Should for Advice - Formation, Use, Examples & Video

Q: How do I give advice about the past?

Use should have + past participle: You should have told me. (= it was a good idea, but you didn't.)

I Swear English › Modal Verbs › Should for Advice

How to form the should for advice

How should this be done? What should I wear to the party? Should I wear fancy dress?

We use should to ask for advice about what is expected, normal, or habitual particularly in unfamiliar situations or carrying out unfamiliar activities. We use this structure to ask advice from a person who has more experience than us. In this way we can use should to give instructions to another person. As a teacher I use should the whole time to tell students what type of vocabulary would be appropriate for the idea they are trying to communicate.

For example: What clothes should I pack for my holiday to Greece in January?
In the guide it says we should visit the National Opera House.
In situations like this you should use the first conditional.
Next you should heat the water in the pan until it boils vigorously.

The following video explains should for advice about what is expected or normal:

When to use it

Should / shouldn't for advice — what is a good or bad idea. You should see a doctor. You shouldn't work so hard.
Should for what is expected or normal. The shop should be open by now.
Ought to is a slightly more formal way of saying should.

Signal words & time expressions: I think, in my opinion, it's a good idea, probably, by now

Watch the video lesson

Video transcript

Hi. Should. OK. We often use should to talk about what is normal, what is expected, or to ask about it. So, what should I buy for your sister's birthday. OK. I'm asking advice or I'm asking what is normal. Perhaps both things and this section deals with what is normal and asking for advice. What should I buy? What is expected for me to buy? Um... what should I buy her as a wedding present? What would be the right thing? OK. So, then I say, "You should buy er... one of theses. Or perhaps you should get a catalogue from here. Um... when I go to the Middle East, what clothes should I wear? What is normal? What is expected of me? OK. Um... so in this way it's a social obligation. Should. OK. Um... what should I do? What is expected? What should I pack for my holiday to Turkey? Ok? Should I take this? Or should I take that? What is expected? What would be normal? OK. Um... how should I go about doing this? What is the normal way of doing it? Or please give me advice. Yes. What should I do in this situation? Here is clearly advice, but notice with these shoulds um... we're asking for advice or what we recommend, or what is normal in this situation. Yes. So, it's not really an obligation, it's just telling people what you think. So, if you want to learn English, you should practice every day. OK. That is normal for good students and it's my advice. Um... you should read as much as you can. It's advice and it's normal as well in students that do well. So there you are. Should we use when we are talking about what is expected in society and when we're asking for advice. So there you go. Thanks a lot. See you in another video.

Common mistakes to avoid

Not quite…	Better
You ~~should to~~ rest.	You should rest. — no to after should (but ought to keeps its to).
He ~~shoulds~~ apologise.	He should apologise. — modals don't take -s.

Frequently asked questions

Is ‘should’ strong or gentle?

It's gentle — a recommendation, not an order. For strong obligation use must or have to.

How do I give advice about the past?

Use should have + past participle: You should have told me. (= it was a good idea, but you didn't.)

Continue the course

This lesson is part of our free English Modal Verbs course — work through it in order or jump to what you need next.

← May and Might for Speculation All Modal Verbs

How to form the should for advice (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});