Should, Ought To and Had Better — Giving Advice
Practice should, shouldn't, ought to and had better for advice and warnings — including had better not and no 'to' after should.
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You look really tired. You ___ go to bed early tonight.
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should
This is advice → 'should' + base verb, with no 'to'. 'Mustn't go to bed early' would make early sleep forbidden, which makes no sense here.
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I think you ___ call your mum. She's worried about you.
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should
'I think you should…' gives advice. Mum is worried, so calling her is a good idea → 'should', not 'shouldn't'. No 'to' after 'should'.
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We'd better ___ now, or we'll miss the last train.
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leave
'Had better' ('d better) = strong advice, often with a warning. Like a modal, it's followed by the base verb: 'we'd better leave'.
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You ___ eat so much sugar. It's bad for your teeth.
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shouldn't
Sugar is bad for you, so the advice is negative → 'shouldn't'. 'Don't have to' would just mean eating sugar isn't necessary.
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That tooth looks bad — you ___ to see a dentist.
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ought
'Ought to' means the same as 'should', but it's the only one that takes 'to'. 'Should to' and 'must to' are always wrong.
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You'd better ___ late for the interview — they won't wait.
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not be
The negative of 'had better' is 'had better not' + base verb: 'You'd better not be late'. No 'don't', no 'to'.
Should, Ought To and Had Better
Should gives advice or an opinion about what is a good idea: You should call your mum, You shouldn't eat so much sugar. It is softer than an obligation — the speaker recommends, but nobody forces. Ought to means the same as should and is the one modal of advice that includes to: You ought to see a dentist. It is less common in everyday speech than should. Had better, usually shortened to 'd better, gives stronger advice and suggests that something bad will happen otherwise: We'd better leave now, or we'll miss the train. Despite the word had, it refers to the present or future, not the past. Its negative is had better not followed by the base verb: You'd better not be late, never You'd better don't be late.
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