Would have and would of are both modals, but they have different uses. In this post, we’ll take a look at when to use would have and would of, and when to use would. We’ll also look at some examples to help you understand the difference between these two modals. Stay tuned!
What is Would Have?
Would have is a verb phrase that is used to talk about hypothetical situations. For example, you might say, “I would have gone to the party if I had known about it.” They would have part of the sentence indicates that you did not go to the party, and the if clause suggests that the reason you didn’t go was because you didn’t know about it. Would have can also be used to talk about past events that didn’t happen. For example, “I would have stopped at the store on my way home, but I forgot.” In this sentence, the speaker is saying that they didn’t stop at the store, but they are indicating that they would have stopped if they had remembered.
Would have is often used with could have and should have to talk about regret or missed opportunities. For example, “I could have gotten a better grade if I had studied more.” Would have is also used in conditional statements. For example, “If I won the lottery, I would have a big house.” Would have is typically followed by a past participle verb, such as gone, stopped, or gotten.
What is Would Of?
In short, “would have” indicates something that could have happened, but didn’t. For example, “I would have gone to the party if you had invited me.” “Could have” indicates something that theoretically could have happened, but didn’t – for example, “I could have caught the bus if I had left five minutes earlier.” “Should have” indicates something that probably should have happened, but didn’t – for example, “I should have known better than to trust him.”
So what about “would of”? Unfortunately, this phrase is simply incorrect grammar – it should be “would’ve” or “would have.” However, because it’s so commonly used, many people don’t even realize that it’s incorrect. So next time you’re tempted to use “would of,” take a step back and consider which phrase would actually be more appropriate in the context.
Difference between Would Have and Would Of
Would have and would of are two commonly confused phrases. Would have is the past tense of the modal verb will, while would of is an incorrect form of would have. Would have is used to describe something that was possible in the past but didn’t happen, while would of can’t be used in any grammatically correct way. For example, you might say “I would have gone to the party if I hadn’t been so tired” to express regret about not attending a past event. However, you couldn’t say “I would of gone to the party if I hadn’t been so tired” – this would be incorrect grammar. When in doubt, remember that would have is always correct usage, while would of is never correct.
Conclusion
In order to use the would have conditional correctly, you must understand its nuances. The main difference between would have and would of is that the former refers to an event in the past that did not happen, while the latter refers to an event in the future. Understanding when to use each form can help your writing sound more polished and professional.
