should - ought to

should - ought to
Should and ought to are sometimes used with similar meanings. When should has a similar meaning to ought to, you pronounce it in full and you do not write it as 'd. (See entry at ↑ should - would.)
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Should and ought to have the negative forms should not and ought not to. The `not' is not usually pronounced in full. When you write down what someone says, you write shouldn't or oughtn't to.
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You use should or ought to to say that you expect something to happen.

We should be there by dinner time.

It ought to get better as it goes along.

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You use should or ought to with `have' to say that you expect something to have happened already.

Dear Mom, you should have heard by now that I'm O.K.

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You also use should or ought to with `have' to say that something was expected to happen, but did not happen.

Two bags which should have gone to Rome were at this moment being loaded aboard a flight to Milwaukee.

The brandy I'd swallowed ought to have knocked me silly.

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Note that you must use `have' and a past participle in sentences like these. You do not say, for example, `The brandy I'd swallowed ought to knock me silly'.
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◊ moral rightness
You use should or ought to to say that something is morally right.

Crimes should be punished.

Aid should not be tied to the purchase of goods from the donor country.

I ought to call the police.

We ought to be doing something about it.

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◊ giving advice
You can say you should or you ought to when you are giving someone advice.

I think you should get in touch with your solicitor.

You shouldn't keep eggs in the refrigerator.

I think you ought to try a different approach.

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Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • ought to — W2S1 [ˈo:t tu: US ˈo:t ] modal v [: Old English; Origin: ahte, past tense of agan; OWE] 1.) used to say that someone should do something because it is the best or most sensible thing to do = ↑should ▪ You really ought to quit smoking. ▪ The… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • should — [ ʃud ] modal verb *** Should is usually followed by an infinitive without to : You should eat more fresh fruit. Sometimes should is used without a following infinitive: I don t always do everything I should. Should does not change its form, so… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • ought — [ ɔt ] modal verb *** Ought is usually followed by to and an infinitive: You ought to tell the truth. Sometimes it is used without to or a following infinitive in a formal way: I don t practice as often as I ought. It is also used in an informal… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Ought — Ought, imp., p. p., or auxiliary. [Orig. the preterit of the verb to owe. OE. oughte, aughte, ahte, AS. [=a]hte. [root]110. See {Owe}.] 1. Was or were under obligation to pay; owed. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] This due obedience which they ought to the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ought — In current use the verb ought is followed by a to infinitive: • You ought to have a cooked breakfast, these cold mornings David Lodge, 1988. Since it is a modal verb, it forms a negative directly with not and forms a question by plain inversion:… …   Modern English usage

  • Should — (sh[oo^]d), imp. of {Shall}. [OE. sholde, shulde, scholde, schulde, AS. scolde, sceolde. See {Shall}.] Used as an auxiliary verb, to express a conditional or contingent act or state, or as a supposition of an actual fact; also, to express moral… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • should've — (should have) v. used to express the possibility that one ought to have done something …   English contemporary dictionary

  • should not — ought not, had better not …   English contemporary dictionary

  • ought — [[t]ɔ͟ːt[/t]] ♦♦♦ (Ought to is a phrasal modal verb. It is used with the base form of a verb. The negative form of ought to is ought not to, which is sometimes shortened to oughtn t to in spoken English.) 1) PHR MODAL You use ought to to mean… …   English dictionary

  • ought — modal verb 1 used to say that someone should do something because it is the best or most sensible thing to do: ought to do sth: I think you ought to make more time for yourself to relax. | What you ought to have done is called the police. | If… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

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