ESL Inventory

Modals of Advice: should, ought to, had better

Modals of advice are words that we use to suggest what is a good idea to do in a particular situation. There are a few common modals used for this purpose: should, ought to, and had better. While these modals have similar meanings, they differ in tone and use. Below there are examples and explanations for the present, past, and future.

Infographic explaining modals of advice in English, including should, ought to, had better, and could, with examples of positive and negative forms such as should not, ought not to, and had better not. The visual shows how to give advice, recommendations, warnings, and polite suggestions, with example sentences and clear explanations of strength and formality. ESL grammar chart designed for English learners to understand modal verbs and modal expressions of advice, featuring structured layout, visual icons, and ESL Inventory educational branding. More on esl-inventory.com
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If you’re looking for something more simple, check Should and Shouldn’t.

Modals of Advice Table

ModalUseExample
CouldTo give a polite recommendationYou could talk to your boss about this.
ShouldTo give general advice or express strong suggestion.You should drink more water.
Ought toSimilar to “should,” often used in more formal contexts.You ought to study harder for your exams.
Had betterTo give strong advice, often implying a warning or consequence.You had better finish your homework before you go out.

Present Advice (and future too)

In the present, should, ought to, and had better are used to give advice or recommendations about what is considered right or appropriate at the moment.

ModalUseExample
CouldTentative, polite, or optional advice.You could try using a different method to solve this.
Should
Should not		Suggests something that is a good idea or expected.You should eat more vegetables if you want to stay healthy.
Ought to
Ought not to		Used in more formal or serious situations.You ought to get a good night’s sleep before your interview tomorrow.
Had better
Has better not		Implies strong advice with possible negative consequences.You had better not forget to bring your ID.

While should, ought to, and had better can all be used to give advice, they have slightly different nuances. Should is the most common and neutral, suitable for most situations. Ought to is more formal and often used in serious contexts, and had better is used when there’s a sense of urgency or consequence attached to the advice. When we speak about the future, these modals can help us suggest or recommend actions that should be taken.

When we say couldn’t, we imply something is not possible (Modals of Deduction / Probability), or a lack of ability (Modals of Ability), so it’s not about advice.

Past Advice

To express advice about the past, we use should have, ought to have, or had better have. These forms suggest that an action was advisable but was not done in the past.

ModalUseExample
Should have
Shouldn’t have		Suggests something that would have been a good idea or necessary in the past.You should have studied for the test. It was really hard.
Ought to have
Ought not to have		Like “should have,” but slightly more formal.You ought to have told me you were coming late.
Had better have
Has better not have		Implies regret or missed consequences.You’d better have finished your project by now.

When discussing the past, we use the perfect forms should have, ought to have, or had better have to express advice that wasn’t followed.

The modals should and could have also other meanings, to learn more, please check: Modals of Ability, Modals of Deduction and Probability, and Modals of Permission and Prohibition. Moreover, another way to give advice or suggestions is using the Subjunctive Mood, click here to know more.

Modals of Advice Exercises

EXERCISE: Modals of Advice – should, ought to, had better

Fill in the blanks with the correct modal verb of advice, consider past, present and future situations.

1 / 10

You __________ this restaurant tomorrow, they have excellent reviews and it’s just around the corner.

2 / 10

You __________ for that job as soon as possible, it looks like a great opportunity.

3 / 10

You __________ more sleep today. You seem very tired.

4 / 10

You __________ your grandmother last week, but you forgot. She was really expecting your call.

5 / 10

You __________ harder for the exam yesterday. You didn’t do well because you didn’t prepare enough.

6 / 10

You __________ for help when you didn’t understand the instructions. Now you’ve missed the deadline.

7 / 10

You __________ a break from work tomorrow. You’ve been working nonstop for the last few weeks and you’re starting to get sick.

8 / 10

You __________ an umbrella; it looks like it’s going to pour later.

9 / 10

We __________ earlier to avoid traffic, but now we’re going to be late.

10 / 10

You __________ to the advice your teacher gave you. Now it’s too late to fix the mistake.

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EXERCISE: Write a complete sentence with Modals of Advice

Write complete sentences with Modals of Advice. Use the words in bold as indicated.
Example:
Prompt: she – play the piano – all day (affirmative – should)
Answer: She should play the piano all day.

1 / 10

We – ignore – his advice (negative – had better)

2 / 10

You – eat – so much sugar (negative – should)

3 / 10

He – sleep – earlier (affirmative – should)

4 / 10

We – be – more patient (affirmative – ought to)

5 / 10

You – eat – more vegetables (affirmative – should)

6 / 10

They – study – for the exam (affirmative – had better)

7 / 10

I – stay up – so late (negative – should)

8 / 10

I – take – a break (affirmative – should)

9 / 10

She – talk – to him like that (negative – should)

10 / 10

They – skip – class (negative – ought to)

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More Exercises: StudiesAtUVic1 | StudiesAtUVic2 | ToLearnEnglish | LiveWorksheets1 | LiveWorksheets2 | UsefulEnglish | MasterEngGrammar | Wordwall