3.11. Grammar. Modal verbs for advice and recommendations.

What are the modal verbs for advice? (Positive and negative.) Should / Shouldn’t which mean exactly the same as ought to/ oughtn’t to.

What are their past forms? Their past forms, as already mentioned follow the same structure as past modal verbs for deduction. MODAL + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE Another very useful and common way of expressing advice is with the structure had better... which is usually contracted ‘You’d better listen to me.’ What is the negative form? A good question. Had better not... Notice that this expresses advice in the present and although it has a ‘past’ word, cannot be used in the past.

I have wet hair. You should /ought to / had better go and dry it......

I have blood on my lips. You should / ought to / had better wash your face.

I feel terrible. I’ve drunk too much. You should / ought to / had better stop drinking. You shouldn’t drink anymore. You’d better not chat up anyone else’s girlfriend.

They have taken all my money. You should / ought to / had better call the police / ask your parents to send more / get a job.

I hate Great Britain. You should / ought to / had better go home to mummy. You should stop complaining.

How am I going to get back? My ticket was in my wallet. You should / ought to / had better hitchhike / start walking / ask for money in the street / swim.

What will I tell my family? You should / ought to / had better tell them the truth / make up an excuse. etc.

My head aches. My stomach is turning over. You should / ought to / had better have a glass of water / take a walk outside / think about something else.

I think I am going to be sick. You should / ought to / had better not be sick on me / go to the bathroom.

I’m never going to drink again. You should / ought to / had better stop talking nonsense.

What about informing the authorities? You should / ought to / had better not mention it, that hooligan is a friend of Zak Washington’s.

All I wanted was to come to London, see a few sights, and learn a bit of English. You should / ought to / had better find a more serious language school, with a real teacher.