Chutneys and Oddities #1 'Are "of" and "have" interchangable?'

It's recently come to my attention that people have begun to use the preposition 'of' when actually meaning the verb 'have'.
For example, 'Oh Andy, why did you stab that badger? You could of just let it go instead!'

Do you mean 'you could have let it go?'

Yes.

Yes you do.

This is fair enough in verbal conversation because obviously with common parlance, phonetically 'of' and the end of have 've' sound very similar.

I'm not suggesting that everyone use the Queen's English here (although let's be honest, it is GODS language so why not use it? The Bible is in English so therefore God is English too...Plus, like Al Murray says, England is fairly calm and peaceful. You don't have earthquakes or many active volcanoes spewing lava everywhere, killing English people...You don't shit on your own doorstep do you?)

Anyway, yes, I have even noticed this gargantuan fuck up in print now. Honestly...

In George R.R. Martin's 'Clash of Kings' nonetheless! (can't remember which page but trust me, it's in there)

Now, again, in verbal exchange, fine. I'll even except it splashed across a wall in hastily scrawled graffiti,
 although no doubt sprayed by a drugged up junkie, itching to get his next hit of smack off his dealer 'Drug dealer Derric' but in a properly  published work of fiction? Unacceptable.

Come on Martin you beardy legend.

This is unacceptable people!

Let's prevent further bastardisation of the English language like this in print.

I imagine now if you don't know me, you expect me to be sat behind my marble desk with my tie done up to eleven, sipping my hazelnut and gingerbread soya-milk latte (bought from a properly franchised coffee outlet
), clicking my fingers to Crowded House and feeling very smug about my observation.

Actually I'm drinking value tea from Morrison's out of a huge Avengers mug but that's beside the point... Actually I'm a rather poor student who doesn't think he's cool or cutting edge or even that this will be read by many (if any) people.

No. I just want to point out the things that really grind my gears. (So all you Guardian readers can back off.)

Expect more Hegelian streams of consciousness soon.

Enjoy the rest of your day. Thank you for reading,