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I always assumed that the use of would of instead of would have was a comparatively recent error, perhaps due to mishearing would've. In general I like colloquial language as an aid to understanding without pomposity, but I'll admit that errors such as would of do grate. To my surprise I recently encountered this in my holiday reading - a compilation of Poirot short stories.
Ever so fond of Mrs Oldfield Nurse was, and ever so
distressed when she died, and Beatrice always said as how Nurse Harrison knew
something about it because she turned right round against the doctor afterwards
and she wouldn’t of done that unless there was something wrong, would she?’
Agatha Christie - The Lernean Hydra (1939)
So not recent after all. This is not Poirot speaking of course. Presumably it's Aggie's way of indicating an education not out of the top drawer.
Incidentally, I think David Suchet's moustache in the TV series is not quite as large or forbidding as it should be.
5 comments:
It grates? As someone who used to work in Further Education, let me tell you it used to grate like a rusty old industrial size cheese-grater from Granny's kitchen.
The amazing thing is that it wasn't random. It could hardly be counted as an error. They all did it, unerringly.
What SV says, only add "atomic powered" to the grater bit.
I quite like listening to colloquial conversation - revealing rather than grating. Cannot help thinking of David Suchet training to walk in the Poirot manner by clenching a halfpenny in his bottom. And the moustache is all wrong.
Given the period the moustache should of been a much bigger and more splendid one. He would of had one but the costume department only had one size.
Sam and Mark - perhaps being tolerably well-spoken is no longer seen as one of life's advantages. I'm surprised people don't notice though, "would of" doesn't even make sense.
Roger and Demetrius - yes the moustache is worse that I suggest in the post. There are enough hints that it should be much bigger and far more majestic. The man was a dandy, not a fop.
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