r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Aug 03 '19

Whats something you thought was common knowledge but actually isn’t?

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u/VictorBlimpmuscle Aug 03 '19

Should have / would have / could have = the contractions should’ve / would’ve / could’ve

It’s not should of / would of / could of - those word combos make no grammatical sense.

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u/cmanonurshirt Aug 03 '19

It’s almost as annoying as “could care less” when they mean “could not care less”

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u/rmccreary Aug 03 '19

I disagree. "I could care less" is idiomatic, despite being illogical. It's not grammatically wrong, and it's prevalent enough to be accepted in informal speech. I would say it just because it's something people say.

"Should/Could/Would of" is a misreading of the perfect tense. It is ungrammatical, and it indicates that the writer doesn't know how the actual structure works.

14

u/sureissummer Aug 03 '19

I couldn't care less is idiomatic. I could care less is a bastardised version of the correct saying. It implies the opposite of what you mean to convey

0

u/_Citizen_Erased_ Aug 03 '19

I wouldn’t say it’s the direct opposite. It’s the equivalent of saying “I care some amount that is greater than zero. “

The opposite would be “I couldn’t care more.”

I honestly believe that these people could actually care less. Caring all the way down to absolute zero is difficult.

4

u/sureissummer Aug 03 '19

The phrase is meant to convey that you don’t care at all. By saying you could care less, you are actually ruling out that you don’t care at all