Giving Advice: Should / Ought to / Had Better
We use should, ought to and had better to give advice – to say what we think is a good idea or the best thing to do.
-
You should drink more water.
→ giving normal advice or a recommendation -
You ought to see a doctor.
→ giving advice; more formal and less common structure than should - You'd better hurry, or you'll miss the train.
→ giving strong advice or a warning because there may be a bad result if not followed
Normal advice → should + verb
Should is the most common way to give advice.
Use:
→ should + basic verb (without to)
- You should get more sleep.
- She should be more careful.
Negative: shouldn't (= should not)
- You shouldn't eat so much fast food.
Questions: Put should before the subject.
- Should I call him?
- What should we do?
Formal advice → ought to + verb
Ought to has a similar meaning to should, but it is much less common and sounds more formal.
Use:
→ ought to + basic verb
- You ought to take a break.
- We ought to leave soon.
Negative: ought not to + verb
- You ought not to worry so much.
In everyday English, shouldn't is much more common than ought not to.
Strong advice or warning → had better + verb
Had better is stronger than should.
It often means:
Do this, or something bad may happen.
It is usually about a specific situation now or in the future, not general advice.
- It's getting late. We had better go home.
- You'd better hurry, or you'll miss the bus.
Short form: 'd better = had better
I'd better leave. = I should leave now (because it is the best choice).
Negative: had better not + verb
- You'd better not be late again or you'll get in trouble!
-
should + verb
→ normal advice
You should rest. -
ought to + verb
→ formal advice, less common and more formal
You ought to rest. -
had better + verb
→ strong advice or warning in a specific situation
You'd better rest.
