Modals of advice class in english
- 1. Coordinacion de lenguas extranjeras Instituto Tecnológico de Tláhuac II Teacher Eleazar Medina Garcés *Information from ENGLISH AWARE 5 and online information sources, rights to whom corresponds. 46.- Should / ought to / had better 1. We use should, ought to and had better with an infinitive without TO (be, go, ask, wait): INFINITIVE I should go You ought to ask We had better wait 2. We use both ‘should’ and ‘ought to’ to ask for or to give advice, to say what is the correct or best thing to do: A: I've got toothache. What should I do? (= What is the best thing for me to do?) B: You should go to the dentist's. (= The best thing for you to do is to go to the dentist's.) When we are talking about a duty or a law, we usually use ought to: A: I saw a robbery. What should I do? B: You ought to report it to the police. (= It is a person's duty to report it.) On the other hand, when we are giving a personal opinion, we usually use should: B: I think you should forget about it. We use should much more than ought to in negatives and questions: I shouldn’t go. (Or I ought not to go.) Should I go? (Or Ought I to go?) 3. We can also use had better to give advice, to say what is the best thing to do: There'll be a lot of traffic tomorrow. We had (OR We'd) better leave early. I had (OR I'd) better ask the doctor about the pain in my stomach.
- 2. Coordinacion de lenguas extranjeras Instituto Tecnológico de Tláhuac II Teacher Eleazar Medina Garcés *Information from ENGLISH AWARE 5 and online information sources, rights to whom corresponds. Note that ‘had’ is a past form, but it does not refer to past time here; we use it to talk about present or future time. We only use had better to give advice about a particular thing; when we give general advice, we use should or ought to: When people are in trouble, they should go to the police. (NOT… they had better go to the police) The negative is had better not: ▪ They had better not be late. Practice. A. Use Should or Shouldn’t and one of the phrases from the box in each dialogue. ► call an ambulance ► drive home in her car ► decide for herself ► borrow money ► let him eat so much ► Report it to the police ► touch anything ► give you a new cup ► leave everything where it is ► move the person yourself ► do anything about it ► make him do lots of sport ► ask someone to take her ► A: There is a house near my home where I often hear a child crying. B: You should report it to the police. ► A: My daughter wants to marry a sailor. What should I do about it? B: In my opinion, you shouldn’t do anything about it. Your daughter should decide for herself. 1. A: If someone has a serious accident, what's the right thing to do? B: Well, you . It’s not a good idea to move an injured person. Instead, you to take the person to hospital. 2. A: Last Saturday I bought some coffee cups but one of the handles was broken. What can I expect the shop to do? B: They .
- 3. Coordinacion de lenguas extranjeras Instituto Tecnológico de Tláhuac II Teacher Eleazar Medina Garcés *Information from ENGLISH AWARE 5 and online information sources, rights to whom corresponds. 3. A: My son is 12 years old and he's already very fat. B: Well, it's important not to eat too much, so you . Also, you . 4. A: If you come home and see that you've been robbed, what's the best thing to do? B: Well, you . You and call the police. 5. A: Mary can't work because she's feeling sick. How can she get home? B: Well, she . She home. 6. People if they can't pay it back. B. Use the sentences in brackets ( ) to write a reply with had better in the following dialogues. ► A: I've got a headache. B: (You should go and lie down.) You’d better go and lie down. 1. A: The children want to play in the kitchen. B: (Well, they should clear everything away when they finish.) well, when they finish. 2. A: I think it's going to rain. B: (Yes, we ought to take our umbrellas.) Yes, 3. A: I'm going to go to bed now. We have to get up very early tomorrow. B: (Yes, I should go to bed early too.) Yes,
- 4. Coordinacion de lenguas extranjeras Instituto Tecnológico de Tláhuac II Teacher Eleazar Medina Garcés *Information from ENGLISH AWARE 5 and online information sources, rights to whom corresponds. C. Complete the second part of the dialogue using the correct form of the word in brackets ( ). Put to or not in the correct place if necessary. ► A: Should Henry stay in bed? B: No, the doctor said he shouldn't (should) stay in bed. 1. A: Can we move that cupboard? B: No, it's very delicate, so you (ought) leave it where it is. 2. A: Should we change these notices? B: No, the show is still on, so we (should) change them until next week. 3. A: You'd better tell the boss about the accident immediately B: No, she's in a bad mood. I (had better) tell her until tomorrow. 4. A: Does the doctor say it's all right for Mrs. Bradley to work? B: Yes, but she must be careful. She (ought) lift anything heavy, for example 5. A: Can they come before dinner? B: No, we haven't got enough food, so they (had better) come after dinner.