How to use ‘should’, ‘would’ and ‘could’

2023-03-31 05:14| 来源: 网络整理| 查看: 265

‘Should’, ‘would’ and ‘could’ are auxiliary verbs that can sometimes get confusing. They are the past tense of ‘shall’, ‘will’ and ‘can’ but are also used in other situations.

‘Should’ can be used:To express something that is probable Examples: “John should be here by 2:00 PM.” “He should be bringing Jennifer with him. To ask questions Examples: “Should we turn left at this street?” “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for work?”To show obligation, give recommendation or even an opinion Examples: “You should stop eating fast food.” “You should go for walks more often.” “We should go to the park tomorrow.” “He should go to the pharmacy first thing in the morning.”

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What is your English level? Take our short English test to find out. Start now Improve your English grammar, vocabulary and more with EF English Live Get started for free ‘Would’ can be used:To ask ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’, ‘why’ or ‘how’ (not always, but often) Examples: “How would you do that?” “What would you do if…” “When would we have time to do that?” “Who would want to wait in that line?” To make a polite request Examples: “Would you like any tea?” “Would you like anything else?” In hypothetical situations Examples: “If I had a lot of money I would like to own a farm one day.” “I would love to buy a boat one day.”To ask questions Examples: “Would you like fries or salad?” “Would you like to join us tonight?”‘Could’ can be used:To suggest a possibility Examples: “Whose journal is this? It could be Nelly’s journal.” “Could ‘A’ be the answer? It’s definitely not ‘B’ or ‘D.’” To make a polite request Examples: “Could you please move this box?” “Could you please pass that paper?” Using the word ‘could’ to respond to the requests we made in the last example would suggest that you could do it, but you might not really want to. If you agree to the request, then you use the word ‘can’. Examples: “Could you please move this box?” “I could, but I am really busy right now.” “Could you please pass that paper.” “Sure, I can.”

There you go, a few ways to use ‘should’, ‘would’ and ‘could’. Yes, that’s right, just a few ways! There are more, but we can discuss those another time, or you could try to look up the other uses and try them out yourself or with the support of the online English course EF English Live. Join us for free!

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