aux.v.
Past tense of shall - Used to express obligation or duty: You should send her a note.
- Used to express probability or expectation: They should arrive at noon.
- Used to express conditionality or contingency: If she should fall, then so would I.
- Used to moderate the directness or bluntness of a statement: I should think he would like to go.
Usage Note: Just as they ignore the traditional rules governing the use of shall and will, Americans largely ignore the traditional rules governing the use of should and would. The two verbs are not always interchangeable, however. To express duty or obligation, should is required and functions as the equivalent of ought to: I (or you or he ) should go. But would (and not should ) is used to express willingness or promise ( I agreed that I would do it ) and to express habitual action in the past ( In those days we would walk along the canal at night ). Would also has the advantage of being a polite substitute for will in requests: Would you lend me a dollar? Either should or would can be used in the first person to express the future from the point of view of the past, but one should bear in mind that should sounds more formal than would: He swore that I should (or less formally, would ) pay for the remark. The same principle applies to the verb in sentences that express a hypothetical condition or event: If I had known that, I would (or more formally, should ) have answered differently. In the second and third persons, however, only would is used: She assured us that she would (not should ) return. If he had known that, he would (not should ) have answered differently. • Choosing which verb to use in conditional clauses, such as those beginning with if, can be tricky. In certain clauses, should is used for all three persons: If I (or you or he ) should decide to go, we will need a larger car. If it should begin to snow, we will stay here tonight. Would is not acceptable in these if clauses, but it does appear in other kinds of conditional clauses: He might surprise you if you would give him a chance. The best advice is to follow what sounds most natural. When in doubt, writers can try a verb form in the indicative ( if it begins to snow ) or the subjunctive ( if you were to give him a chance ). See Usage Note at if. See Usage Note at rather. See Usage Note at shall.
Verb - (auxiliary) Used to form the future tense of the subjunctive mood, usually in the first person.
- If I should be late, go without me.
- Should it rain, I shall go indoors.
- Should you need extra blankets, you will find them in the closet.
- (auxiliary) Be obliged to; have an obligation to; ought to; indicates that the subject of the sentence has some obligation to execute the sentence predicate.
- You should brush your teeth every day.
- What do I think? What should I think?
- (auxiliary) Will likely (become or do something); indicates that the subject of the sentence is likely to execute the sentence predicate.
- You should be warm enough with that coat.
- (modern) A variant of would.
Usage notes - Should has, as its most common meaning in modern English, the sense ought as in I should go, but I don't see how I can. However, the older sense as the subjunctive of the future indicative auxiliary, shall, is often used with I or we to indicate a more polite form than would: I should like to go, but I can't. In much speech and writing, should has been replaced by would In contexts of this kind, but it remains in conditional subjunctives: should (never would) I go, I should wear my new dress.
- (obligation): Contrast with stronger auxiliary verb must, which indicates that the subject is required to execute the predicate.
- (likely): Contrast with stronger auxiliary verb must, which indicates that the subject certainly will execute the predicate.
- See the usage notes at shall.
Related terms - shoulde (archaic spelling of should)
- shouldst (archaic second-person singular of should)
- should've (contraction of future perfect subjunctive auxiliary phrase should have)
Noun (plural shoulds)
- A statement of what should be the case as opposed to what is the case.
Origin From Old English sceolde, preterite form of sculan (“owe", "be obliged").
