Please state in which country your phrase tends to be used, what the phrase is, and what it should be.
Example:
In America, recently came across “back-petal”, instead of back-pedal. Also, still hearing “for all intensive purposes” instead of “for all intents and purposes”.
“Could of…”
It’s “could have”!
Edit: I’m referring to text based things, like text and email. I can pretty much ignore the mispronouncing.
It’s definitely a mistake, but I think it has slipped by because spell check wouldn’t have a reason to mark it, and not everyone uses grammar check, so they think it’s correct to spell it out by the sound of the contraction.
That’s a dialectal difference, not an error.
I mean no? The have in could have is pronounced the same as of, but at least AFAIK no dialect explicitly says could of. Tell the other person to not mesh the two words together and they’ll say have. I think.
Minor nit pick from my experience. If the word is written out “could have” I enunciate the entire word. I only pronounce the contraction “could’ve” as “could of”. And vice versa when dictating.
It’s very much not recommended, and generally seen as an error. But this article puts an asterisk on it.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/whats-worse-than-coulda
I am viscerally against this concept.
It’s one thing to include the spelling as a way to capture the phonetics of an accent or a dialect, entirely another to accept its use in writing when using a neutral voice.
If anything, because it’s so often just a misspelling I would avoid trying to use it as a phonetics thing just as a matter of style. At this point everybody would think I’m making a mistake instead of trying to mimic a way of speech in a way they’d never do with “coulda”.
With you on all counts.
Not when written
I think they just heard could’ve or meant to say could’ve
Also they’re/their, your/you’re, here/hear, to/too.
“If” with nothing before it after it. If you’ll call me back… That means nothing! If you call me then we can talk. I would appreciate it if you would call me back.
Please state what country your phrase tends to be used
Please state in which country your phrase tends to be used…
Casey Point
This reply deserves to be put on a peddle stool
Touché
Having made some of these mistakes, I tend not to be rigid about them. But here are some fun ones.
- on line vs in line
- to graduate vs to be graduated
- antivenom vs antivenin
All of the above have been normalized, but at one time was not.
Another quirk, we used to not call former Presidents President So and So. We used to call them by their highest position before president. So it would be Senator Obama and not President Obama.
People saying “exscape”, “expresso”, “pasghetti”
It’s, “Excuse me, while I kiss the sky.”
Americans saying “I could care less” instead of “I couldn’t care less”.
I care a tiny bit. I could care less, but not easily.
Doesn’t this make sense if someone says it in a sarcastic manner?
No
I could care less, but then I wouldn’t care at all…
Idk why hoes mad at you this is the cleverest way to mix up the saying while keeping it’s intent.
I’ve seen so many attempts at justification for that one online but I can’t help but think that those people just don’t want to admit that they’re wrong.
I say “I couldn’t care less”, but I used to think that “I couldn’t care less” was used in context where someone seemed like they don’t care and they give that as a snarky remark, implying that they can care even less.
Came here to share this one too
I agree that this is very vaguely irritating, but for me it only differs by one sound and a vowel quality
“I couldn’t care less” [aɪ̯.kɘ̃ʔ.kɛɹ.lɛs] vs “I could care less” [aɪ̯.kɘ.kɛɹ.lɛs]
I say “I could care less” and then follow it up with, “but I’d be dead”. Correcting “I could care less” is dumb because you literally can care less about lots of stuff, but saying the phrase indicates you just don’t really care.
I also like the bonus “hold down the fort” at the end.
Because as you know, it’s an inflatable hover fort and, once relieved of my weight, it might float off into the sky.
I
couldcouldn’t care lessHold
downthe fortThe proof
is in the puddingof the pudding is in the eatingelon muskTwatIrregardless
“Most best”
I don’t generally correct people’s spelling or pronunciation but something I’ve noticed occurring more and more lately is people using “loose” when they mean “lose” and it gets under my skin for unknown reasons
Idiots misspelling lose as loose drives me up the wall. Even had someone defend themselves claiming it’s just the common spelling now and to accept it. There, their, and they’re get honorable mention. Nip it in the butt as opposed to correctly nipping it in the bud.
“Saying the quiet part out loud.”
Saying things out loud is how you say them.
It’s “saying the quiet part loud.”
“Seen”.
Holy fuck, “seen”.I honestly think that using this word incorrectly has gotten worse over the last few years. Hearing someone say, “yeah, I seen her yesterday” just makes me want to punch the wall.
People that think “y” in online gaming means “yeah” instead of “why”.
As a non native speaker, it really irks me when people mix up “brake” and “breake”, specially among car enthusiasts.
Every time I try to slow down my car, I hear chopped up and recontextualized Amens…
