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This is not meant to be critical but a learning experience for all.
Many posts show the following:
“Could of”; “Should of”; “Would of”.
Example: “I should of bought that Winchester rifle for $1000 last year because now it’s $1200.”
What one is really intending to state is “could’ve”, “should’ve”, or “would’ve”, as it’s a contraction of “could have”, “should have”, or “would have”. However, one is writing what it sounds like as a spoken word.
A good way to prove that this is correct is to think of a similar statement as to what I wrote, but the opposite: “I should not have bought the Winchester rifle for $1000 last year because now it’s on sale for $900.”
I hope this is a learning experience.
I will add one more thing: “it’s” is a contraction of “it is” and should be used in that manner.
Thank you for reading this–if you made it this far!
First computer I acquired 20 yrs ago had what I considered a God-send: spellchecker! Yet you might think, reading many posts, that this amazing miracle had never been invented.
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Hi Ian-
I guess my “folksy charm” just don’t cut it here at “Winchester University”… See… I would’ve said “I should’n’ve bought the Winchester rifle for $1000 last year because now it’s on sale for $900.” Guess what I meant was “I should not of bought the Winchester rifle for $1000 last year because now it’s on sale for $900.” 
Let’s not even get into regional dialects… In my neck of the Southern backwoods, “y’all” (you all) is SINGULAR. As in “How y’all doin’?” when speaking to one person. The plural is “all y’all” (all you all). As in “How ’bout all y’all come over to our place for Sunday supper” when inviting the neighbor’s family to dinner… Oh… And in our parlance “dinner” is a meal served in the middle of the afternoon. Only you Yankees call the evening meal “dinner”…
Hi Clarence-
Spell check is the bane of my existence, since it clearly doesn’t recognize “medicalese” and turns perfectly good grammar into gibberish. Even in the real world, e.g. WACA forum, when I go back and read my posts I find that many of my errors arose from failing to find and correct the spell check “corrections”…
Thanks for the both of you!!!
Just don’t criticize my typing because I put two spaces after a period instead of one (they way typing used to be taught before it became “keyboarding)… 
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
From Canada’ Well how ’bout that ,eh? or ‘zat right eh?
W.A.C.A. life member, Marlin Collectors Assn. charter and life member, C,S.S.A. member and general gun nut.
Wish I would of seen this a long time ago…. I know, I know…. had to.
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
WACA #10293
Louis Luttrell said
Hi Ian-I guess my “folksy charm” just don’t cut it here at “Winchester University”… See… I would’ve said “I should’n’ve bought the Winchester rifle for $1000 last year because now it’s on sale for $900.” Guess what I meant was “I should not of bought the Winchester rifle for $1000 last year because now it’s on sale for $900.”
Let’s not even get into regional dialects… In my neck of the Southern backwoods, “y’all” (you all) is SINGULAR. As in “How y’all doin’?” when speaking to one person. The plural is “all y’all” (all you all). As in “How ’bout all y’all come over to our place for Sunday supper” when inviting the neighbor’s family to dinner… Oh… And in our parlance “dinner” is a meal served in the middle of the afternoon. Only you Yankees call the evening meal “dinner”…
Hi Clarence-
Spell check is the bane of my existence, since it clearly doesn’t recognize “medicalese” and turns perfectly good grammar into gibberish. Even in the real world, e.g. WACA forum, when I go back and read my posts I find that many of my errors arose from failing to find and correct the spell check “corrections”…
Thanks for the both of you!!!
Just don’t criticize my typing because I put two spaces after a period instead of one (they way typing used to be taught before it became “keyboarding)…
Lou
Lou,
Excellent post!
I both say and write y’all as it is folksy. Living in Virginia many years affords me that privilege…I hope!
After I posted the original post, it dawned on me that thinking of the opposite isn’t necessarily the right approach. You found the hole in that argument rather quickly.
I, too, do not use spell check, often to my detriment. I use and write medical terminology regularly in my profession and spell check will quickly modify what I intend to say into Swiss cheese!
Louis Luttrell said
Spell check is the bane of my existence, since it clearly doesn’t recognize “medicalese” and turns perfectly good grammar into gibberish.
No, it can’t recognize certain technical terms, slang, foreign words, etc. But it can be over-ridden, or the red-flag spelling added to your personal dictionary. Consider the problem of a music publisher trying to convert rap lyrics into written words–could only be done by totally disabling spellchecker. Still, being orthographically challenged all my life, I love it.
Y’all, by the way, provoked no red-line warning from my spellchecker.
clarence said
Louis Luttrell said
Spell check is the bane of my existence, since it clearly doesn’t recognize “medicalese” and turns perfectly good grammar into gibberish.
No, it can’t recognize certain technical terms, slang, foreign words, etc. But it can be over-ridden, or the red-flag spelling added to your personal dictionary. Consider the problem of a music publisher trying to convert rap lyrics into written words–could only be done by totally disabling spellchecker. Still, being orthographically challenged all my life, I love it.
Y’all, by the way, provoked no red-line warning from my spellchecker.
That’s a north of the Mason-Dixon Line spell checker, Clarence! Ya’ll oughta know that!
mrcvs said
This is not meant to be critical but a learning experience for all.Many posts show the following:
“Could of”; “Should of”; “Would of”.
Example: “I should of bought that Winchester rifle for $1000 last year because now it’s $1200.”
What one is really intending to state is “could’ve”, “should’ve”, or “would’ve”, as it’s a contraction of “could have”, “should have”, or “would have”. However, one is writing what it sounds like as a spoken word.
A good way to prove that this is correct is to think of a similar statement as to what I wrote, but the opposite: “I should not have bought the Winchester rifle for $1000 last year because now it’s on sale for $900.”
I hope this is a learning experience.
I will add one more thing: “it’s” is a contraction of “it is” and should be used in that manner.
Thank you for reading this–if you made it this far!
Thank you, mrcvs! I needed that!
mrcvs said
This is not meant to be critical but a learning experience for all.Many posts show the following:
“Could of”; “Should of”; “Would of”.
Example: “I should of bought that Winchester rifle for $1000 last year because now it’s $1200.”
What one is really intending to state is “could’ve”, “should’ve”, or “would’ve”, as it’s a contraction of “could have”, “should have”, or “would have”. However, one is writing what it sounds like as a spoken word.
Up here in da UP we can butcher dat inta, couldah, woodah and shouldah……
Erin
Until the spell checker has grammar checker I’m not going to worry about it. It may not be the the right word to use but at least it will be spelled right.
¡ǝsɹoʍ ǝq plnoɔ ʇI
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
All-
I guess what I like most about this forum is what we have in common…
You don’t hang around here unless you want to learn more about your passion AND are willing to learn, i.e. it’s not just all about validating your own preconceptions. If you want unconditional adoration, pet your dog… If you want to learn about Winchesters, post here. The response you get may or may not be what you want, and you don’t need to agree (we’re not Biblical authority). But by-and large the feedback you get here is HONEST…
Too obtuse???
From my perspective, the more regional idioms pop up here the better. Many of our most experienced and knowledgeable contributors are older folks (I’m gettin’ there) who didn’t learn to type (let alone “keyboard”). I maybe could’a said it better, but I ain’t so smart (or edgy-cated)…
Best, Lou
P.S. Henry… I initially thought about going Canadian with my comments, eh??? I have several (professional – not gun collector) friends who are English-speaking Canadians, and our idioms are a constant source of bi-directional jibes. Let’s not even approach the Quebecois… Wonderful folks as long as you do not discuss Canadian politics…
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
1873man said
Until the spell checker has grammar checker I’m not going to worry about it. It may not be the the right word to use but at least it will be spelled right.¡ǝsɹoʍ ǝq plnoɔ ʇI
Bob
How in the world did you do that???
1873man said
Until the spell checker has grammar checker I’m not going to worry about it. It may not be the the right word to use but at least it will be spelled right.¡ǝsɹoʍ ǝq plnoɔ ʇI
Bob
you have to use a laptop and then flip the laptop over when you type it. 
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
November 7, 2015
Online
Reminds me of the time years (OK, maybe a decade or two) ago I was in a Des Moines bar talking to a NYPD officer with a Bronx accent. I will not deny having a Texas drawl. Poor barmaid couldn’t understand either of us, lol.
When I returned to college awhile back the Harbrace (gee, spellcheck didn’t like that) was a required textbook. My instructors never used it and the bookstore refused to buy it back. If anyone has a spare $22.75 (plus postage) lying around alongside a sincere desire to appease the grammar cops it’s yours.
Mike
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