Carpenter Document Consulting

Sometimes, the way we speak turns into the way we write, which can have dangerous consequences. When speaking, the verb phrase “could have,” or perhaps the often-spoken contraction “could’ve” can sound like “could of.” Don’t let this wording slip into your writing, however. “Could of” is not a structure that you should not use.

Do: I could have studied more for that exam.
Don’t: I could of stayed up later to study.

Note that the same rules apply to “should have/should of” and “would have/would of.”

Thanks to another Etsy grammar find for inspiration for this blog post:

This summer, the team at Carpenter Doc has been traveling a quite a bit to visit family and friends. In our travels, we’re sampling different menus at restaurants from Ohio to Florida. No matter where we are, we are discovering an ongoing problem with the menus—a serious grammar problem. Restaurateurs across the southeast are misusing the apostrophe in the worst way—by using it to make a noun plural. We’ve seen “mojito’s” on the menu in Lexington, Kentucky and “bottle’s of beer” available in Kennesaw, Georgia.

We’re hitting the road again this week—and we’ll be on the lookout for more misplaced apostrophes. In the meantime, remember that we do not use apostrophes to make nouns plural. Use apostrophes to join words, like in contractions, or to indicate possession.

If you spot any misused apostrophes, send your photos to barbie@carpenterdoc.com, and we’ll feature them on our blog and Facebook page!

Lately, we’ve been spotting misused apostrophes all over the place. If you follow us on Facebook or Twitter, you’ve probably already seen these pictures. But, we wanted to share with our blog friends as well.

In these instances, businesses have used apostrophes to make a word plural. Remember, folks, apostrophes should never be used like this. Use them to indicate possession or to combine words like in contractions.

During this morning’s Today Show interview with a U.S. volleyball player, we heard the following sentence:

“You literally grew up on the sand.”

Really? Did she erect a tent on the beach and live there throughout her childhood? I’m guessing not.

Check out our original post on literally.

Although the terms “boarder” and “border” probably aren’t terms writers use every day, they are commonly confused. Here’s a quick explanation of these terms:

Boarder

A boarder is a person–either someone who boards, or receives lodging, or someone who snowboards

Border

Border is the more commonly used term meaning the outer edge or boundary.

So, a boarder might live in your house, but you cross the border when you travel from one state to another.

“Literally” is one of the most misused words in the English language. People often mistakenly use literally for emphasis and exaggeration—“I’m literally as hungry as a horse!”

“Literally” means “really” or “actually,” but people often confuse it with “figuratively,” which means “in an analogous or metaphorical sense.”

Fortunately, “literally” is typically misused in speech rather than writing, but it can often lead to unintentional hilarity. Check out Literally: A Web Blog for the best misuses of the word in print and on the web.