Two friends talking over tea beside a light bulb, a thinking face and an open notebook A2 · Elementary

Should, Shouldn't and Shall: Advice (A2)

Should and shouldn't give advice about the right thing to do, while shall makes offers and suggestions. This lesson shows how to use them to recommend and suggest politely.

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Should is the standard way to give advice in English. It sits between a suggestion and an obligation: stronger than you could, much weaker than you must. You should see a doctor is genuine advice, offered as an opinion rather than an instruction, which is exactly why it is so widely usable.

Like every modal verb, should never changes form. There is no -s in the third person, no do or does in questions and negatives, and the verb after it is always the bare infinitive. She should go, not She should to go or She shoulds go.

Should also expresses expectation — what you think is probably true or likely to happen. The train should arrive at six means you expect it to, based on the timetable. This second meaning is common and worth recognising, because the same word carries quite a different sense.

Two scales drawn as bars that narrow as the meaning weakens. Obligation runs from must and have to, through should, could, down to do not have to. Certainty runs from must, through will and should, may might and could, down to cannot.
Find should on the left-hand scale and the reason it feels gentler than must becomes visible: it is one step down — a strong recommendation rather than a rule with no way out. That single position explains why should is the modal English reaches for when giving advice, and why must in its place turns a suggestion into an order.

How to form Advice: Should and Shouldn't

Should behaves like all modals: no -s, no auxiliary, bare infinitive after it.
FormStructureExample
Affirmativesubject + should + base verbYou should rest.
Negativesubject + shouldn't + base verbYou shouldn't worry.
Questionshould + subject + base verbShould I call her?
Short answerYes, you should. / No, you shouldn't.Should I apply? — Yes, you should.
Suggestion (we)Shall we + base verbShall we take a break?
Past regretshould have + past participleI should have left earlier.

Advice: Should and Shouldn't: the key rules

  1. Should + base verb gives advice and opinions about the right thing to do.

    You should see a doctor about that cough.

  2. Shouldn't advises against something.

    You shouldn't skip breakfast.

  3. Should I/we…? asks for advice; Shall I/we…? offers or suggests.

    Should I apologise? Shall we take a break?

  4. Soften advice with I think / maybe.

    I think you should talk to her first.

When to use Advice: Should and Shouldn't

should vs. must

Both point towards doing something, but the strength is completely different, and using the wrong one changes how you sound.

should — advice, your opinion

A recommendation the listener is free to reject. Polite and normal between equals.

You should take a break. You shouldn't work so hard.

must / have to — obligation, no choice

A rule or requirement. Sounds forceful if used where advice was intended.

You must wear a helmet. You have to show your ID.

Advice: Should and Shouldn't in example sentences

Advice: Should and Shouldn't in a real conversation

Both meanings appear here — advice in most lines, and expectation near the end.

Ana:I've been offered a job in Vienna. What should I do?

Ben:You should think about it carefully. Is the salary better?

Ana:Slightly. But I shouldn't move just for money.

Ben:True. Shall we look at the cost of living together?

Ana:Good idea. They should send me the contract this week.

Ben:Then you shouldn't decide anything until you've read it.

Common mistakes (and how to fix them)

Check yourself: 10 Advice: Should and Shouldn't questions

Answer these and see the reason for each one. They are 10 of the 60 exercises in the full Advice: Should and Shouldn't practice set.

  1. You ___ see a doctor about that cough.

    • should
    • shoulds
    • should to
    • are should
    Show answer

    should — Should is a modal and takes the base form with no to.

  2. Which sentence is advice rather than an order?

    • You have to apply today.
    • You should apply today.
    • Apply today.
    • You must apply today.
    Show answer

    You should apply today. — Should recommends; must and have to require.

  3. Which means almost the same as should?

    • may
    • must
    • ought to
    • can
    Show answer

    ought to — Ought to is a slightly more formal equivalent of should.

  4. You ___ leave your bag there — somebody might take it.

    • shall
    • ought
    • should
    • shouldn't
    Show answer

    shouldn't — The reason given makes this negative advice.

  5. ___ we take an umbrella? It looks like rain.

    • Shall
    • Are
    • Should to
    • Do
    Show answer

    Shall — Shall we suggests a joint course of action.

  6. I ___ have eaten so much at lunch.

    • don't should
    • shouldn't
    • shall not
    • shouldn't to
    Show answer

    shouldn't — Shouldn't have plus a participle expresses regret.

  7. You ___ take an umbrella — it's going to rain.

    Show answer

    should — Should gives advice, followed by the base verb.

  8. We had ___ leave now to avoid the traffic.

    Show answer

    better — Had better gives urgent advice with a consequence implied.

  9. ___ I wait outside or come in?

    Show answer

    Shall — Shall I asks for instructions about your own action.

  10. Students ___ arrive late to the lecture.

    Show answer

    shouldn't — Shouldn't states a soft rule of behaviour.

Practise Advice: Should and Shouldn't today

Advice is easiest to practise on real problems rather than invented ones.

  1. Write advice for four problems: a friend is always tired, late, stressed and broke.
  2. Write four questions asking for advice about your own life.
  3. Rewrite four should sentences as must and describe how the tone changes.
  4. Write three sentences with should have about things you regret.

Advice: Should and Shouldn't: frequently asked questions

What is the difference between should and ought to?

Almost nothing in meaning — both give advice with the same strength. Ought to is slightly more formal and much less common, particularly in questions and negatives, where oughtn't sounds distinctly old-fashioned. Should is the safe default in every context. The one structural difference is that ought is followed by to plus the infinitive, unlike other modals.

How do I give advice about the past?

Use should have plus the past participle, which expresses regret or criticism about something that did not happen: I should have studied harder, You shouldn't have said that. In speech should have is almost always reduced to should've, which is why learners sometimes mishear it as should of — a spelling that is always an error.

Is should too weak for serious advice?

Not usually — should is the normal register for advice between equals and does not sound weak. If you genuinely need more force, you have options: You really should, I think you must, or the more direct You need to. Jumping straight to must for advice can sound bossy, which is why should remains the default even for quite important recommendations.

When do I use shall rather than should?

Shall is used almost exclusively in questions with I and we, to make offers and suggestions: Shall I help you? Shall we go? It is not an alternative to should and does not give advice. In British English these shall questions are completely standard; American English tends to prefer Should I help you? or Do you want me to help?

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