Thursday 5 May 2011

The past form of should

rmExamples:

(a) I had a test this morning. I didn't do well on the test because I didn't study for it last night. I should have studied last night.
(b) You were supposed to be here at 10 P.M., but you didn't come until midnight. We were worried about you. You should have called us. (You did not call.)

Past form: should have + past participle

In (a): "I should have studied" means that studying was a good idea, but I didn't do it. I made a mistake.

Usual pronunciation of should have: "should-of" or "shoulda."

(c) I hurt my back. I should not have carried that heavy box up two flights of stairs. (I carried the box and now I am sorry.)
(d) We went to the movie, but it was a bad movie. We wasted our time and money. We should not have gone to the movie.

In (c): "I should not have carried" means that I carried something, but it turned out to be a bad idea. I made a mistake.

Usual pronunciation of should not have: "shouldn't-of" or "shouldn't'a."

The past form of ought to is ought to have + past participle. (I ought to have studied.) It has the same meaning as the past form of should. In the past, should is used more commonly than ought to. Had better is only rarely used in a past form (e.g., He had better have taken care of it.) and usually only in speaking, not writing.

Cheers!
Naeem

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