Master confusing words with ease
Could have vs. Could of
Could have
/kʊd həv/Examples:
They could have taken a different path.She could have been an artist in another life.We could have avoided the traffic jam.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
This word has no antonymsCould of
/ˈkʊd əv/Examples:
He could of told me about the meeting earlier.They could of prevented the accident with more caution.I thought she could of handled it better.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
This word has no antonymsWays to tell them apart:
- Remember could have is the correct form and is often contracted to couldve'.
- Couldve sometimes sounds like could of in spoken English, but could of' is incorrect.
- Always use could have to form the past conditional; there is no legitimate use of could of.
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