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.
EXERCISES
33.1 For
each situation write a sentence with should or shouldn't + one of the
following.
go away
for a few days go to bed so late look for another job put some pictures on the walls take a photograph use her car so much
1. (Liz
needs a change.) _She should go away for a few days._
2. (My
salary is very low.) You ---.
3. (Jack
always has difficulty getting up.) He ---.
4. (What
a beautiful view!) You---.
5. (Sue
drives everywhere. She never walks.) She ---.
6.
(Bill's room isn't very interesting.) ---.
33.2
Read the situations and write sentences with I think/I don't think ...
should...
1. Peter
and Judy are planning to get married. You think it's a bad idea. (get married)
_I don't think they should get married._
2. You
don't like smoking, especially in restaurants. (be banned) I think ---.
3. I
have a very bad cold but I plan to go out this evening. You don't think this is
a good idea. You say to me: (go out) ---.
4. You
are fed up with the government. You think they have made too many mistakes.
(resign) ---.
33.3
Complete the sentences with should (have) + the verb in brackets.
1.
Margaret should pass the exam. She's been studying very hard. (pass)
2. You
missed a great party last night. You should have come. (come)
3. We
don't see you enough. You --- and see us more often. (come)
4. I'm
in a difficult position. What do you think I ---? (do)
5. I'm
sorry that I didn't take your advice. I --- what you said. (do)
6. I'm
playing tennis with Jill tomorrow. She --- she's much better than me. (win)
7. We
lost the match but we ---. We were the better team. (win)
8. 'Is
John here yet?' 'Not yet, but he --- here soon.' (be)
9. I
posted the letter three days ago, so it --- by now. (arrive)
33.4
Read the situations and write sentences with should/shouldn't. Some of the
sentences are past and some are present.
1. I'm
feeling sick. I ate too much. _I shouldn't have eaten so much._
2. That
man on the motorbike isn't wearing a helmet. That's dangerous.
He
_should be wearing a helmet._
3. When
we got to the restaurant, there were no free tables. We hadn't reserved
one. We ---.
4. The
notice says that the shop is open every day from 8.30. It is 9 o'clock now but
the shop isn't open yet. ---.
5. The
speed limit is 30 miles an hour, but Catherine is doing 50.
She ---.
6. I
went to Paris. A friend of mine lives in Paris but I didn't go to see him while
I was there.
When I
saw him later, he said: You ---.
7. I was
driving behind another car. Suddenly, the driver in front stopped without
warning and I drove into the back of his car. It wasn't my fault ---.
8. I
walked into a wall. I wasn't looking where I was going.
the answer
33.1
2 You
should look for another job.
3 He
shouldn't go to bed so late.
4 You
should take a photograph.
5 She
shouldn't use her car so much.
6 He
should put some pictures on the walls.
33.2
2 I
think smoking should be banned in restaurants.
3 I
don't think you should go out this evening.
4 I
think the government should resign.
33.3
3 should
come
4 should
do
5 should
have done
6 should
win
7 should
have won
8 should
be
9 should
have arrived
33.4
3 We
should have reserved a table.
4 The
shop should be open./The shop should have opened by now. or It should
5 She
shouldn't be driving so fast. or She shouldn't be doing 50 miles an hour.
6 You
should have come to see me.
7 The
driver in front shouldn't have stopped without warning.
8 I
should have been looking where I was going. or I should have looked where I was
going.
