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The modal auxiliary should has a
past form, should
have,
which
is used before the past participle of a verb. When this
past
form is used, should and have
are very often contracted
to should've:
should have been / should've
been
should have done / should've done
should
have worked / should've worked
should have stopped
/ should've stopped
etc.
This past form may also be
negative (should
not have +
the past participle); the full negative with not is also
contracted to shouldn't have ( + past participle) very often:
should not have been / shouldn't
have been
should not have done / shouldn't have
done
should not have worked / shouldn't have worked
.
shouldnot have stopped / shouldn't have stopped
etc.
Should have can show either advisability or expectation,
but with a special "twist" in meaning:
should have shows
that something
was advisable or expected, but didn't
happen, while shouldn't have shows that something wasn't
advisable
or expected, but it happened.
Examples:
Gloria should have studied last night.
(It was advisable for Gloria
to have studied last night,
but she didn't.)
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Bob's plane should have
arrived over an hour ago.
(We expected Bob's plane to
arrive over an hour ago,
but it didn't arrive--and
it still hasn't arrived.)
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Tanya shouldn't have said what she did.
(Although it wasn't advisable
for Tanya to have said
what she said, she did
it anyway.)
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You shouldn't have had any problems with my computer.
It was working perfectly the last time I used
it.
(Because my computer was working
perfectly the last time
I used it, I didn't
expect you to have any problems with it.
You did,
however.)
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Special Notes:
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In American English, should have and shouldn't
have
are used with all
the personal pronouns (I, you,
he, she, it, we,
they):
I should have remembered.
You should have seen Luis!
Luis shouldn't
have acted so foolishly!
Jennifer shouldn't have
worked when she was sick.
We should have left
ten minutes ago!
They shouldn't have left when
they did.
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| 2. |
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In fast, casual speech, should've is often "simplified"
so
that it sounds something like "shoulda." This form
is common in speaking, but it is not appropriate
for
most written work.
Similarly, shouldn't have is often "simplified" so
that
It sounds something like "shouldena."
Again, this form
is common in speaking, but not
appropriate for most
written work.
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| 3. |
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Native
speakers sometimes write *should of or
*shouldn't
of instead of
should've and shouldn't
have, but these forms are actually wrong.
(The sounds
of 've
and of are the same, and native speakers
often
confuse them.) |
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