Why is it?

[poohbcarrot]

Go for it! I'm an English teacher.

The "of" you're talking about is a shortened form of "have", as has already been pointed out. It's usually pronounced "uv".
If you use the modal verbs "must, might, may, could and can't" to talk about past probability, they are all followed by "have" which is usually contracted to "uv".

Say the following without contracting the "have";

I was in love 100%
I must have been in love 95%
I might have been in love 50%
I could have been in love 50%
I may have been in love 50%
I can't have been in love 95% not
I wasn't in love

You see?

As for "gotten" that isn't British English. It's the past participle of get in American English.
The verb get is one of the most used verbs in English and I bet you couldn't go a whole day without saying it. I could give you a list of it's uses but it'd be exceedingly tedious, so I won't.

[Tiffany]

Very apropriate for Valentines Day.

A lot of modern cans, of beans or whatever, have those ring pull openers on them. How they expect elderly people to be able to open them is beyond me, I have trouble with them myself. I usually end up breaking off the ring & then it's almost impossible to open the darn thing.

[Tonyblack]

Very apropriate for Valentines Day.

A lot of modern cans, of beans or whatever, have those ring pull openers on them. How they expect elderly people to be able to open them is beyond me, I have trouble with them myself. I usually end up breaking off the ring & then it's almost impossible to open the darn thing.

There is a device you can get for those type of cans, a sort of lever. I haven't tried one myself though.

[poohbcarrot]

What I hate is people who say, "I'm loving it".

Love is a state verb and should not be used in the continuous form. Then along comes bloody Macdonalds with their mangled English and now the phrase is in common useage.

Everybody who says," I'm loving it" has been brainwashed.

[Dotsie]

Something else that really annoys me. I have a student account with a large bank, who you might think would know that students don't get a monthly wage. I get a quarterly grant payment, for example. But I'm always being harrassed by them if I don't pay in every 30 days! I've tried to explain it to them, but they say it's just their policy, & would I mind paying some money in? Yes I say, I'll just put in some of the huge stash from under my mattress. Idiots

I find it hard to believe they phone every student in the country, every 30 days. I'm feeling a bit picked on!

When I first became a student, I also didn't have a TV. I was warned I would get letters & visits, but they never came round. And I was all ready to refuse them entry as well!

[Ogg]

Why is it if I have a parcel for a customer and knock many a time to no avail...I finish writing the 'while you we're out card' and then they answer grrr

[Dotsie]

But I thought you always wait till the bathroom light goes on... on purpose!

[Ogg]

But I thought you always wait till the bathroom light goes on... on purpose!

It's funny you say that, last week a regular customer answered the door naked, hiding parts behind the door...the fact that he was a very old man lowered my appreciation.
On my very first day as a posie years back I knocked on a door asking a little girl if her mum was in as I was after a signature. 'Mum' she called and in she walked, topless and drying her hair with a towel. The subsequent shriek I remember to this day...nothing like it since though

[Dotsie]

[Tonyblack]

Why is it when I'm breaking eggs to fry the yolk breaks, but when I'm making an omlette they don't?

[chris.ph]

when i was in the navy i was cooking breakfast and had about twenty people waiting for eggs on the counter all moaning at me as i came around the corner the ship rolled and i went flying covered in eggs by the time i got up the counter was empty (i did swear a bit) it does help when your this big

[Tiffany]

Why is it when I'm breaking eggs to fry the yolk breaks, but when I'm making an omlette they don't?

I'm with you on this one & my Family hate broken yolks. Tiz sod's law.

[Tiffany]

when i was in the navy i was cooking breakfast and had about twenty people waiting for eggs on the counter all moaning at me as i came around the corner the ship rolled and i went flying covered in eggs by the time i got up the counter was empty (i did swear a bit) it does help when your this big

Was this the origin of 'egg all over your face'.

[Lest]

Yeah.... "Couldn't eat a whole one... not with out BBQ sauce anyway"!! ;o)

I've got a plug in electric can opener from Morrisons... That works fine..... As for the hand held ones i know what you mean though... Thats why i bought the electric one!!!

The thing that gets me ranting is people not moving out of the way for emergency services when the sirens and lights are flashing!!!! I stand on the street and shout at them.....

Lest

[Tonyblack]

Why is it that just about every one of the new style Volkswagen Beetles that I see, has a plastic flower in a holder on the dashboard?

I'm genuinely curious about this.