Nonstandard Words and Phrases

Some words and phrases are always unacceptable in standard edited English.

Alright
Alot
Anyways
Irregardless
Should of
Could of
Would of
May of
Might of
Must of

Although some computer programs accept the first of these, alright is not an acceptable variant of all right in standard edited English.

Alot is a fused word made up of the two-word phrase a lot.

Anyways should not be used in formal writing. Substitute the word anyway.

Irregardless seems to be an attempt to make the real word regardless seem fancier. It’s similar to a nonstandard double negative, such as “I do not need no backtalk from you” instead of the standard “I do not need backtalk from you.” Use regardless.

The last few items in the list—should of, could of, would of, may of, might of, and must of—are crossovers from oral communication to written. When I say “I should have mentioned this earlier,” it’s easy to hear “should of” if I don’t articulate adequately. This is particularly true if I use a contraction: “I would’ve avoided the contraction if I could’ve.” Therefore, these sound like they exist, but they don’t exist in standard edited English.