A. You should do something =
it Is a good thing to do or the right thing to do. You can use should to give
advice or to give an opinion:
* You look tired. You should go
to bed.
* The government should do more
to help homeless people.
* 'Should we invite Susan to the
party?' 'Yes, I think we should.'
We often use should with I
think/I don't think/Do you think...?:
* I think the government should
do more to help homeless people.
* I don't think you should work
so hard.
* 'Do you think I should apply
for this job?' 'Yes, I think you should.'
'You shouldn't do something' =
it isn't a good thing to do:
* You shouldn't believe
everything you read in the newspapers.
Should is not as strong as must:
* You should apologise. (= it
would be a good thing to do)
* You must apologise. (= you
have no alternative)
B. We also use should when
something is not right or what we expect. For example:
* I wonder where Liz is. She
should be here by now. (= she isn't here yet, and this is not normal)
* The price on this packet is
wrong. It should be L1.20, not L1.50.
* Those boys shouldn't be
playing football at this time. They should be at school.
We use should to say that we
expect something to happen:
* She's been studying hard for
the exam, so she should pass. (= I expect her to pass)
* There are plenty of hotels in
the town. It shouldn't be difficult to find somewhere to stay. (= I don't
expect that it will be difficult)
C. 'You should have done
something' = you didn't do it but it would have been the right thing to do:
* It was a great party last
night. You should have come. Why didn't you? (= you didn't come but it would
have been good to come)
* I'm feeling sick. I shouldn't
have eaten so much chocolate. (= I ate too much chocolate)
* I wonder why they're so late.
They should have been here an hour ago.
* She shouldn't have been
listening to our conversation. It was private.
Compare should (do) and should
have (done):
* You look tired. You should go
to bed now.
* You went to bed very late last
night. You should have gone to bed earlier.
D. Ought to ...
You can use ought to instead of
should in the sentences on this page. Note that we say 'ought to do...' (with
to):
* Do you think I ought to apply
for this job? (= Do you think I should apply ...?)
* Jack ought not to go to bed so
late. (= Jack shouldn't go ...)
* It was a great party last
night. You ought to have come.
* She's been studying hard for
the exam, so she ought to pass.
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