Pet Peeve

I've repeatedly noticed a very common mistake in word usage, and it's driving me crazy. The example I'll use comes from the pen of Sherry McLain. She wrote a poem for entry in the Dallas Bridge poetry contest. She lives in a homeless shelter, herself, so I wonder where she got the $25 entry fee. At any rate, she won an honorable mention for her efforts.

The title of her poem is "Who would of thought." Correct usage would dictate the title of her poem be "Who would've thought." "Of" is a preposition -- not an auxiliary verb. Unfortunately, few people these days seem to understand the parts of speech. Maybe the schools should go back to some old-fashioned blackboards and teach the kids how to diagram sentences. I'd like to see where they would put "would of thought."

"Poetry contest expresses pain of homelessness." The Dallas Morning News; June 20, 2009; p. 9B.