Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Should


Should 1
We use 'should' for giving advice.
  • You should speak to him about it.
  • He should see a doctor.
  • We should ask a lawyer.
We use 'should' to give an opinion or a recommendation.
  • He should resign now.
  • We should invest more in Asia.
  • They should do something about this terrible train service.
'Should' expresses a personal opinion and is much weaker and more personal than 'must' or 'have to'. It is often introduced by ' I think'.
  • I think they should replace him.
  • I don't think they should keep the contract.
  • Do you think we should tell her.

 Should 2
We can use 'should' after 'reporting verbs' such as
demand  insist  propose  recommend  suggest
  • He demanded that we should pay for the repair.
  • She insisted that she should pay for the meal.
  • I have proposed that he should take charge of the organization.
  • The committee recommends that Jane should be appointed.
  • We have suggested that Michael should be given a reward for his hard work.
However, it is also possible to say exactly the same thing by omitting the 'should' and just using the infinitive form without 'to' . Some people call this the 'subjunctive' form.
  • He demanded that we pay for the repair.
  • She insisted that she pay for the meal.
  • I have proposed that he take charge of the organization.
  • The committee recommends that Jane be appointed.
  • We have suggested that Michael be given a reward for his hard work.
We can use 'should' after various adjectives. Typical examples are : 
funny  interesting  natural  odd  strange  surprised  surprising  typical
  • It's funny that you should say that. I was thinking exactly the same thing.
  • It's interesting that they should offer him the job. Not an obvious choice.
  • It's natural that you should be anxious. Nobody likes speaking in public.
  • Isn't it odd that he should be going to the same tiny hotel? What a coincidence.
  • It's strange that you should think so. Nobody else does.
We can use 'should' in 'if clauses' when we believe that the possibility of something happening is small.
  • If you should happen to see him before I do, can you tell him that I want to speak to him urgently?
  • If there should be a problem, just give me a call and I'll sort it out.
  • If anyone should ask where I am, say I'm in a meeting.
We use 'should' in various fixed expressions.
To show strong agreement
  • They're paying you compensation?   I should think so.
To express pleasure when you receive a gift
  • What a fantastic present. You really shouldn't have.
To emphasize  a visible emotion
  • You should have seen the look on her face when she found out that she had got the promotion. 

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