Should and Ought to (Giving Advice and Recommendations)
📌 Lesson Contents
🎯 Lesson goal
In this lesson you will learn to use should and ought to 📖 to give advice or recommendations. You will see how to build the sentences and when to use them 🧠. Then you can practise for real with the test at the bottom of the page! 🚀
🌟 What do “should” and “ought to” mean?
- Should ➔ used to give advice and say what is right or best to do ✅
- Ought to ➔ means the same as should, but sounds more formal or serious 👔
Both expressions are used to give opinions or suggestions about what is a good thing to do.
🔍 How do we form them?
| Modal | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Should | Subject + should + base verb | You should drink more water. 💧 |
| Ought to | Subject + ought to + base verb | You ought to see a doctor. 🩺 |
🔍 Practical examples
1. SHOULD ➔ Common, friendly or direct advice
- You should study for the test. 📚
- They should be more polite. 🧑🤝🧑
2. OUGHT TO ➔ Formal, moral or more serious advice
- You ought to apologize. 🙏
- We ought to leave now. ⏰
🧩 Summary table – Should / Ought to
| Modal | When to use it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Should | Direct, common, everyday advice | You should rest more. 🛌 |
| Ought to | More formal, moral or serious advice | You ought to call your parents. ☎️ |
❓ Basic doubts cleared up
- Can I use them in the same way?
➔ Yes! They have the same meaning in practice. Should is much more common in everyday speech, while ought to is more formal. - Do I need “to” after should?
➔ No! Use the base verb directly. Only ought always needs to. - Is the verb after them always in the base form?
➔ Yes! After should and ought to we always use the base verb, with no changes and no endings.
🚫 Common mistakes to avoid
| Mistake ❌ | Correct ✅ |
|---|---|
| You should to eat more vegetables. | You should eat more vegetables. (No ‘to’ after should!) |
| You ought see a doctor. | You ought to see a doctor. (You always need ‘to’ after ought!) |
| He should studies hard. | He should study hard. (The verb stays in the base form, no -s!) |
👉 Remember: should + base verb / ought to + base verb!
📌 Final summary
- Should ➔ direct, common advice.
- Ought to ➔ more formal or serious advice.
Practise giving friendly advice and formal recommendations every day! ✍️✨
Gap Fill & Translation Exercises
Test yourself! In the first 15 sentences, complete with ‘should’ or ‘ought to’ and the correct form of the verb. In the last 5, say the sentence in English from the clue.