Grammar Entry 619 / 1011 60-second read

Could of vs. Could have

Sound-alike error.

The comparisoni

✗ Wrong

I could of gone.

✓ Correct

I could have gone.

The ruleii

COULD HAVE (never "of").

The contraction "could've" sounds like "could of," leading to the error. It is always COULD HAVE.

Memory aidiii

Remember it like this

"Could've" → could have.

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