Social media is packed with videos with titles like “30 movies you should watch before the age of 50” or “Things you should never say to your boss”. These kinds of advice posts are very popular -- notice they use the English model verb should to give advice. In this blog article we’ll give you more good advice about English grammar, specifically, how to use the English modal verb should.
Before you read further, here is more good advice. You should consider joining an English class for adults! You’ll learn faster because you can ask your teacher questions and get immediate answers to any tricky grammar question. You can find English classes for adults here.
We use should when we give advice
We use the English model verb should in a few different situations. We very often use it when we give advice:
For example,
If you often get headaches, you should go to the doctor.
If you want to improve your English, you should take English classes.
We can also use should to give our opinion.
For example,
Education should be free for everyone.
I feel women should not be paid less than men for doing the same job.
We use should to speculate
We can also use should as a form of speculation -- to talk about what we think will happen:
For example,
Where’s Joe?
He finishes work at 6 p.m. today, so he should be here soon.
The party on Saturday should be good – let’s go together!
We can also use this verb to talk about things that did not happen in the past… but they would have been good. So we often use this verb to talk about regrets:
For example,
I should have told her I loved her. (I didn’t tell her, and now I feel sad)
FangFang should not have sent that email yesterday, when she was angry (She sent the e-mail, and it was a bad idea)
English grammar rules about the word ‘should’
Should is a modal verb, so the same rules apply as with other modal verbs in English.
- Modals are never followed by to. They are followed by the bare infinitive (infinitive without to)
For example,
You should study more if you want to pass that exam. ✓
You should to study more if you want to pass that exam ｘ
- The negative form of should is should not. But should not is not used very often, unless someone is being very emphatic. Fluent English speakers more commonly use the contraction shouldn’t.
You definitely should not let the children play near the river (emphatic)
3. We can also use should in questions. In positive questions, should often means ‘is it a good idea?’ In negative questions, it is often used to confirm what we think.
Should I turn off the lights? (Is this a good idea/ Do you want me to turn off the lights?)
Shouldn’t you have finished by now? (I think you should have finished!)
4. To use modal verbs to talk about the past, use the pattern modal + have + past participle
Andi shouldn’t have eaten the last cake -- it was for his brother.
Sometimes we also use contractions to talk about the past – we can shorten should have to should’ve:
For example,
Jen should’ve listened to me when I told her about the job advertisement.
Alternatives to the verb should
- You can use should in conditional sentences, to be more formal. Compare these two sentences:
If you want to cancel the holiday, please let us know within 7 days.
Should you want to cancel the holiday, please inform us within 7 days. (more formal)
The meaning is the same, but using should in the second sentence makes it feel more formal. You often see this inverted form of should in contracts, or in a website’s terms and conditions.
2. When you give strong advice, you can use must instead of should. It sounds more emphatic.
For example,
If you have flu for more than a week, you should go to the doctor. (Advice - this is a good idea)
If you have flu for more than a week, you must go to the doctor. (Stronger advice – it is essential to go to the doctor)
3. The modal verb ought to is another alternative you can use instead of should:
For example,
Jess should be a singer -- she has an amazing voice!
Jess ought to be a singer -- she has an amazing voice!
Two more alternatives are had better and ought to. We use them to talk about present or future situations -- especially when we think there will be problems if we do not do something. Had better is usually contracted to I’d better, you’d better, he’d better:
For example,
I should leave now, before it starts snowing.
I’d better leave now, before it starts snowing.
I ought to leave now, before it starts snowing.
That shouldn’t be a problem
There are some other common English expressions that use should. For example, when you get someone a gift, you may hear them say, “Thank you, you shouldn’t have!”. It might sound ungrateful, but it is just an expression people use to sound polite.
And when someone asks for a favour, a common response is “That shouldn’t be a problem”, which basically means “That’s fine. I can do it”.
For example,
Can you buy milk later?
That shouldn’t be a problem. (Yes, I will do it)
Common errors using the English model verb should
1. A common error is forgetting that English modal verbs are never followed by to:
For example,
I should to spend more time reading English books. ｘ
I should spend more time reading English books. ✓
2. Sometimes people get confused about when to use must and when to use should.
You can use both these words to give advice, but must (and mustn’t) are used to talk about things that are obligatory, or not allowed. They are rules or laws. In contrast, should (and shouldn’t) means ‘it is or it’s not a good idea’. Using the correct verb tells people if something is a rule -- or just a good idea.
For example,
You shouldn’t smoke in the cinema. ｘ
You mustn’t smoke in the cinema ✓ (it is prohibited)
You should wear a seatbelt when you drive. ｘ
You must wear a seatbelt when you drive. ✓ (it is the law)
3. When someone is talking in English, it can be hard to hear the ‘d in the English verb had better -- but if you are writing, it needs to be there!
You better not tell Mr Tan about what you did! ｘ
You’d better not tell Mr Tan about what you did! ✓
Famous songs that use the verb ‘should’
It’s easy to find examples of ‘should’ in popular culture – you can find it in blog posts and advice videos on social media.
You will also find it in The Beatles’ Hard Day’s Night, when they sing “it’s been a hard day’s night, I should be sleeping like a log”
The Clash’s 1981 hit Should I Stay or Should I Go? is another rock classic.
Mini quiz
Find and correct the errors in these sentences (answers below!)
- Kerry shouldn’t to spend so much time on social media
- Jon shouldn’t said that to his boss -- now he will have to find a new job.
- You shouldn’t talk during the exam.
- Crystal will better rest her ankle until she is recovered.
- Should you be in bed now? It’s past midnight!
Answer
- Kerry shouldn’t spend so much time on social media
- Jon shouldn’t have said that to his boss - now he will have to find a new job.
- You mustn’t talk during the exam. (it is okay to say shouldn’t if it’s a suggestion. But ‘No talking in exams’ is a rule. This means it is better to use mustn’t)
- Crystal had better rest her ankle until she is recovered.
- Shouldn’t you be in bed now? It’s past midnight!