Why “Would of” is Incorrect

The phrase “would of” is a common error that arises from a mishearing of the correct construction “would have.” This mistake typically happens because, in spoken English, “would have” is often contracted to “would’ve,” which sounds a lot like “would of.” While this makes the error understandable, “would of” is grammatically incorrect because “of” is a preposition and cannot function as an auxiliary verb.

What You Should Use

The correct form to use is “would have.” Here’s how it works:

• Correct: “I would have gone to the party if I had known about it.”
• Incorrect: “I would of gone to the party if I had known about it.”

Structured Breakdown

1. The Role of “Would Have”

“Would have” is used to form the conditional perfect tense. It expresses something that could or would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met.

• Example: “She would have called if she had your number.”

2. Why “Of” Can’t Work Here

“Of” is a preposition and cannot be used as a verb or auxiliary verb in this context. The auxiliary verb “have” (part of the verb phrase “would have”) is necessary to form a grammatically correct conditional phrase.

3. Common Contractions and How They Sound

• “Would’ve” (spoken form): This contraction often leads to confusion since it sounds similar to “would of.”
  • Example (spoken): “I would’ve helped if I knew.”
  • Correct expansion: “I would have helped if I knew.”
  • Incorrect expansion: “I would of helped if I knew.”

Practice Exercise

Fill in the correct form of “would have” or identify the incorrect usage of “would of”:

1. I ______ gone with you if you had asked.
2. She said she ______ called, but she forgot.
3. They would of left early if they knew about the traffic.
4. He ______ finished the task if he had more time.

Answers:

1. I would have gone with you if you had asked.
2. She said she would have called, but she forgot.
3. Incorrect: They would of left early if they knew about the traffic. (Correct: They would have left early if they knew about the traffic.)
4. He would have finished the task if he had more time.