meditation essays

meditation essays Meditation is a very powerful tool used by many to strengthen the mind. Just like how we exercise our body to be fit and controlled, we can also give our brains a workout by performing various exercises. Professor Walsh has demonstrated a couple of exercises to explain how meditation is used. One exercise requires you to picture a white ring containing a white circle inside with a black background. This work out seems easy at first, but when performing the task, it proved much more difficult. In order to keep the image in my mind, I had to constantly repeat the instructions in my mind. If I tried to keep the motion in my head without repeating the instructions, the image will start to shift and move around. For me, it was the circle and the ring that moved around. The black background stayed the same. I also notice that the circle and the ring moved around together. It seemed as if they were simultaneously dancing together. While keeping the image, I also notice that I couldnt stay focus on the exact image for a long period of time. Regularly, my mind would start to wonder and I would begin to think of other things. For example, while thinking about the image, it would suddenly convert to thinking about the class and how other people are doing. I would wonder what they were thinking about. While performing this exercise, I also notice that my other senses, such as my hearing and feeling were more sensitive to noise and motion. Because I always relied on my eyes to be aw are of my surrounding, my hearing and sense of feelings were rarely used. I also noticed that the slights motion or noise would distract me. I would easily lose focus from these types of distractions. After repeated exercise of the white ring and circle in a black background, I found that it was easier to maintain the image in focus. I was also able to hold the circle and ring for a longer amount of time. I also realized that my full attention was on the imag...

Profile of Harvey M. Robinson

Profile of Harvey M. Robinson The east side of Allentown, Pennsylvania had the reputation of being a nice, safe area for families to raise children. The residents in the area felt secure to walk their dogs, jog, and let their kids play out in the yards. All of that changed in the summer of 1992. The residents and police force of Allentown had a problem. For the first time, its east side residents were being stalked by a serial killer. A Killer Is Born Harvey M. Robinson was born on December 6, 1974. He grew up in a troubled family. His father, Harvey Rodriguez Robinson, was an alcoholic and physically and emotionally abusive towards his mother. By the time he was three, his parents were divorced. Harvey Rodriguez Robinson ended up going to prison for manslaughter after beating his mistress to death. The younger Harvey idolized his father, regardless of his abusive and criminal behavior. School Years At a very early age, young Harvey Robinson showed great athletic and academic potential. He won awards for his essays and was a fierce competitor in wrestling, soccer, football and various cross-country sports. However, as early as nine years old he demonstrated a dark side that diminished all of his positive accomplishments. School counselors determined that Robinson suffered from severe conduct disorder. As a child, he was known to throw tantrums. As he got older, he developed a quick temper and was unable to define between right and wrong. From the age of nine to 17, he filled up a rap sheet with numerous arrests including burglary and resisting arrest. He was also a known substance abuser, which added to his propensity towards impulsive aggressive behavior. He detested authority and lashed out at those who tried to control him including the police and his teachers. As he grew older, his threats intensified. Teachers and students were afraid of Robinson, and he liked it. Why Robinson began raping and murdering children and women is unknown, but as far as what is known for sure, it all started on August 9, 1992, when he was 17-years-old. First Victim At about 12:35 a.m. on August 5, 1992, Robinson burglarized the home of Joan Burghardt, 29, who lived alone in a one-bedroom apartment on the first floor of a residential apartment complex on the east side of Allentown. He broke through the screen on the patio door, which was locked, and ripped just enough to slip his hand through the doorknob and open it. Burghardt reported the burglary and the missing $50 from a drawer in her bedroom dresser. Everything else seemed undisturbed. Four days later at around 11:30 a.m. on August 9, 1992, Burghardts neighbor telephoned the police to complain that Burghardts stereo had been on for three days and nights and that no one answered the doorbell. She also reported that the screen had been out of the window for three nights and during one of those nights she heard Burghardt screaming and banging the wall and sounds as if she was being beaten up. When the police arrived, they found Burghardt dead, lying on the living room floor. She had been severely beaten about the head. The autopsy revealed that Burghardt had been sexually assaulted and hit over the head at least 37 times, fracturing her skull and damaging her brain. She also had defensive injuries on both hands, indicating that she was alive during at least some of the attack. Seminal stains were found on a pair of shorts found at the scene, suggesting that a male had masturbated on them. Second Victim Charlotte Schmoyer, 15, was always diligent about delivering the Morning Call newspaper on her assigned route on the east side of Allentown. When she failed to deliver the paper on the morning of June 9, 1983, one of her customers scanned the street for the young carrier. She did not spot Schmoyer, but what she did see alarmed her enough to phone the police. Schmoyers newspaper cart was left unattended, for more than 30 minutes, in front of a neighbors house. When the police arrived, they found that the newspaper cart was half-filled with newspapers, and Schmoyers radio and the headset had been strewn on the ground between two houses. There were also finger streaks on the windowpane of the door to the nearby garage of one of the houses. Based on the scene the police concluded that Schmoyer had likely been abducted. The police began their search and found her bicycle abandoned along with some of her personal property. Within hours a tip came in, and investigators began searching a wooded area where they found blood, a shoe, and the body of Charlotte Schmoyer buried under a stack of logs. According to the autopsy report, Schmoyer was stabbed 22 times, and her throat was slashed. Also, there were cutting and scraping wounds in her neck area, indicating they were inflicted while the Schmoyer was conscious and her neck bent down. She had also been raped. Investigators were able to collect blood samples, a pubic hair and a head hair on Schmoyer that did not match her blood and hair. The evidence was later matched to Robinson through DNA. Burglary John and Denise Sam-Cali lived on the east side of Allentown, not far from where Schmoyer had been abducted. On June 17, 1993, Robinson burglarized their home while the couple was away for a few days. He had taken Johns gun collection, which was kept in a bag in the closet. Within days John bought three new guns, one of which he purchased for Denise for protection. The couple grew even more concerned about their safety after learning that someone had broken into their neighbors home and attacked their child. Third Victim On June 20, 1993, Robinson entered a womans home and choked and raped her five-year-old daughter. The child managed to live but based on her injuries it appeared that he had intended for her to die. Some theorized that he was actually after the childs mother, but when he found her sleeping with her partner, he attacked the child instead. Fourth Victim On June 28, 1993, John Sam-Cali was out of town, and Denise was alone. She awoke to the sounds Robinson was making from inside the walk-in closet near her bedroom. Frightened, she decided to try to run out of the house, but he grabbed her, and they struggled. She managed to get out of the house, but Robinson grabbed at her again and pinned her down onto the ground in the front yard. As the two fought, she was able to bite him on the inside of his arm. He repeatedly punched her, sliced her lip open and then raped her, however, her screams alerted a neighbor who turned on her porch light, and Robinson ran away. When the police arrived, they found Denise alive, but severely beaten, with strangulation marks around her neck, and her lip deeply slashed. They also found a butcher knife wrapped in a napkin lying outside the bathroom door. After recovering in the hospital, the Sam-Calis went out of town for a few days. Fifth Victim On July 14, 1993, Robinson raped and murdered Jessica Jean Fortney, 47, in the living room of her daughter and son-in-laws home. She was found dead, half-naked and her face was swollen and black. There was blood spatter on the wall indicating she had died a violent death. The autopsy revealed that Fortney died in the early morning hours after being strangled and severely beaten. It was also determined that she had been raped. What Robinson did not know was that Fortneys granddaughter had witnessed the killing and was able to give the police his description. Back to Finish the Job On July 18, 1993, the Sam-Calis returned home. Before going out of town, they had the house equipped with a burglar alarm. At about 4:00 a.m. Denise heard a noise in the house and then the back door opened, setting off the alarm and the intruder, Robinson, took off. After that, the Allentown police set up a sting operation and arranged for a police officer to stay in the Sam-Cali home every night. They thought the man who attacked her was coming back to kill her because she could identify him. Their hunch was right. Officer Brian Lewis was staked out inside the Sam-Cali home when at around 1:25 a.m. on July 31, 1993, Robinson returned to the house and tried to open doors. Lewis heard the noises, then watched as Robinson broke into the house through a window. Once he was entirely inside, Lewis identified himself as a police officer and told Robinson to halt. Robinson began shooting at Lewis and gunfire was exchanged. Lewis went to the Sam-Calis bedroom to warn the couple to stay inside the room. He then called for backup. In the meantime, Robinson escaped by breaking through several glass panels on a wooden door in the kitchen. The police found a blood trail in the kitchen and out the door. It looked like the intruder had been shot, or severely cut during his escape. The local hospitals were alerted. Caught A few hours later the police were called to the local hospital after Robinson showed up there to be treated for a gunshot wound. A physical exam of Robinson found that he had fresh wounds to his arms and legs indicative of being cut with glass as well as a bite mark on the inner part of his arm. Officer Lewis also identified Robinson as the man he encountered inside the Sam-Calis home. He was arrested on various charges including kidnapping, burglary, rape, attempted murder, and murder. Investigators built a large case against Robinson with DNA evidence, eyewitness accounts and physical evidence found at his home and the victims homes. It was a solid case. The jury found him guilty for raping and murdering Charlotte Schmoyer, Joan Burghardt, and Jessica Jean Fortney. He was sentenced to a combined 97 years in prison and three death sentences. Resentenced Robinson and his lawyers were able to get two of the three death sentences resentenced to life in prison. One death sentence remains.

A time that you communicated well Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A time that you communicated well - Essay Example Krizan, Merrier, and Logan, (19) in their book state that to have success in communication it is important to embrace facial expression during the communication process. We made gestures and statements, which were signs of agreement whenever it was appropriate. I went ahead to repeat what the representative was telling me once he was done speaking to me. It was a sign that I was listening and had an interest in his contribution to the conversation. Thus, for communication to be effective, it was my responsibility to take actions for my message. Taking responsibility involved sharing my own feelings in an open way and not speaking for another person. It involved using a lot of â€Å"I† in order to refer to myself and not others. This showed we both had integrity and we trusted each other in communicating in an honest and equitable way. Effective communication works well when there is collaboration; therefore, it was important to find common grounds where we had a win-win situation. The common grounds we had were some of the best courses the university was offering such as engineering and health sciences. Complexity witnessed during communication amplifies the importance of having feedback for clarifying misunderstandings. I had to ask for clarification whenever I felt I had not understood the representative on specific

Global warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Global warming - Essay Example (Nebel and Wright) As the industries produce different things, they burn fuel as a result of which pollution is created. The most common outcome of the burning of fuel is carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is one of the members of the green house gases which include water vapors, nitrous oxide and methane as well. These emissions of carbon dioxide raise the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is measured in ppm (parts per million). Greg Craven book, â€Å"What’s the Worst that could happen?† illustrates the planet as a bath tub and shows carbon inflows and outflows. There, the safe level of carbon dioxide is 350 ppm which we have already crossed in 2009. Although the level of carbon dioxide was as low as 280 ppm before the industrial revolution but it then began to increase at an increasing rate and if we keep going like this, it will reach up to 900 ppm in 2100. The prime source of the dangerous carbon dioxide is burning of fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide emissions are measured in gigatons per year (gtc/yr). Although there are other sources as well which even more carbon dioxide but the emissions are cancelled some way or another, like the oceans emit 10 times more carbon than humans but they also absorb massive amounts of it. These green house gases, when present in the atmosphere, trap the heat coming from the sun which otherwise would have been reflected. This leads to a rise in the temperature of the planet and this rise in the temperature is called global warming. Global warming affects many people, plants and animals and those who are unable to tolerate this change die. Global warming nowadays has become a very big problem as it has many adverse effects on living things and the planet. (Craven) There are a lot of reasons to worry about the global warming; some of them are related to individual human beings and some are related collectively to all of us. First of all global warming is causing the snow levels at the northern hemisphere to fall as the temperature there is increasing as well and causing the ice to melt which causes the sea levels to rise. To begin with, the increase in sea level would only be an inch or two. Even a tiny climb in sea levels may well cause flooding troubles for low-lying coastal areas. On the other hand, if the West Antarctic Ice Sheet were to liquefy and fall down into the sea, it would thrust sea levels up 10 meters, and a lot of coastal areas would wholly fade away beneath the sea. According to IPCC, the sea levels rose about 17 centimeters in the 20th century. People may lose their homes and food sources as a result of these floods. (Strickland and Grabianowski) Global warming can also cause different diseases as the temperature becomes hotter it gives rise to the growth of some bacteria especially to those who cannot survive in colder climates like pathogens. In a study, authors examined how increasing temperatures already are letting insec ts and microorganisms overrun regions where they formerly were barred by ruthless recurring chills. They believed that mosquitoes are moving up mountainsides, spreading sickness amongst animals previously sheltered by temperature. They also discovered some pathogens reproduce more frequently in warmer temperatures, so there are comparatively more germs around, to cause infection. Richard S. Ostfeld, an environmental researcher at the

Comparing Women As Propriety In The Merchant Of Venice and The Taming O

Women As Propriety In Shakespeare's The Merchant Of Venice and The Taming Of the Shrew "We may say that the dominant ideas in most societies are the ideas of the dominant sex, associated and mingled with those of dominant class." (Chedgzoy, pg.50) During the Elizabethan time men dominated society. Historically speaking males have always held more power then females in most cultures. Although a few cultures were Matriarchal societies. Yet even in these cultures women were not the superior power but were valued as equal to men. Most of the matriarchal societies viewed women as the embodiment of the goddess. Women have never been the sole dominant sex in a society. The fall of the Matriarchal societies occurred mostly from the organization of Christianity. The Christian ideals taught that women were not intended to have influential roles in society. In the Elizabethan era women were in a weak social position. In addition when Shakespeare writes about women he encompasses the complex issues that socially surround females. Shakespeare allows the audience to observe issues that effect their own factual society acted out on stage. At this time the society was definitely patriarchal, where women were viewed as inferior. In addition women had little to no power over there own lives. Fathers viewed their daughters as their propriety. Which left daughters in a powerless position. The power that women did have was their personal sexuality, virginity was prized and seen as a jewel. Once daughters were married their husbands also valued them as propriety. "Marriages were still arranged, as they had been in the Middle Ages, to further the interests of land-owning families. On marriage all the girl's legal rights ceas... ...ters he created in his plays. He also developed female characters who were obviously intelligent, dynamic, and strong willed. Thus creating dramatic plots that rise to the surface societal stereotypes and norms. As in modern society theatre and the media allow for people to express issues of concern in a none threatening manner. Shakespeare's dynamic plays have influenced literature globally for hundreds of years. WORK CITED: Kaston,David Scott. A Companion To Shakespeare, Blackwell Publishers Massachusetts. 1999. Chedgzoy,Kate. Shakespeare, Feminism and Gender, New York, Palgrave 2001 Dusinberre,Juliet. Shakespeare and The Nature Of Women, New York, Barnes and Noble Books. 1975. Pit, Angela Women in The Comedies and Last Plays, New York, Barnes and Noble Books 1981. Bamber, Linda Comic Women, Tragic Men, California, Stanford University Press 1982.

Differences Between Hinduism and Buddhism

Religion is the basic belief which one practices. It determines the life of an individual. Religions evolve from different customs, traditions, practices and values. Among these religions, Buddhism and Hinduism are one of the two most influential religions with a philosophical element in them. Both of the religions are closely related to each other and hence originated from South Asia. Since they were generated from different parts of India, the basic beliefs and practices are same, though they differ on major grounds.Commenting upon the type of philosophy they practice, one would easily discern the difference of Hinduism being more stable and Buddhism relying more on humanitarian philosophy. However, Buddhism is considered to be a more universally accepted religion as compared to Hinduism. Both the religions spread from India reaching the corners of the World.HINDUISMHinduism is religion which generated and expanded through different groups in India from 1500 BC. Hinduism dates back to the time of Indus civilization. There is no one person who found this religion, unlike Buddhism, whose origin is accredited to Gautama Buddha, a Hindu himself.that is why, Hinduism is generally considered to be a collection of different ideas of groups sharing a common background, culture, traditions and beliefs. Hinduism is divided into different categories such as Brahmanic Hindus, Vedic Hindus, Reformed Hindus, Devotional Hindus and more. Hinduism has many interesting features. This includes the captivating culture, the myths and the stories from the past which is present in their Holy Scriptures. Important Hindu books include the Bhagwad Gita, Ramayan and more which are essential for the guidance of Hindus. Hindus worship several Gods each accredited to a certain value.However, it’s the Brahman who is considered to be the Supreme Authority. Hinduism, a theistic religion, often regarded to be a polytheistic religion, generally prevails throughout India. Hinduism is oft en regarded as the ‘eternal religion’. it is the third largest religion in the world with 837 million followers. Hindus practice the caste system, value meditation and entertain festive occasions such as Diwali, Holi and more. Other beliefs universally practiced by Hindus include the faith in Vedas which is the ancient sacred text, the priests, reincarnation and the law of Karma which determines the destiny of birth and death.The basic purpose of life is to attain liberation from reincarnation where as they live a life according to the rules of Dharma.BUDDHISMBuddhism, as compared to Hinduism, is a non-theistic religion which is divided into two major schools- Mahayana and Theravada which differ on certain religious grounds yet practice certain same beliefs. Buddhism focuses on the individual spiritual development. However, Buddhism is based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha who was born in Nepal in 563 BC. His birth proved to be a milestone in history which amused peo ple not with his origin but his character.They used to ask questions such as are you God or an angel and Buddha used to give a simple yet intriguing reply that ‘I am awake’. (Huston Smith). 1 Buddha generally means The Enlightened One or The Awakened One. With his birth, a sense of serenity developed over the country and everybody rejoiced except the evil Mara. He was an epitome of perfection who was blessed with everything from family to wealth, from knowledge to understanding, yet there was a feeling of discontentment which outlasted during his twenties. He belonged to a wealthy family and led a luxurious life.His father was worried about his future and to end this fret he consulted the fortune tellers. They told him the reality of Buddha’s oncoming life. If he remained with the world he would end as the Universal King of India, it conqueror but if he forsook the world, he would eventually become a world redeemer. Keeping this scenario in view, his father put a ll his efforts to provide Gautama with every existing pleasures of life inorder to keep him intact with the world. He was provided with a number of palaces and around 40,000 dancing girls.All efforts were put forward to keep him away from the ugliness of life but despite these efforts he came in contact with the truth of old age, poverty and death which eventually ended the glitters of the worldly pleasures. Finally, he bid a silent goodbye to the worldly pleasures and led a pure life thereby keeping away from the luxuries of the world. Buddhists do not worship any deity. As per the teachings of Buddha, they believe that one should concentrate on issues which could be practiced or be divulged. However, he never denied the belief in God.Buddhist scriptures comprise different myths and stories which circulated throughout the world . Buddhism follow certain practices and beliefs such as the idea of Karma, rebirth, Dharma, the path of enlightenment and more. The important concepts are T he Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path. The Four Noble Truths include Dukkha which tells us that all existent happenings are associated with suffering, Trsna is all about the origin of suffering, Nirvana enfolds the concept of bringing a possible end to the sufferings and the EightFold Path which is a way of ending these sufferings through a possible solution.However, other customs related to Buddhisim include meditation, Buddhist worship and more.SIMILARITIES BETWEEN HINDUISM AND BUDDHISMSince both of the religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, originated from the same piece of the world, they constitute a wide range of similar teachings, beliefs and practices. It is even said that Buddhism originated through Hinduism therefore, it’s obvious that both of the religions would have a number of similarities. 1. Smith Huston, The Worlds Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions, chapter 2, 3, Harper Collins Publisher.Critically evaluating, one would easily say that the basic doctrine s are same for the two religions but still they differ a lot when it comes to practicing those beliefs. Both of the religions have a faith on the deceptive power of the nature. The religions are ruled by the laws of Karma which is applicable to every being. According to this law, every living thing is rewarded or punished according to his deeds and intentions. Along with this, the religions even belief in the cycle of birth and death. They even place their faith in the fact of the presence of a number of hells and heavens.According to Buddha, personal desires result in severe suffering. This concept is entertained by Hindus as well, as found in some Hindu texts. Both of the religions do believe in the concept of worshipping a God but on different planes. The idea of compassion and non-violence is entertained by the two religions. Moreover, the two religions deal with the benefits of the community giving it a higher priority then an individual. However, Buddhism focuses more on the i ndividual development then the society. Both the religions reject the evil of selfishness.The two religions follow certain common spiritual practices such as meditation, cultivation and other states of mind related to the purity of mind and soul.DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BUDDHISM AND HINDUISMHinduism and Buddhism generally follow the same concepts yet differ on many circumstances. Some doctrines which are help important for the Hindus are not valued much by the Buddhists and vice versa. Buddhism has a more practical approach as compared to Hinduism. The major difference between the two religions is its origin and its founder. Buddhism was founded by a single leader, Buddha, where as Hinduism has no one leader.There are many groups behind the generation and expansion of Hinduism. The Vedas, which is the sacred text of Hindus, is of wide importance for Hindus whereas Buddhist do not consider the Hindu scriptures essential. The idea of individuality and belief in God is different for both th e religions. There is a conspicuous variance in such philosophical pursuits among the two religions. Buddhism does not belief in the existence of souls and on the Supreme Authority- God. Whereas, believe in Atman which is the inner self. it is the ingredient of every individual which experiences the philosophical, spiritual and physical realm of life.The Hindus place their belief and worship the Brahman who is considered as the omnipotent, omnipresent and the eternal self. The three Gods of Hindus are Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. For Buddhists, Buddha is the Supreme Authority and they do not consider any other being equal to him in any aspect. on the other hand, since Buddha was a Hindu who resorted to the Hindus for knowledge and guidance, he is believed to be the incarnation of one of the Gods of Hindus, Mahavishnu. According to the Buddhists, the chief purpose of life is to end the suffering since the world is filled with sorrow and grief.However, Hindus consider four major tasks to be fulfilled when in the world, the religious duty, issues related to wealth, fulfillment of desires and salvation. Hindus inculcate this idea in the human mind, that the passions are not supposed to be suppressed but intelligently fulfilled. Moreover, Hindus deem the four stages of life i. e. the stage of studentship, householder, forest dweller and the stage of renunciation, whereas the Buddhists deny these concepts. Buddha encourages his believers to reach to the end of suffering whereas Hindus lay greater emphasis upon the enjoyment and bliss of life.The religions even differ on social aspects. Hinduism is practiced individually whereas the Buddhists are divided into a monastic Order. Another major difference between the two religions is that the Hinduism is divided into 4 castes such as Brahmins, Ksatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras. On the other hand, there is no distinction in Buddhisim on the basis of color, caste and creed. Buddha obtained enlightenment through meditation whereas the general concept prevalent among Hindus is that an individual can attain God through meditation. Hinduism and Buddhism are widely practiced and one of the two most influential religions of the world.Since both of them arose from the same part of the globe, they do have a number of similar beliefs but they differ on other practices and doctrines. Buddhism starts from where Hinduism ends. Buddhism is based upon the teachings of Gautama Buddha who left no successor but spread the message of love and peace, or in short enlightenment, through a group of monks and nuns. Technically speaking, Buddhism is a more developed, organized and established religion which is based upon the belief of Dhamma in association with concepts of The Four Noble Truths and the eightfold Path.On contrary, Hinduism has been originated through a number of groups sharing common interest, traditions, history and beliefs. Moreover, it can be evaluated from the fact that Buddhism is a more positive religion sinc e it was generated as result of Hindu uprisings. The two religions are similar as well as different on the major beliefs such as Karma, Dharma, Mantra, Meditation and Reincarnation. In association with these concepts, certain features are entertained by Buddhism and certain by Hinduism. Thus the two are no doubt closely linked to each other.

Commonly Confused Words Have and of

The sound of the preposition of  is similar to the sound of ve--the shortened form of the helping verb have. As a result, of is sometimes misused in contractions. Usage Have  often functions as an auxiliary verb (or helping verb). In speech and informal writing, the contracted form ve  is sometimes used with the verbs could, must, should, would, may, and might. Of  is a  preposition, not a contraction. Examples Jed could have tried harder to help us.Jed said, I wouldve tried harder if Id known you were paying attention.Some of us must have been watching the game when the burglars broke into the house.If the Mets would have given him two more runs per game, Seaver would have won 20 games by the end of August. But that was one of those wouldve, couldve, shouldve scenarios.(Josh Rosengren, Hammerin Hank, George Almighty and the Say Hey Kid, 2008)The planning of the fly was an application of pure intelligence, morals not being concerned. Not one of us could have planned the fly, not one of us could have constructed him; and no one would have considered it wise to try, except under an assumed name.(Mark Twain, Thoughts of God, early 1900s) Usage Notes Mr. Wood, my English teacher, is always telling us that theres no such thing as must of, should of, could of, its must have, should have, could have. Mr. Wood says stuff like, The day you all get that simple little fact into your tiny little heads is the day I can retire a happy man. Well, this is all very well and good, but he doesnt need to be moaning on to me about it. (Hayley Long, Lottie Biggs Is [Not] Mad. Macmillan, 2009)When we speak, we slur these phrases so that they all sound as if they end in of, but in fact, all of them end in have. Their correct forms are may have, might have, must have, should have, would have, and could have. (Susan Thurman, The Only Grammar Book Youll Ever Need. FW Media, 2003)Some writers use of for ve deliberately to add flavor; should of and Id of have a drawled look that the more clipped shouldve and Idve lack. Ring Lardner and John OHara often used of for ve, and it is unlikely that either did it from ignorance. (Edward Johnson,  The Handbook of Good English. Washington Square, 1991)   Practice Exercises Fill in the blanks with either have or of. See how you did with the answers below. One _____ us made a mistake.It must _____ been you.She was one _____ the few gentlewomen I _____ ever known, and has remained throughout my life the measure _____ what a human being can be. (Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Random House, 1969) Answers to Practice Exercises One  of  us made a mistake.It must  have  been you.She was one  of  the few gentlewomen I  have  ever known, and has remained throughout my life the measure  of  what a human being can be. (Maya Angelou,  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Random House, 1969)