Fair enough.

OK, next topic...

Could HAVE, should have, would have, may have, will have. Not could OF. Jeez that's another one that winds me up.

 

I think that is derived from people saying "could've", which sounds exactly like "could of" when said quickly.

In other words, your ears may be making the mistake. I know lots of people think it's "could of" but you'd be hard pressed to tell which they're saying when they run it all together.

 

Of course, if they spell it out as "could of", they have no excuse.

 

...people who say "use to" instead of "used to"...

 

Absolutely that is where it is derived from, but to say it and to write 'of' is another thing. Yeh, no, I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about when written.

Soon we'll return to Olde English, where you could spell any word however you desired.

Always loved this example from my school days... How is this word pronounced... GHOTI ?

It's pronounced identically to the word FISH. How? Like this...

GH - as in Cough
O - as in Women
TI - as in Nation

I know, it's lame but it makes a point.

 

because he was quartered on the "port" side?

 

This has to be the most epic grammar thread of all time

 

Epicker than all the others, eh?

 

The most epickest!

 

and that's a good thing?