Should and Shouldn't
Learn how to give advice and recommendations in English.
- check_circleI can give advice to a friend.
- check_circleI can ask for recommendations.
Discover
Meet today's English in a real situation — no rules yet. Read it once and try to guess the pattern in the words in bold. Underlined words open a short definition.
Emma: I feel so tired today. I have a terrible headache.
Tom: You should rest. Did you sleep well last night?
Emma: No, I was working on my project until 2 AM.
Tom: You shouldn’t work so late! You need at least eight hours of sleep.
Emma: I know, but the deadline is tomorrow. What should I do?
Tom: You should drink some water and take a break. Maybe go for a walk outside.
Emma: That’s good advice.
Tom: Also, you shouldn’t drink any more coffee today. It won’t help you sleep tonight.
Emma: You’re right. I’ll go for a walk now.
Learn
Now the rules behind what you just saw — explained simply, with examples. Underlined words open a short definition — hover on desktop, tap on a phone.
We use should and shouldn’t to give advice and recommendations. It means that something is a good idea or a bad idea.
Affirmative
We use should + base verb (without “to”).
You should drink more water. He should see a doctor.
Should is a modal verb. It is the same for all subjects (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) and we don’t add “-s” for the third person singular.
Negative
The negative is shouldn’t (should not) + base verb.
You shouldn’t eat so much junk food. They shouldn’t watch TV all day.
Interrogative
To ask for advice, we put should before the subject.
Should I buy this shirt? What should we do tonight?
Common mistakes
Do not use “to” after should or shouldn’t.
You should to go to sleep.
You should go to sleep.
Do not use “don’t” or “doesn’t” to make the negative.
He doesn’t should smoke.
He shouldn’t smoke.
Vocabulary
When giving advice, it is common to talk about habits and daily routines.
- Affirmative: Subject + should + base verb
- Negative: Subject + shouldn’t + base verb
- Question: Should + subject + base verb?
- Remember: Never use “to” after should/shouldn’t!
Practice
Try it yourself. You'll see right away whether you got it right, plus a short explanation of why.
Use It
Now make the language yours in a real task. Use the prompt below — the editor keeps a simple word count, and nothing is saved or graded.
Before you finish — be honest. Can you do these now?