should, need, should have, needn't have
Advice with should; necessity with need; regrets and unnecessary actions in the past.
A — Sample sentences
Words like crime, suspect, arrest, evidence, guilty, witness, and prison.
1) should — advice or expectation
Present or future recommendation.
- You should report a crime to the police immediately.
- Witnesses should tell the truth in court.
- The police should investigate every serious case.
- Suspects should not leave the country before the trial.
2) should have — criticism or regret about the past
Something was a good idea but didn't happen.
- The witness should have called the police sooner.
- They should have checked the evidence more carefully.
- He shouldn't have lied to the detective.
- The jury should have asked more questions.
3) need / needn't have — necessity and unnecessary past actions
need to = necessary; needn't have = you did it but it wasn't necessary.
- You need to give a statement if you saw the crime.
- He didn't need to worry — the suspect was innocent.
- She needn't have hired a lawyer — the fine was very small.
- They needn't have waited outside the court all day — the case was postponed.
The rest of this lesson is in the General English course:
- B — Quick reference
- C — ought to
- should · ought to · need to — which one?
Try it: should or need to?
Choose the best form.
- Victims ___ report crimes as soon as possible.
(a) should (b) needn't have (c) should have - You ___ answer the detective's questions honestly.
(a) should (b) need to (c) needn't have - The witness ___ called the police immediately — now it is too late.
(a) should (b) should have (c) needs to - He ___ paid for a lawyer — the case was dropped.
(a) should (b) needn't have (c) needs to
Check your answers in the course — it marks them instantly. This is one of the unit's 4 exercises; the other 3 are in the General English course too.
Practise this unit in the course →