Me, too! There is no such term as "could of." It doesn't even make sense. I understand that "could've" sounds like "could of," but it makes me grind teeth.
Another no-no I hear is the contraction "I's" instead of "my" when used in conjunction to show possession of the noun. Eg. "This is Ben and I's new house."
No. You would never say "It's I's house" or "it's Ben house". You'd say "it's my house" or "it's Ben's house" . Joining possessors doesn't mean you say "Ben and I's house," but say "It's Ben's and my house."
Originally Posted by
tessagin
Thanks, zozee that clears up a lot. I don't have too much trouble with most but "whom" always was a bit of a stumper. One I see often and that is the difference between "have and of" I could of is seen often when should be could have. Easier to break down when have is hyphenated like "could've". And clincher is I see many journalists using "could of" instead of could've or could have".