Should / Should have

Express expectation, convention or advice

Expectationshould vs. will

SHOULD

Should expresses one's expectation for something to happen in the present or near future. We use
should to make an assumption based on personal knowledge, information, or insights. ("inference")

EXPECTATION

The movie should be available online next week. (It has left theaters, so it should go for release online.)

The movie should be good. (I've read some good reviews.)

Movie fans should be excited to see the James Bond movie. (They usually are.)

WILL

Will also expresses one's expectation for something to happen, but with more certainty. We use will for
stating information, calculations, or schedules. (See will certainty.)

PREDICTION

The movie will be available online next week. (It's scheduled.)

The movie will be here good. (I've read the reviews.)

Movie fans will be excited to see the James Bond movie. (They always are.)

insight understanding the true nature of something; intuition

Should

Convention

Conventionshould vs. be supposed

SHOULD

Should expresses one's expectation of behavior based on cultural norms. Cultural expectations come
from rules, ethics, and codes shared by social groups. ("social rightness")

MODAL PLAIN FORM VERB

People should
be honest and not steal creative work. (ethical convention)

People shouldn't

talk on cell phones during movies. (social convention)

Should we

wear black pants to work? (fashion convention)

(BE) SUPPOSED

The same may be expressed with is / are / am supposed, which is followed by an infinitive. (Also, known
as be supposed to.)

PARTICIPLE INFINITIVE

People are supposed

to be honest and not steal creative work.

People aren't supposed

to talk on cell phones during movies.

Are we supposed

to wear black pants to work?

norm a standard, a model, or pattern

plain form also called base form, simple form (Huddleston 106)

Should

Options and Advice

Options and Adviceshould / had better vs. ought

SHOULD / HAD BETTR

Should / Had better express one's advice usually by giving options to another person. The advice is
based on one's sense of "rightness" often moral, but also logical. (Had better is "modal-like" .)

MODAL PLAIN FORM VERB

You should

You had better

try ordering your movies online. (option)

He should

He had better

ask one of his professors for a recommendation. (option)

Should he

*Had he better

ask a professor for a recommendation?

She shouldn't

She had better not

talk on her cell phone when she's with you. (advice)

OUGHT

Ought expresses "weak advice", options or solutions used in problem-solving. It is modal-like in that it
does not take the auxiliary do. However, its complement is an infinitive (to+verb) rather than a plain
form verb.

EXPRESSION INFINITIVE

You ought

to try ordering your movies online.(option)

He ought

to ask one of his professors for a recommendation. (option)

Ought he

to ask a professor for a recommendation. (very awkward sounding)

She ought not

to talk on her cell phone when she's with you. (advice)

*awkward sounding here. Question form: Hadn't you better ask first? Hadn't he thought of this
before? (negative question)

try out (verbal expression) experiment with, do in order to get a particular outcome

Also see: Had Better Should / Should have.

Should have

Failed Expectation

Failed Expectationshould have vs. would have

SHOULD HAVE

Should have expresses a past expectation that was not met, disappointment. What we normally expect
did not happen. A should have clause is often followed by a but clause.

MODAL PERFECT

The movie should

have been available last week. (but it wasn't)

The mailman should

have been there an hour earlier. (but he wasn't)

Students should

have been nervous about taking their exams last week. (but they weren't)

WOULD HAVE

Would have expresses a similar meaning, a failed effort. What was scheduled, predicted to happen did
not happen. A would have clause is often followed by an reason.

MODAL PERFECT

The movie would

have been available last week, but the stores ran out of it.

The mailman would

have been there an hour earlier, but he stopped for lunch.

Students would

have been nervous about taking their exams, but they were well prepared.

perfect verb form (have / has / had + participle) completed: an action or situation that occurred
earlier than the present time with focus on the resulting state rather than on the occurrence itself.

Should have

Failed Convention
Failed Conventionshould have vs.be supposed

SHOULD HAVE

Should have expresses a failure to meet a social norm or expectation in a past situation. The past is
expressed with should+have+participle (perfect verb form)

MODAL PERFECT

People should

have been honest. (but they weren't)

People shouldn't

have talked on cell phones during meetings. (but they did!)

We should

have worn black pants to work. (but we did.)

(WERE / WAS ) SUPPOSED

Was / were supposed expresses a similar meaning of disappointment in meeting expectations of a past
action, activity or event.
EXPRESSION INFINITIVE

People were supposed

to be honest. (but they weren't)

People weren't supposed

to talk on cell phones during meetings. (but they did.)

Were we supposed

to wear black pants to work?(we didn't )

had better is used occasionally in the past: You had better not have eaten the last cookie! (warning)
Should Have

Past Advice

Should have / Ought to have

SHOULD HAVE

Should have expresses advice that comes too late, after a specific event has already occurred. One
evaluates other options that were not taken as possible future remedies.

MODAL PERFECT

You should

have tried ordering your movies online. (but you didn't)

He should
have asked one of his professors for a recommendation. (but he didn't)

She shouldn't

have talked on her cell phone when she was with you. (but she did)

OUGHT TO HAVE

Ought to have expresses a similar meaning. Ought is followed by a perfect infinite verb form. (ought to is
a semi-modal)

EXPRESSION PERFECT INFINITIVE

You ought

to have tried ordering your movies online. (but you didn't)

He ought

to have asked one of his professors for a recommendation. (but he didn't)

She ought not

to have talked on her cell phone when she was with you. (but she did)

Also see Could / Should Have

Common Mistakes

Errors and Solutions

Error and Solution

ERROR

*We should had left earlier.

*Do we should take another bottle of water?

*Should we supposed to wear black pants to work?

SOLUTION

We should have left earlier. (Use the "perfect" verb form, which does not change to a past form.)

Should we take another bottle of water. (Use should not do as the auxiliary.)

Are we supposed to wear black pants to work?