Advice and Suggestions

You should try to save some of the money you’re earning.

You shouldn’t waste it on unnecessary things.

When giving advice, should (not)+ infinitive is the most common modal that you will come across in English.

It can also be used to express your opinion regarding what is the right or sensible thing to do. For example:

I’m of the opinion that children shouldn’t be allowed in pubs.

We use should (not) + have + past participle to say that something was not done in the correct way in the past. Therefore, it is often used to criticise a person’s actions. For example:

I’m not surprised you’re tired. You should’ve gone to bed earlier last night. 

You shouldn’t have spoken to him like that. 

You ought to phone your parents later or they will be worried about you.

Ought to is a semi-modal and carries the same meaning as should for giving advice. It is followed by the infinitive to talk about the present and future. However, it is considered more formal than should and is less common. This is particularly true when forming a negative when it’s much more common to use should not/shouldn’t.

Like should have + past participle, we can also use ought to have + past participle to say that somebody did not do the right thing in the past. For example:

You ought to have told me you were having money problems.

You‘d better sell now as the share prices are going down very quickly.

Had better (not) + infinitive is used for giving strong or urgent advice. It usually involves negative consequences if the advice is not followed. There is no past form of had better.

You could try talking to him if you think he’s not appreciative of your work.

Could + infinitive is used for making suggestions. We often use it with  the adverbs just and always. For example:

You could always ring him at work. I’m sure he won’t mind.

We can use could + have + past participle to criticise somebody’s past actions. For example:

You could’ve told me earlier that I had toothpaste on my face. I’ve just had a meeting with a client and I’m so embarrassed.

There are a number of fixed ways in which would (not) + infinitive can be used for advice and suggestions. For example:

I would speak to him.

If I were you, I wouldn’t do anything just yet. Wait a few months and see what happens.

I would suggest waiting for a bit before making any decisions.

I would suggest he tries harder.

I think it would be best if you didn’t do anything just yet.

It would be a good idea to talk to somebody about it.