How to Use Should, Ought to, Supposed to and Had Better - English Modal Verbs Lesson

Learn how to use ’should’, ’ought to’, ’supposed to’ and ’had better’ in this video lesson. You’ll see what these verbs mean and how to use them. Get more practice with a teacher in an online lesson: See the full version of this free English lesson here: Contents: 1. How to Use ’Should’ 0:45 2. ’Should’ vs. ’Ought to’ 2:42 3. How to Use ’Supposed to’ 5:27 4. How to Use ’Had Better’ 9:27 We use the verbs ’should’, ’ought to’, ’supposed to’ and ’had better’ to say what you or other people think is the right thing to do. That means these verbs express advice, opinion, criticism or (for ’had better’), warnings or threats. ’Should’ and ’ought to’ have the same meaning, although ’ought to’ is much more formal and is not commonly used in spoken English. ’Supposed to’ refers to what other people think is right, while ’should’ expresses what you think is right. ’Had better’ expresses the idea that something bad will happen if you don’t do what I say. This is why ’had better’ can also be used to make threats or give someone a warning. In this lesson, you’ll learn more about: - What ’should’ means and how it compares to ’ought to’, ’supposed to’ and ’had better’. - When you can/can’t use ’ought to’ instead of ’should’. - The difference between ’should’ and ’supposed to’. - The meaning of ’had better’ and how to use it. SUBSCRIBE to continue improving your English! Become an OOE member to see our newest lessons before they’re available to the public, and more! See more of our free English lessons on this page: