The meaning of SHOULD is —used in auxiliary function to express condition —usually used with if. How to use should in a sentence.

SHOULD definition: 1. used to say or ask what is the correct or best thing to do: 2. used to show when something is…. Learn more.

(Grammar) the past tense of shall: used as an auxiliary verb to indicate that an action is considered by the speaker to be obligatory (you should go) or to form the subjunctive mood with I or we (I should …

A list of what tend to be regarded as modal auxiliary verbs in Modern English, along with their inflected forms, is shown in the following table. Contractions are shown only if their orthography is distinctive. …

You use should in expressions such as I should like and I should be happy to show politeness when you are saying what you want to do, or when you are requesting, offering, or accepting something.

You should [= ought to] get some rest. They should be punished. We should leave a few minutes early to make sure we get there on time.

Dec 17, 2025 · should (third-person singular simple present shoulds, present participle shoulding, simple past and past participle shoulded) To make a statement of what ought to be true, as opposed to reality.

Definition of should modal verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

The main verb can never be the to-infinitive. We cannot say: He should to go. There is no short form for should, but we can shorten the negative should not to shouldn't.

SHOULD definition: must; ought (used to indicate duty, propriety, or expediency). See examples of should used in a sentence.