Modal verbs: should

Everybody probably knows that we use "should" and "shouldn't" for giving advice but there are some other uses which you may not be aware of. Keep reading to find out.

We use "should" to talk about:
1. Advice
You really should read this book!
You shouldn't go to bed so late.
2. To say what's right or wrong
We should always be kind to each other.
People shouldn't drive so fast.
3. Expectation or prediction
It should be a nice day tomorrow.
He should be feeling better by Friday.
4. Correcting mistakes
There should be a full stop here.
The total should be 100. You've made a mistake somewhere.
5. Polite instructions
Passengers should stay seated during take-off and landing.
Candidates should place their bags on the floor.
6. Instead of "would" in formal English (with "I" and "we")
We should like to thank you all for coming.
I should be grateful for any further information you can send me.

If you like this post, you might also be interested in this one on "shall".


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