesting all this as I thought it was 'Shudda, Wudda, Cudda!'