“I coulda been a contender!”
While this plaintive cry worked well for Marlon Brando in “On the Waterfront”, it falls flat in business writing. Careful writers cringe when they see sentences like
- If I would of known they were good prospects, I would of tried harder.
- I should of known he was a rascal.
- I could of told you, but you wouldn’t of listened to me.
How Do These Writing Errors Happen?
These grating writing errors crop up when people write these verb forms the way they sound:
- would have
- should have
- could have
In speaking, these gaffes are no big deal. In fact, speakers might sound prissy if they pronounced every would have and could have.
The Cost of the Careless Could of
In writing, however, these mistakes are deadly. They mark us as careless or ignorant — and who wants those labels?
Executives tell me of sales reps making major client presentations that include these errors. Not surprisingly, the sales reps do not get the deals. Was it because they wrote We could of solved your problem rather than We could have solved your problem? We’ll never know. What we do know is that these mistakes didn’t help.
A Particular Problem: Would Have Known
The phrase If I would of known poses an even more pressing problem. In addition to using the erroneous would of, it is in the wrong tense.
The correct tense is the (take a breath, GrammarSpeak coming) past perfect. In this case, even correcting to If I would have known will make you stumble. The correct way to express something that was completed in the past is If I had known.
The Danger of Spelling Words Like They Sound
In the Worktalk training, we encourage writers to write conversationally. If we imagine our readers and write as if we are having a friendly talk with them, this is all good. However, one can carry the conversational tone too far. This happens when we start to spell words as they sound when we speak informally.
So the next time your fingers are prancing across the keyboard listening to the voice in your head saying, “I should of known!”, pause. Remember that in written English there is no such thing as should of. Or would of. Or could of.
Use the right verb forms: should have, would have, could have, and mark yourself as a literate, careful individual.
Could I of done anything more to of made this idea clear to you?
Bonus Video Clip
Want to hear Marlon Brando saying, “I coulda been a contender!”? Click here.
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Take me to your leader! Communication woes drain the lifeblood from an organization. Connect me with your decision-makers and see how Worktalk can transform communication in your world. Contact me at lizd@worktalk.com or 310.396.8303. You can also book through www.calendly.com/worktalk.
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About Worktalk
Worktalk prepares teams to write clearly and confidently amid the pressures of constant communication. Our trainings and webinars equip individuals with the mindset and tactics to strengthen credibility, increase influence, and generate new possibilities.
If you’re wondering how Worktalk might make a difference in your organization, call Liz Danziger at 310.396.8303 or email lizd@worktalk.com.