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ENGLISH SPECIAL LESSON NOTE FOR GRADE 11 (ELEVEN)
Should and ought to
A. We can often use should or ought to with little difference in meaning when we talk
about
OBLIGATION and PROBABILITY.
Obligation
• giving ADVICE or making a RECOMMENDATION:
• This soup is too salty!' 'You should / ought to send it back.
• You'll catch cold if you go out like that. I think you should / ought to take a hat.
Or saying what an outside authority recommends (although we prefer should in this
case):
• The manual says that the computer should be disconnected (= passive) from the
mains
Before the cover is removed, (rather than ...ought to be disconnected...)
However, we use should (or would), not ought to, when we give advice with I:
• I should leave early tomorrow, if I were you. (Or I would leave...; or I'd leave...)
• talking about a RESPONSIBILITY or DUTY:
• People should / ought to be warned (= passive) of the danger of swimming off this
beach.
• I should / ought to visit my parents more often.
Probability
• saying that something is PROBABLY TRUE now or will probably be true in the future:
• Have we got any string?' 'There should / ought to be some in the kitchen drawer.
(because that's where we always keep it)
• You should / ought to have received the report by now.
• I enjoyed her first novel, so the new one should / ought to be good.
B. We use should / ought to + have + past participle to talk about an obligation in the
past.
We often indicate some criticism or regret:
• He should / ought to have asked me before he took my bike. (I'm annoyed)
• We should / ought to have taken a taxi when it rained. (I'm sorry we didn't)
We also use should / ought to + have + past participle to talk about an expectation
that something happened, has happened, or will happen:
• If the flight was on time, he should / ought to have arrived in Jakarta early this
morning.
• The builders should / ought to have finished by the end of the week.
C. We can use had better instead of should / ought to, especially in spoken English, to
say that
We think it would be sensible or advisable to do something. However, we don't use it
to talk about the past or to make general comments:
• If you're not well, you should / ought to ask Ann to go instead, (or ...you'd better
ask...)
• You should / ought to have caught a later train, (not You had better have...)
• I don't think parents should / ought to give their children sweets, (not ...had
better...)
D. When we make a logical conclusion from some situation or activity, we use must
not should or ought to
You must be mad if you think I'm going to lend you any more money.
It's the third time she's been skating this week - she must really enjoy it.
E. We can use (be) supposed to instead of should / ought to to talk about an
obligation to do something.
It is commonly used in spoken English to express a' less strong obligation:
• I'm supposed to be there at 10.00. • The work was supposed to start last week.
We use (be) supposed to when we report what many people think is true:
• Eating sweets is supposed to be bad for your teeth, (not ...should be bad for...)
EXERCISES ON THE GIVEN LESSON NOTE
Complete these sentences with should / ought to + infinitive (or a passive
form) or should/ ought to have + past participle using one of these verbs. In
which one is ought to NOT possible?
Check include keep listen meet
plan receive refrigerate stay
1. You _________________my reply by now.
2. This medicine______________ in a cool place.(from a medicine bottle label)
3. Here's someone you really____________________
4. If you're feeling ill, I_________________ at home today, if I were you.
5. To have got a better mark, you_______________ your answers more
thoroughly.
6. According to the label, the jam___________________ after opening.
7. I think you__________________ to him. He knew what he was talking
about.
8. The results were completely wrong. As a scientist she________________
the experiment more carefully.
9. The information you send_______________ details of courses taken at
university.( From a job application form)
Correct these sentences where necessary, or put a √.
1 Business letters had better be brief and to the point.
2 It's cold outside, so you had better put on a warm coat.
3 I think children had better learn to cook at an early age.
4 You'd better not to go out tonight. It's raining.
5 As you are feeling ill, you'd better not go to work.
6 Some plants had better not be grown in direct sunlight. It will damage their
leaves.
In which sentences can you put should or must and in
which can you only put must? Where both are possible,
consider the difference between should and must.
1. A timetable__________ be set for withdrawing the army.
2. Les isn't home yet. He____________ have been held up at work.
3. I wonder how old Mike is.' 'Well, he went to school with my mother, so
he______ be well over 50.'
4. If you smell gas, you__________ phone the emergency number.
5. You ________________try to visit Nepal - it's a beautiful country.
6. I only live a couple of minutes from the town centre. It____________ be
handy having Shops nearby.
