Should Have and Shouldn’t Have

I should have called you earlier. I’m sorry.

Notice

  • I should have called you earlier.
  • You shouldn’t have spent so much money.
  • We should have left home sooner.
  • He shouldn’t have said that to her.

Rule

Structure: should(n’t) have + past participle

We use this to talk about a past action that was a good idea but didn’t happen (should have) or a bad idea that did happen (shouldn’t have) — regret or criticism about the past.

Practice

  1. Complete: ‘You _____ (tell) me you were coming — I would have cooked more.’
    Answer: should have told
  2. Complete: ‘I _____ (not / eat) so much cake — I feel sick now.’
    Answer: shouldn’t have eaten
  3. Rewrite with regret: ‘It was a mistake to sell the car.’
    Answer: I shouldn’t have sold the car.
  4. Rewrite with regret: ‘It would have been better to study more.’
    Answer: I should have studied more.

Connect

Practise should have / shouldn’t have with real-life regret scenarios.

Try Grammar Quiz →

CEFR: Spoken Production — express regret and give opinions about past actions.

Azizul Hakim
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