Um. ISTM that you're saying "this is a common mistake but some people don't make it." Is that fair? If so: no argument, but the error is now more common than

Um. ISTM that you're saying "this is a common mistake but some people don't make it." Is that fair? If so: no argument, but the error is now more common than the correct form, in my experience. A BrEn example: a mistake has propagated and is now common... "could have" [is shortened to] "could've" [is misheard as] "could of"... and the mistake gets repeated by people who don't know any better.