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Unit 33 · Grammar Lesson
Unité 33 · Leçon de Grammaire

Should 1
Advice, Opinions, Expectations & Ought To — Complete Guide Should 1
Conseils, Opinions, Attentes et Ought To — Guide Complet

Master should / shouldn't for advice and opinions, expectations and deductions, should have done for past regrets, and the equivalent ought to

Maîtrisez should / shouldn't pour les conseils et opinions, les attentes, should have done pour les regrets passés, et l'équivalent ought to

B1 – B1+ 4 Rules · 4 Exercises · 200-Q Quiz · PDF 4 Règles · 4 Exercices · Quiz 200 Q · PDF 🇬🇧 EN / 🇫🇷 FR

In this unit we study should — one of the most useful modal verbs in English. We use it to give advice, express opinions, talk about what we expect to happen, and to say what should have happened in the past but didn't. We also look at ought to, which has the same meaning as should.

Dans cette unité, nous étudions should — l'un des verbes modaux les plus utiles en anglais. On l'utilise pour donner des conseils, exprimer des opinions, parler de ce qu'on attend et dire ce qui aurait dû se passer dans le passé. Nous étudions aussi ought to, qui a le même sens que should.

A

Should for Advice & Opinion — The Right Thing To Do

Should pour les conseils et opinions — La bonne chose à faire

We use should to say something is a good thing to do or the right thing to do — to give advice or express an opinion. Shouldn't means it is not a good thing to do.

On utilise should pour dire que quelque chose est une bonne chose à faire ou la bonne chose à faire — pour donner un conseil ou exprimer une opinion. Shouldn't signifie que ce n'est pas une bonne chose à faire.

Subject + should/shouldn't + base verb
You should go to bed. / You shouldn't believe everything you read.

We often use should with I think / I don't think / Do you think … ?

On utilise souvent should avec I think / I don't think / Do you think … ?

You look tired. You should go to bed.
→ advice
→ conseil
The government should do more to improve schools.
→ opinion
→ opinion
The man on the motorbike should be wearing a helmet.
→ it is the right/expected thing to do
→ c'est la bonne chose à faire
You shouldn't believe everything you read in newspapers.
→ it's not a good thing to do
→ ce n'est pas une bonne chose à faire
I think the government should do more to improve schools.
I don't think you should work so hard.

Should — advice / opinion

it would be a good thing to do
ce serait une bonne chose à faire
You should apologise.
She should see a doctor.
You shouldn't eat so much sugar.

Must / Have to — obligation

you have no alternative
vous n'avez pas le choix
You must apologise. (= no choice)
You have to see a doctor. (= required)
Should is weaker than must / have to.
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Should vs Must:Should vs Must : Should is a recommendation — it would be a good thing. Must / have to is an obligation — you have no choice. You should apologise (= good idea) vs You must apologise (= you have no alternative). Should est une recommandation. Must / have to est une obligation. You should apologise (= bonne idée) vs You must apologise (= obligatoire).
B

Should for Expectations — What We Expect to Happen

Should pour les attentes — Ce qu'on s'attend à ce qui se passe

We use should when something is not right or not what we expect. We also use it to say we expect something to happen — because it is likely or normal.

On utilise should quand quelque chose n'est pas normal ou pas ce qu'on attend. On l'utilise aussi pour dire qu'on s'attend à ce que quelque chose se passe — parce que c'est probable ou normal.

Where's Tina? She should be here by now.
→ she isn't here yet, and this is not normal / not what I expected
→ elle n'est pas encore là — ce n'est pas normal
The price on this packet is wrong. It should be £2.50, not £3.50.
→ the correct price is £2.50 (something is wrong)
→ le prix correct est £2.50 (quelque chose ne va pas)
Helen has been studying hard, so she should pass.
→ I expect her to pass (it's likely)
→ je m'attends à ce qu'elle réussisse (c'est probable)
There are plenty of hotels. It shouldn't be hard to find one.
→ I don't expect it to be hard
→ je ne m'attends pas à ce que ce soit difficile
📌
Two uses of should for expectations:Deux emplois de should pour les attentes : (1) Something is NOT right/expected: She should be here — but she isn't. (2) Something IS expected/likely: She should pass — she's been studying hard. (1) Quelque chose n'est PAS normal : She should be here — but she isn't. (2) Quelque chose est attendu/probable : She should pass — she's been studying hard.
C

Should Have Done — Past Regrets & Criticism

Should Have Done — Regrets et critiques passés

Should have done = you didn't do it, but it would have been a good thing to do. Shouldn't have done = you did it, but it wasn't a good thing to do.

Should have done = vous ne l'avez pas fait, mais c'aurait été une bonne chose. Shouldn't have done = vous l'avez fait, mais ce n'était pas une bonne chose.

Subject + should have + past participle
You should have come. (= but you didn't)
Subject + shouldn't have + past participle
I shouldn't have eaten so much. (= but I did)
You missed a great party. You should have come. Why didn't you?
→ you didn't come — it would have been good to come
→ vous n'êtes pas venu — c'aurait été bien de venir
They should have been here long ago.
→ they still haven't arrived, which is not right
→ ils ne sont toujours pas arrivés — ce n'est pas normal
I'm feeling sick. I shouldn't have eaten so much.
→ I ate too much — that was a mistake
→ j'ai trop mangé — c'était une erreur
She shouldn't have been listening to our conversation. It was private.
→ she was listening — that was wrong
→ elle écoutait — c'était mal
⚠️
Compare should do vs should have done:Comparez should do et should have done : You should go to bed now. (present/future) vs You should have gone to bed earlier. (past — you didn't, but it would have been better). You should go to bed now. (présent/futur) vs You should have gone to bed earlier. (passé — vous ne l'avez pas fait).
D

Ought To — The Same as Should

Ought To — Le même sens que Should

You can use ought to instead of should in all the uses above. Note that ought is always followed by to (unlike should, which takes a bare infinitive).

On peut utiliser ought to à la place de should dans tous les cas vus ci-dessus. Notez que ought est toujours suivi de to (contrairement à should, qui prend un infinitif sans to).

Subject + ought to + base verb
Do you think I ought to apply? (= Do you think I should apply?)
Negative: Jack ought not to go to bed so late. (= Jack shouldn't go …)
Past: You ought to have come. (= You should have come)
💡
Ought to vs Should:Ought to vs Should : Both mean the same thing. Should is more common in everyday speech. The key grammar difference: should + base verb but ought + to + base verb. Les deux ont le même sens. Should est plus courant. Différence clé : should + base verb mais ought + to + base verb.

Should — Exercises with AnswersShould — Exercices avec Corrigé

Put each rule into practice — check your answers instantly

Mettez chaque règle en pratique — vérifiez vos réponses instantanément

EX 1

Exercise 1 — Write a sentence with should or shouldn't

Exercice 1 — Écrivez une phrase avec should ou shouldn't

Use the verb given in brackets.

Utilisez le verbe entre parenthèses.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Answers:Réponses : 1. should go away for a few days  ·  2. should look for another job  ·  3. shouldn't stay up so late  ·  4. should take a picture  ·  5. shouldn't worry so much  ·  6. should put some pictures on the walls
EX 2

Exercise 2 — Complete with should … (expectation)

Exercice 2 — Complétez avec should … (attente)

Choose from the box and write the correct should form.

Choisissez dans l'encadré et écrivez la forme correcte avec should.

Word box: should pass the exam · should be here soon · should be working OK · shouldn't take long · should receive · should be much warmer · shouldn't cost more · should solve Boîte de mots : should pass the exam · should be here soon · should be working OK · shouldn't take long · should receive · should be much warmer · shouldn't cost more · should solve
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Answers:Réponses : 1. should pass the exam  ·  2. should be here soon  ·  3. should be working OK  ·  4. shouldn't take long  ·  5. should receive  ·  6. should be much warmer  ·  7. shouldn't cost more  ·  8. should solve
EX 3

Exercise 3 — Should … or Should Have … ?

Exercice 3 — Should … ou Should Have … ?

Complete using should (do) or should have (done) + the verb in brackets.

Complétez avec should (do) ou should have (done) + le verbe entre parenthèses.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Answers:Réponses : 1. should go  ·  2. should have come  ·  3. should do  ·  4. should have done  ·  5. should have won  ·  6. should come  ·  7. should have turned  ·  8. should have done
🎯

Exercise 4 — Should / Should Have / Shouldn't / Shouldn't Have

Exercice 4 — Should / Should Have / Shouldn't / Shouldn't Have

Read the situation and write the correct sentence.

Lisez la situation et écrivez la phrase correcte.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Answers:Réponses : 1. shouldn't have eaten so much  ·  2. should have reserved a table  ·  3. should have written it down  ·  4. should be open  ·  5. shouldn't have been looking at my phone  ·  6. shouldn't be driving so fast  ·  7. shouldn't have gone to work  ·  8. should win

Frequently Asked Questions — Should

Questions fréquentes — Should

Should is a recommendation — it would be a good or right thing to do, but you have a choice. Must and have to express obligation — you have no choice.

Should est une recommandation. Must et have to expriment une obligation.

Use should do for present/future advice. Use should have done for the past — something that didn't happen but would have been good: You should have gone to bed earlier.

Utilisez should do pour le présent/futur. Utilisez should have done pour le passé.

Same meaning. Grammar difference: should + base verb (no to), but ought to + base verb. ✓ You should go. ✓ You ought to go.

Même sens. Différence grammaticale : should + base verb (sans to), ought to + base verb (avec to).

Positive: I think you should apply. Negative: I don't think you should work so hard (preferred over I think you shouldn't). Question: Do you think I should apply?

Positif : I think you should apply. Négatif : I don't think you should work so hard.

Yes: Where's Tina? She should be here by now. (= she isn't, and that's not normal). The price should be £2.50, not £3.50. (= the correct price is £2.50).

Oui : She should be here by now. (= elle n'est pas là, ce n'est pas normal).

🎯 Unit 33 · MCQ QuizUnité 33 · Quiz QCM

Should — Quiz

Should — Quiz

200-question bank · 10–40 questions per session · instant feedback · printable PDF

Banque de 200 questions · 10 à 40 questions par session · correction immédiate · PDF

200 Questions 5 Topics B1 · B1+ PDF ✓

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Should Quiz

Quiz — Should

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