Expectations

Should can be used in affirmative (non-negative) sentences to express an expected outcome, especially

when it is followed by the verb be. For example:

 “She should be here by now.”
 “They should be arriving at any minute.”
 “I think this book should be interesting.”

We can also follow should with other verbs to express expectation, but this is less common. For instance:

 “They should find this report useful.”

 “We should see the results shortly.”

If we use the negative of should (should not or shouldn’t), it implies a mistake or error, especially when we
use it with a future time expression. For example:

 “She shouldn’t be here yet.”
 “He shouldn’t be arriving for another hour.”

We normally do not use should not to refer to expected future actions like we do in the affirmative; it
generally refers to something that just happened (in the present or immediate past).

Should vs. be supposed to vs. be meant to

In many instances, should can be replaced by be supposed to or be meant to with little to no change in
meaning. For instance, we can use be supposed to or be meant to in place of should for something that is
expected or required to happen.
For example:

 “He should be here at 10 AM.”
 “He is meant to be here at 10 AM.”
 “He is supposed to be here at 10 AM.”

We can also use these three variations interchangeably when asking the reason why something is the
case. For instance:

 “Why should I have to pay for my brother?”

 “Why am I meant to pay for my brother?”
 “Why am I supposed to pay for my brother?”

However, when we are expressing an obligation or duty, we can only replace should with be supposed
to or be meant to when it is in the negative. For instance:

 “You shouldn’t play loud music in your room at night.”

 “You aren’t meant to play loud music in your room at night.”
 “You aren’t supposed to play loud music in your room at night.”

In affirmative sentences in which should expresses an obligation or duty (as opposed to an expectation),

these verbs are not interchangeable. For instance:
  “I think she should pay for half the meal.” (obligation)
 “I think she is supposed to pay for half the meal.” (expectation)
 “I think she is meant to pay for half the meal.” (expectation)

Be supposed to and be meant to are also used to express general beliefs, which is not a way we can use
the modal verb should.
For example:

 “He is supposed to be one of the best lawyers in town.” (general belief)

 “He is meant to be one of the best lawyers in town.” (general belief)
 “He should be one of the best lawyers in town.” (obligation)

We can see how the meaning changes significantly when should is used instead.