Should: forms
Affirmative form
Shouldcomes first in the verb phrase (after the subject and before another verb):
Ishould gohome now.
Shouldcannot be used with another modal verb:
Itshouldprobably be sunny at that time of year.
Not:It should may be sunny… orIt may should be sunny…
Negative form
The negative form ofshouldisshouldn’t. We don’t usedon’t,doesn’t, didn’twithshould:
Thereshouldn’tbe many people at the beach today.
We use the full formshould notin formal contexts or when we want to emphasis something:
Weshould notforget those who have given their lives in the defence of freedom.
See also:
Modal verbs
Question form
The subject andshouldchange position to form questions.
We don’t usedo, does, did:
ShouldI turn on the air conditioning?
Not:Do I should I turn on the air conditioning?
Shouldn’tyou be studying now?
We useshouldandshouldn’tin question tags:
I shouldn’t have told her that,should I?
They should be getting back on Sunday,shouldn’t they?
Should: uses
What is ideal or desired
We useshouldmost commonly to talk about what is the ideal or best thing to do in a situation:
Thereshouldbe more public hospitals.
Theyshouldreduce the price of petrol. It’s so expensive.
Thereshouldbe four more candles on the cake.
We useshould have+-edform to talk about things that were ideal in the past but which didn’t happen. It can express regret:
Everyone knows that this is a busy restaurant. Theyshould have madea reservation.
Ishould have studiedharder when I was young. I wish I had gone to college.
Advice and suggestions
We often useshouldto give advice and make suggestions:
Youshouldtell him what you think.
Weshouldleave it until tomorrow; it’s late now.
See also:
Suggest
Suggestions
What is likely to happen
We also useshouldto talk about what is likely to happen:
Shall we start? Luke’s delayed but he says heshouldbe here in ten minutes.
Thereshouldbe a very big crowd at the party. Mary has so many friends.
Conditional sentences
We sometimes useshouldin hypothetical conditional clauses withifto express possibility. It is formal:
[information leaflet in a hotel room]
If youshouldwish to use the Internet, there is a code available at the reception desk.
If youshoulddecide not to go on the trip, you will get a full refund.
See also:
If
Conditionals
If+should
We can also useShould youas an alternative toIf you shouldin these situations by changing the order of the subject and the verb. Compare these two sentences with the examples above. They have the same meaning and they are also formal:
Should youwish to use the Internet, there is a code available at the reception desk.
Should youdecide not to go on the trip, you will get a full refund.
Thanking
In speaking, we often sayyou shouldn’t havewhen someone gives us a gift:
A:I got you something from Texas. A cowboy hat.
B:Oh Ken, youshouldn’t have!
Surprise or regret
We sometimes useshouldto express surprise or regret about something that happened:
I’m amazed that heshouldhave done something so stupid.
I’m sorry that heshouldbe so upset by what I said.
Shouldandwould
We useshouldas a moreformal alternative towouldwithIandwein conditional clauses.
formal | neutral |
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We useshouldas a more formal alternative towouldwhen we want to be less direct.
formal | neutral |
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Shouldandought to
Shouldandought tohave similar meanings and uses.Ought tois more formal and less common thanshould:
Weshouldclean up the garden.
Weoughttoclean up the garden.
Shouldis much more common in negatives and questions thanought to:
Shouldwe keep a seat for Margaret?(more common thanOught we to keep a seat …?)
Heshouldn’tspeak to his parents in that way.(more common thanHe oughtn’t/ought not to speak …)
See also:
Ought toorshould?