should.

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Meridian Idiomas - Rua Amlia Bueno, 173 Taquaral Campinas Cep: 13076-050 www.meridianidiomas.com.br
Modal auxiliary verbs: general
When the three auxiliary verbs be, have and do are used to make tenses, passives and
questions, they have important grammatical functions but no real dictionary meaning (if you
want to understand expressions like Do you smoke? Where have you been or I think this was
written by Mozart, it is not very useful to look up do, have and was in the dictionary.) There
are can, could, may, might, must, will, would, shall, should, ought and need. (Need can also be
an ordinary non-auxiliary verb.) These verbs are often called modal auxiliaries. They have
several points in common which make them quite different from other verbs.
1 They are not used (except sometimes in the negative) to talk about things which are
definitely happening, or have definitely happened. Modal verbs are used when we say that we
expect things to happen, or that events are possible, or necessary, or improbable, or
impossible, or when we say that things did not happen, or that we are not sure whether they
happened.
I cant swim.
She could be in London or Paris or Tokyo nobody knows.
I may come tomorrow if I have time.
What would you do if you had a free year?
I think they should have consulted a doctor earlier.
2 Modal verbs have no s on the third person singular, questions and negatives are made
without do; they are followed by the infinitive without to of other verbs (except for ought).
You neednt look at me like that. Can your mother drive?
He must be here by nine oclock. That ought to be enough.
3 Modal verbs have no infinitives, and other expressions are used instead, when necessary.
Id like to be able to skate. (Not: to can skate.)
Youre going to have to work harder. (Not: to must work harder.)
4 Modal verbs have no past forms. Could and would are used with past meanings in some
cases (but never to say that particular events actually happened on denite occasions).
Otherwise, other expressions are used.
After climbing for six hours, we managed to reach the top.
(Not: we could reach the top.)
I had to go to Chester yesterday. (Not: I must)
5 Modal verbs can be used with perfect infinitives to talk about things which did not happen,
or which we are not sure about, in the past.
should.docx




Meridian Idiomas - Rua Amlia Bueno, 173 Taquaral Campinas Cep: 13076-050 www.meridianidiomas.com.br
You should have told me at once.
Her car may have broken down.
Some modal verbs have weak pronunciations. Will, shall, would and should (conditional
auxiliary) have contracted forms, and all modal verbs can have contracted negative forms.
What shall we do? I hope you can come.
We'll see you tomorrow evening, then.
I'd keep quiet if I were you.
You cant help liking her.
You shouldn't be so pessimistic.
It wont make much difference if we're late.
Modal auxiliary verbs: certainty, probability, possibility
Each modal auxiliary verb has at least two meanings. One use of all modal verbs is to talk
about the possibility or probability of a situation or event. Some of these verbs are used to say
that a situation is certain; others that it is probable or possible; others that it is impossible.
1 Certainty
Verbs used: shall, shant, will, wont, must, cant, couldn't, would, wouldnt.
I shall see you tomorrow.
I shant be late.
Things will be all right.
It wont rain this evening.
You must be tired.
That can't be John - hes in Dublin.
I knew it couldn't be John.
This child would one day rule all England.
I told you you wouldn't be able to do it.
2 Probability
Verbs used: should, shouldnt, ought to, oughtnt to, may (not)
He should/ought to be here soon.
It shouldn't/oughtn't to be difficult to get there.
We may be buying a new house.
The water may not be warm enough to swim.
3 Weak probability
Verbs used: might, might not, could.
I might see you again - who knows.
Things might not be so bad as they seem.
should.docx




Meridian Idiomas - Rua Amlia Bueno, 173 Taquaral Campinas Cep: 13076-050 www.meridianidiomas.com.br
We could all be millionaires one day.
4 Theoretical or habitual possibility
Verb used: can.
How many people can get into a telephone box?
Scotland can be very warm in September.
5 Conditional certainty or possibility
Verbs used: would, wouldnt, could, couldnt, might, mightnt.
If we had enough time, things would be easy.
I wouldn't do this if I didn't have to.
If John came we could all go home.
I couldn't do anything without your help.
If' you stopped criticizing I might get some work done.
It mightnt be a bad thing if we took a holiday next week.
The other meanings of modal verbs are varied, and depend on the particular verb. Some of
them are used to refer to obligation, others to permission, others to willingness, ability, or
futurity.
Modal auxiliary verbs with perfect infinitives
Modal verbs usually refer to the present or the future (except for certain uses of could, would
and must). However, all modal verbs except shall (in some of their meanings) can be used
together with perfect innitives to talk about the past. (The perfect innitive without to is
used, except after ought.) This structure Has a special meaning: it is used for speculating
(thinking about what possibly happened) or imagining (thinking about how things could have
been different).
Shes two hours late - what can have happened?
You could have told me you were coming.
I think I may have annoyed Aunt Mary.
You were crazy to ski down here - you might have killed yourself.
George is behaving very strangely. I think he must have been drinking.
I met her soon after the war. - Oh, yes. That will have been around March 1946, I
suppose.'
The potatoes would have been better with a bit more salt.
The plants dead. Maybe I should have given it more water.
We ought to have got here earlier: the trains packed.
You neednt have brought wine - we've got plenty.

should.docx




Meridian Idiomas - Rua Amlia Bueno, 173 Taquaral Campinas Cep: 13076-050 www.meridianidiomas.com.br
Should (1)
You should do something = it is a good thing to do or the right thing to do. You can 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 l think / I dont think / Do you think...?:
I think the government should do more to help homeless people.
l dont think you should work so hard.
Do you think l should apply for this job? Yes, I think you should.
You shouldnt do something= it isnt a good thing to do:
You shouldnt 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)
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
1.20, not 1.50.
Those boys shouldnt be playing football at
this time. They should be at school.
We use should to say that we expect something to happen:
Shes been studying hard for the exam, so she
should pass. (= I expect her to pass)
There are plenty of hotels in the town. It shouldnt
be difficult to find somewhere to stay. (= I dont
expect that it will be difficult)
You should have done something = you didnt do it but it would have been the right thing to
do:
It was a great party last night. You should have come. Why didnt you? (= you didnt
come but it would have been good to come)
Im feeling I shouldnt have eaten so much chocolate. (= I ate too much chocolate)
should.docx




Meridian Idiomas - Rua Amlia Bueno, 173 Taquaral Campinas Cep: 13076-050 www.meridianidiomas.com.br
I wonder why theyre 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.
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 l 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
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 isnt very interesting.) .
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 its a bad idea.
(get married) .
2. You dont like smoking, especially in restaurants.
(be banned) I think
3. I have a very bad cold but l plan to go out this evening. You dont 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) ..
Complete the sentences with should (have) + the verb in brackets.
should.docx




Meridian Idiomas - Rua Amlia Bueno, 173 Taquaral Campinas Cep: 13076-050 www.meridianidiomas.com.br
1. Margareth should pass the exam. Shes 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. Im in a difficult position. What do you think I ? (do)
5. Im sorry that I didnt take our advice I what you said. (do)
6. I'm playing tennis with Jill tomorrow. She . shes much better
than me. (win)
7. We lost the march 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)
Read the situations and write sentences with should/shouldn't. Some of the sentences are past
and some are present
1. Im feeling sick. I ate too much. I shouldnt have eaten so much.
2. That man on the motorbike isnt wearing a helmet. Thats dangerous.
He should be wearing a helmet.
3. When we got to the restaurant, there were no free tables. We hadnt reserved one.
We .
4. The notice says that the shop is open every day from 8.30. It is 9 oclock now but the shop
isnt 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 didnt go to see him while I was there.
When l 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 wasnt my fault
8. I walked into a wall. I wasnt looking where I was going.