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Should Have vs. Should’ve

The contraction for “should have” is “should’ve.”

The contraction for "should have" is "should've."
To contract “should have,” drop the “ha” from “have,” replace it with the apostrophe, and shove the “ve” after the apostrophe.
When writing in dialect, the "of" may follow "should," but this should not happen in narrative.
“Of” should only follow “should” in dialogue, not in narrative.

The contraction for “should have” is “should’ve.”

Because the “ ‘ve” sounds like “of,” a common mistake is to use “of” after “should.” In this situation, “should” is followed by the present perfect (“have” plus the past participle).

“Should of” is acceptable in informal dialogue, but not in the narrative.

In a negative sentence, this contraction follows the “n’t” with its own apostrophe, making a double contraction, “shouldn’t’ve.”

Wictionary has an interesting list of double contractions, including some in which the apostrophe begins the word.

Examples of common contraction:

  • I should have taken my walk this morning before the wind came up.
  • I should’ve taken my walk this morning before the wind came up.
    • should’ve = contraction of “should have”
  • The weather forecast should have warned me last night.
  • The weather forecast should’ve warned me last night.
    • should’ve = contraction of “should have”
  • Probably I should not have gone to the refrigerator for my ice cream during the forecast.
  • Probably I shouldn’t’ve gone to the refrigerator for my ice cream during the forecast.
    • Double contraction = “should” + “n’t” + “ ‘ve” with two apostrophes

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