A6 Should, ought to, had better 1 We use should, ought to and had better with an infinitive (e.g. be, go, ask, wait): I should You ought to We had better 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 isa 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 (on We'd) better leave early. Thad (ox P'd) better ask the doctor about the pain in my stomach. 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. (Nor ... they-had-better-go-te 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 reportit-to-the police move the person yourself touch anything give you a new cup leave everything where it is do-anything-aboutit make him do lots of sport ask someone to take her | decide for-herself borrow money | let him eat so much There is a house near my home where | often hear a child crying, You should. report it n9.the paliee . My daughter wants to marry a sailor, What should | do about it? In my opinion, .you, shouldn't. do. anything about it, Your daughter cid 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. eA B: eA B: PAGE 100+ MODAL VERBS2 A; Last Saturday | bought some coffee cups but one of the handles was broken. What can | expect the shop to do? B: They . 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, ... if they can’t pay it back. 6 People 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 ge and lie down, 1A: The children want to play in the kitchen B: (Well, they should clear everything away when they finish.) when they finish. Well, 2 A:| think it's going to rain. B: (Yes, we ought to take our umbrellas.) Yes, 3. A:Iim going to go to bed now. We have to get up very early tomorrow. B: (Yes, | should go to bed early too.) Yes, Complete the second part of the dialogue using the correct form of the word in brackets ( ). Put fo or not in the correct place if necessary. > A: Should Henry stay in bed? B: No, the doctor said he ghguldn’t.... (should) stay in bed. 1 A:Can we move that cupboard? B: No, it's very delicate, so you .. 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 mod. | ... (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 . . (ought) leave it where it is. (had better) come after dinner. MODAL VERBS * PAGE 101