SHOULD
(sho͝od)
aux.v. Past tense of shall
1. Used to express obligation or duty: You should send her a note.
2. Used to express probability or expectation: They should arrive at noon.
3. Used to express conditionality or contingency: If she should fall, then so would I.
4. Used to moderate the directness or bluntness of a statement: I should think he would
like to go.
Usage Note: Just as they ignore the traditional rules governing the use of shall and will, Americans largely ignore the traditional rules governing the use of should and would. The two verbs are not always
interchangeable, however. To express duty or obligation, should is required and functions as the
equivalent of ought to: I (or you or he) should go.But would (and not should) is used to express willingness or promise (I agreed that I would do it) and to express habitual action in the past (In those days we wouldwalk along the canal at night). Would also has the advantage of being a polite substitute for will in
requests: Would you lend me a dollar? Either should or would can be used in the first person to express
the future from the point of view of the past, but one should bear in mind that should sounds more formal
than would: He swore that I should (or less formally, would) pay for the remark. The same principle appliesto the verb in sentences that express a hypothetical condition or event: If I had known that, I would (or
more formally,should) have answered differently. In the second and third persons, however, only would is
used: She assured us that she would (not should) return. If he had known that, he would (not should) have answered differently. · Choosing which verb to use in conditional clauses, such as those beginning with
if, can be tricky. In certain clauses, should is used for all three persons: If I (or you or he) should decide
to go, we will need a larger car. If it should begin to snow, we will stay here tonight. Would is not
acceptable in these if clauses, but it does appear in other kinds of conditional clauses:He might surprise
you if you would give him a chance. The best advice is to follow what sounds most natural. When in
doubt, writers can try a verb form in the indicative (if it begins to snow) or the subjunctive (if you were to
give him a chance).
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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