Modal verb OUGHT TO in English. Modal verbs must, have to and ought to Should and ought to usage rules
The modal verb ought to in English is most often used to indicate a duty (obligation), advice (recommendation) or the likelihood of some action. This modal verb does not have a past or future tense form like the modal verb must, however, it can be used to denote more than just the present tense. Let's look at examples.
Case 1. Duty or obligation.
The government ought to warn people about the consequences of the policy.
The government must warn the population about the consequences of this policy.
Happening 2. Advice or recommendation.
You ought to put on a coat or you will catch a cold.
You must wear a coat to avoid catching a cold.
BUT The modal verb ought to is not used with the pronoun I to express advice or recommendation. Compare:
You ought to visit your parents more often.
You should visit your parents more often
I think I should visit my parents more often.
I think I need to visit my parents more often.
Case 3. The probability of an event. Used to indicate probability in the present or future.
Future time: ought to + infinitive
His first painting was a success, so the new one ought to be great too.
His first picture was successful, so the next one should be just as good.
We have already written articles about modal verbs, that they are a very important component of English, and, in addition, we have sorted out what they eat with "can", "may" And "must". However, there are still modal verbs that we did not have time to talk about last time. Let's correct ourselves and talk about "have to", "ought to", "should", "need", "will" And "shall".
Must and Have to: find the differences
About "have to" There are many opinions and debates, but still it is traditionally classified as a group of modal verbs. "Have to" translated as “should”, but still slightly different from "must" according to the semantic connotation: if the second implies a strict obligation, rules that must certainly be followed, then "have to" the meaning is a little softer; often its translation “should” means, rather, “was forced.” The past form of the verb sounds like "had to":
- I had to stop and get out of the car (“I had to stop and get out of the car”);
- Do you have to wash the dishes right now? Everyone is waiting for us (“Do you need to wash the dishes right now? Everyone is waiting for us”);
- She doesn’t have to be clever, he likes her anyway because she is so beautiful (“She doesn’t need to be smart, he still likes her because of her beauty”).
Ought to: what and why?
Continuing to talk about modal verbs with the meaning of obligation, we should mention "ought to". Again, it is not as strong in semantic connotation as "must", but one step higher in this regard than "should". "Ought to" used when talking about the need to do something ( necessity) and responsibilities/duty ( duty), including moral ( moral obligation):
- We ought to help her, she has lost everything (“We have to help her, she lost everything”) – moral obligation;
- You ought to stop being late every day (“You must stop being late every day”) – duty;
- We ought to rearrange our plans (“We need to reconsider our plans”).
Despite the fact that most often "ought to" used to denote situations in the present and future tense, its use in the past is also possible by adding “have”: “We ought to have helped her, she had lost everything” (“We had to help her, she lost everything” - it is implied that it was a moral duty to help her, but despite this, no help was provided).
We must not forget about "should". This modal verb is used in several cases: when we want to give advice to someone ( advice), we talk about the likelihood of something in the future ( prediction) and imply any obligation ( obligation), albeit not as strong in meaning as in "must":
- You should go and see your dentist (“You should go to your dentist”) – advice;
- It’s so sunny today, I think tomorrow the weather should be fine too (“Today is so sunny, I think the weather will be just as great tomorrow”) – prediction;
- If you see an elderly person carrying heavy bags, you should help him (“If you see an elderly person carrying heavy bags, you must help him”) – obligation.
"Should" can also be used in the past tense when talking about something that (should not) have been done in the past, but this action was never performed (or it was performed, but it would have been better if it had not been performed). For example, “You should have driven more carefully, you had a terrible accident” or “He is such a cheap seducer, she shouldn't have believed him” (“She You shouldn’t have trusted him, he’s just a cheap seducer”).
Will vs shall
"Will" already familiar to many from its regular use in sentences in the future tense and subordinate clauses, where its past tense form can also be used "would". So we use "will" to talk about what we think will happen in the future ( predictions), as well as offers ( offers) and the desire to do something ( willingness):
- You will be late, Jack, please hurry up (“You will be late, Jack, please hurry up”) – predictions;
- I will give you a lift after the party (“I’ll give you a lift after the party”) – offer;
- I will see you tomorrow and take out for a dinner (“We’ll see you tomorrow and I’ll take you somewhere for dinner”).
"Would" we use when we talk about the future from the perspective of the past, or when we use subordinate conditions: “I thought he would live in a fool's paradise forever” (“I thought he would forever wear rose-colored glasses”) or “If I had known it that day, I would have never forgiven him” (“If I had known about this that day, I would never have forgiven him”).
Also, “would” is often used when making polite requests, suggestions, and expressing preferences:
- Would you mind if I carry your bag? (“Do you mind if I carry your bag?)”
- Would you like a cup of coffee?
- I would rather stay home and watch this new DVD now (“I would rather stay home and watch this new DVD”).
Formally "shall" is also one of the modal verbs and can be used to denote the future tense and sentences (“I shall bake a cake for your birthday”, “Shall I give you a lift tomorrow?”), but is objectively considered to be somewhat outdated, so it is practically not used , especially in informal oral conversation. Also shall v can be used as sentences, promises and orders, as the stricter form of should.
Need: are verbs semi-modal?
Despite the fact that “need” cannot be called a modal verb in the full sense of the word, it is considered semi-modal, because sometimes functions as a modal and sometimes as a regular one. As a modal verb, we tend to use "need" in negative sentences when we want to tell the other person that there is no need or obligation to do something:
- You needn’t cook dinner, it’s already on the table (“You don’t need to cook dinner, it’s already on the table”);
- You needn’t read this now (“No need to read this now”).
It must have been love...
And finally, we have collected for you modal verbs that sound in the lines of songs. Do you agree that it is a special pleasure to combine business with pleasure, when you can listen to your favorite music and at the same time practice English grammar, subtly distinguishing the reason for using a particular modal verb?
- It must have been love (Roxette, ‘It must have been love’);
- I still can’t believe that you are right next to me after all that I’ve done (Plumb ‘Don’t deserve you’);
- Seasons may change, winter to spring (Moulin Rouge, ‘Come what may’);
- I will always believe in good (Nail Shary, ‘I will always believe in good’).
We hope you know that we have a section that examines compositions by popular artists. If not, we recommend that you take a look there.
And if you want to learn even more about modal verbs, you can watch from our teachers and do the exercises.
Today we will talk about another modal verb - ought to. His use very often confused with its brother and this is no coincidence, since they are very similar. But, nevertheless, there is a difference and you need to know it so as not to fall flat on your face when communicating in English. First, let's see what the trick is ought to.
Ought to and its use in speech
Modal verb ought to is complete. That is, his use does not imply the presence of an auxiliary word in questions and negatives. It's easy enough to bear ought to in front of the person in an interrogative sentence and add not in the negative.
Examples:
Ought I (to) buy some cookies for tea? – Should I buy some biscuits for tea?
No, you oughtn't to do that. - No, you don’t (shouldn’t) do that.
As we see, the particle to may sometimes be omitted from the question. This is increasingly happening in spoken English.
Surely you have already guessed how the modal verb is translated ought to– “should”, “necessary”, “must”. Moreover, this means that a person “must” do something based on moral standards of behavior, and not because there is some kind of obligation. In other words, ought to is a modal verb, the use of which is necessary in such cases.
You ought to be more polite with that old lady. “You should be more polite to that old lady.”
2. To express the opinion that this particular action will be correct in a particular situation.
She ought to ask the parents for advice first and only then talk to her boyfriend. “She should have asked her parents for advice first, and then talked to her boyfriend.”
3. With the perfect infinitive, the modal verb ought to expresses firm confidence.
The managers ought to have discussed this issue earlier. The managers must have discussed this problem before.
Should and ought to. Use
How then are they different? should And ought to? After all use These modal verbs will be useful to us in almost the same situations. Indeed, in most cases ought to And should interchangeable. But it is believed that in terms of expressing advice
Which you rarely see not only in oral speech, but even in writing. We are talking about a modal verb ought to, which has lost popularity and widespread use in speech. The main meaning of the verb is following generally accepted rules of decency and moral standards. Often the modal verb ought to is replaced with the more common verb should - the difference will be small, but it will still change the semantic load of the sentence. Ought to adds categoricalness and formality to the sentence.
We are ought to stand in the presence of the Queen“In the presence of the Queen we must stand.”Content:
Functions ought to
There are several cases in which it is best to use the modal verb ought to in sentences:
- When it is necessary to express recommendations, advice or moral duty.
Mary ought to be more positive with her children— Mary should be more positive with her children.
- When you need to express the opinion that this specific action will be correct in a particular situation.
He ought to ask his wife for advice“He should have consulted his wife first.”
- When you need to express firm confidence (you need to add a perfect infinitive to the verb ought to).
Her colleagues ought to have solved this problem earlier“Her colleagues must have already solved this problem before.”
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Forms ought to
The modal verb ought to has two forms: affirmative (ought to) and negative (oughtn’t). In interrogative sentences, the verb ought to is used very rarely. We have prepared for you a table with the use of forms of the verb ought to in the present, past and future tense.
| Forms of the verb ought to, examples and translation | Past tense | Present tense | Future tense |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statement | ought to Bob ought to have read more so he would be better prepared for the exam - Bob should have read more, then he would have been better prepared for the exam. |
ought to Ann ought to read more - Ann should read more. |
ought to Stuart ought to come to the library with me tonight - Stuart should go to the library with me today. |
| Negation | ought not to (oughtn't) Bob ought not to have taken the exam - Bob should not have taken the exam. |
ought not to (oughtn't) Ann ought not to read too much. It might To spoil her eyesight - Anne shouldn't read so much. This could ruin her vision. |
ought not to (oughtn't) Stuart ought not to stay in his flat in front of the computer. He should go to the library with me - Stuart should not stay in the apartment opposite the computer. He should go to the library with me. |
Differences from should/would
In many cases, the verbs ought to and should are used interchangeably - there is little difference. But there are several differences in the use of these modal verbs:- In official documents, announcements and statements the verb should will always be used.
Members of parliament should be prepared to answer some questions— Members of Parliament must be prepared to answer several questions.
- The verb would express polite requests, permission, and readiness to act, while the verbs should and ought to express advice or even a demand.
I would like to introduce you my nephew— I would like to introduce you to my nephew.
You should stop singing-You have to stop singing.
Isn’t she done yet? She ought to be sleeping instead of playing a video games– She hasn’t finished yet? She should be asleep already and not playing video games.
Video about the modal verb ought to:
In this article we want to talk about the double should, who lives in the shadow of his brother and performs all the same functions, - ought to. Even though ought to occurs less frequently in English, but is no less important. Let's find out what its peculiarity is and what functions it performs in the English language.
Features of the modal verb ought to
Modal verb ought to most often translated into Russian with the words “must”, “should”, “worth”, as well as the particle “would”. In order to use it correctly in sentences, you need to know some of its features:
- Like other modal verbs, ought to only one form, but it is always followed by an infinitive with a particle to.
You ought to try harder if you want to succeed. - You should more try if you want to succeed.
Josh ought to wake up earlier not to be late for school. – Josh should wake up earlier so as not to be late for school.
- Depending on the form of the infinitive that follows ought to, the action in the sentence may refer to:
- To the present or future tense - ought to do something.
They ought to forgive her. - They must forgive her. (now, in the present)
She ought to go to the doctor. - To her should go see a doctor. (in the future)
- Present continuous tense - ought to be doing something.
You ought to be sleeping now and you are watching TV. - You should sleep now, and you are watching TV.
- Past tense - ought to have done something.
You ought to have decided that a long time ago. - It's been a long time since you should have been decided This.
- To the present or future tense - ought to do something.
- Negative form ought not(abbreviated oughtn't) is almost never used in American English and is considered formal in British English. It is more often replaced by shouldn't.
Jill ought not to run so fast. = Jill shouldn't run so fast. – Jill you shouldn't run so fast.
- Interrogative sentences with ought more often found in formal contexts. For their education ought should be swapped with the subject and then added to the infinitive.
Ought she to call the police? – Should to her call to the police?
Ought we to worry about the fine? - Us it's worth worrying about for a fine?
Functions of the modal verb ought to
As we have already said, the modal verb ought to performs the same functions as should. He expresses:
- Obligation– obligation.
We use ought to to denote a moral duty or obligation. That is, we mean that some action must be performed because it is right.
City authorities ought to provide more parking spots for disabled people. – City authorities should be provided There are more parking spaces for people with disabilities.
People ought to eat lots of fruits and vegetables every day. - People must eat lots of fruits and vegetables every day.
- Assumption, probability– assumption, probability.
By using ought to You can express your expectations: assume what is happening now or will happen in the future.
It's late. Alfred ought to be at home already. - Late. Alfred already must be Houses.
She's been getting ready for an hour, she ought to look fabulous. - She got ready within an hour, there must be, she looks stunningly.
- Advice- advice.
Can be used ought to to express an opinion about what a person should or should not do. But we should also make a reservation that in this function ought to is rare, native speakers prefer to give advice with a modal verb should.
This cake is delicious. You should / ought to try a piece. - This cake is delicious. You worth a try piece.
The station will close soon, you should / ought to hurry. - The station will close soon, you I'd hurry up.
- Regret and reproach- regret and reproach.
Design ought to+ perfect infinitive ( ought to have done) will help you express regret that an action was not done in the past, although it should have been done.
We ought to have tried one more time. I’m sorry we didn’t. – It was necessary us try again. It's a pity we didn't do this.
They ought to have kept silence, but they didn’t. - They should have kept silence, but didn't do it.
To express reproach and criticism, the same construction can be used in both affirmative and negative form.
You ought to have asked me for help. – I could ask I have help (but you didn’t).
You oughtn't to have come so early. – There was no need you come so early.
In order to once again repeat the functions of the modal verb ought to, we suggest watching a video with the teacher Stuart.
Even though should practically replaced the modal verb ought to from negative and interrogative sentences in modern English, ought to still does not give up its positions and is often found in affirmative sentences. We hope that the information you learned about ought to, will help you use this modal verb correctly and appropriately.
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Modal verb ought to
