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should

should [ stressed shd, unstressed shəd ] CORE MEANING: modal verb indicating that something is the right thing for somebody to do

You should get more exercise.

I should have told her I was leaving.

The report recommended that children should be tested regularly.

modal v

Definition:

1. expressing desirability: expresses desirability or rightness

You should work less.

2. expressing likelihood or probability: to be scheduled or expected to be or do something

I should be back by 12.

The scissors should be in the second drawer down.

They should have arrived at Grandma's by now.

3. expressing conditions or consequences: used to express the conditionality of an occurrence and suggest it is not a given, or to indicate the consequence of something that might happen ( used in conditional clauses )

If anything should happen to my car, I'd be heartbroken.

Should you have any questions, our staff will be available to help.

4. would: used to mean the same thing as the verb would ( used with "I" or "we" )

If we spent that much every month, we should soon run out of money.

I should love to meet her.

5. reporting past viewpoint about future: used when reporting something such as somebody's words or thoughts from a past perspective about a future event

It was intended that the library should be for the use of everyone.

He was eager that I should meet his publisher friend.

6. used to soften harsh words: used to soften a blunt statement or make one more polite

I should hope you're sorry now.

I should used to advise somebody to do something

I should take him up on his offer, if I were you.

Word Usage


	should or would? The same general pattern is true here as for shall and will. As an auxiliary verb, would is more usual than should when stating a condition or proposition and is the only choice when asking a question (They would like to come.I would think so.Would you like to go to the movies?). Should has the special role of denoting obligation, validity, or likelihood (I should stay until they arrive.Should you be lifting that?That should be our visitors now.) and must be used in inverted constructions expressing a condition: Should it rain, the party will be held indoors.Would is required when referring to habitual past action: On Wednesdays I would go to the library. In conversational English, the contracted forms I'd, you'd, etc., are regularly used instead of the full forms in making simple statements (They'd like to come), but these cannot be used in place of should in its senses of obligation or likelihood.