SHOULD / OUGHT TO

SHOULD / OUGHT TO

"Should" is a modal auxiliary. It has several uses (conditional, give advice, duty or weak obligation ...).

As auxiliary verb shares the characteristics of manners:

• It is followed by a verb in infinitive without "to", except be able to, need to, have to and ought to.

• The third person singular does not have -s in the present simple.

• You do not need to add the auxiliary do / does for the interrogative and negative form.

• It does not have compound or progressive times.

• It does not have infinitive.

Ought to: Modal verbs are those auxiliaries that need another verb to make sense. The best known are can, could, should, might, will, must ... And, of course, ought to. Of course, the use of this modal verb is very formal and is not used in American English.

HOW IS IT FORMED?

Affirmative: subject + should + infinitive without

He should work harder (should work more)

Negatives: subject + should not / should not + infinitive without

We should not arrive late / we should not arrive late (we should not be late)

Interrogatives: Should + subject + infinitive without

Should I study this chapter for the exam? (Should I study this chapter for the exam?)

Should I go to the party? Yes, you should / No, you should not.

WHEN DO WE USE SHOULD?

The verb should be translated as "should" and is used in the following cases:

1. Give and ask for advice.

As we indicated in Tips with should in English, should be used to give and ask for advice.

Your car is very old. You should buy a new one (your car is very old, you should buy a new one)

You should do your homework (you should do your homework)

Should I have my hair cut? (Should I cut my hair?)

In this case, we could also use the modal verb ought to / oughtn't to.

You do not look well. You ought to go to the doctor (you do not have a good face, you should go to the doctor)

You oughtn't to drive so fast / You ought not to drive so fast (you should not drive so fast)

Caution: Should express weak obligation (advice). On the contrary, must is used to express strong obligation (order).

2. When we want to indicate that something is or is not correct.

You should not get angry so easily (you should not get angry so easily)

You should recycle (you should recycle)

You should not drive so fast. It's dangerous (you should not drive so fast, it's dangerous)

3. To criticize past actions.

In this case we use should have + past participle or ought to have + past participle.

You should have told me you were going to arrive late (You should have told me you were going to be late).

They ought to have studied harder. (they should have studied more)

In negative:

You should not have told her. It was a secret (you should not have told it. It was a secret)

4. Make suggestions in an educated way when we do not know the answer.

Should I put the bags here? (Do I put the bags here?) (Can I (should) put the bags here?)

EXAMPLE OF SHOULD

1. I've got a headache. You should drink a glass of water.

2. I've forgotten my books. You should tell the teacher.

3. My back hurts. You should go to the doctor's.

4. The house is very untidy. You should tidy it.

5. I've got toothache. You should see a dentist.

EXAMPLE OF OUGHT TO

1.You ought to rest a little more - Deberías descansar un poco más

2.My mother ought not to spend so much money - Mi madre no debería gastar tanto dinero

3.The kid oughtn't go alone to the park - El niño no debería ir solo al parque

4.Your father ought not help you with your homework - Tu padre no debería ayudarte con tus deberes

5.We ought to go by plane - Deberíamos ir en avión