Should and Shouldn't Exercises (Obligations and Advice)
Practice making sentences with the modal verbs should and should not (shouldn’t). All the exercises on this page are free.
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When do we use should and shouldn't?
We use should and shouldn’t when there are duties and obligations:
▪️We should go and see our grandparents this weekend because we haven’t seen them for a few weeks.
▪️You should wear a seatbelt every time you drive.
We also use should to give advice and recommendations:
▪️You shouldn’t talk when you have you are eating food!
▪️You should visit Hyde Park when you are in London. It’s a very relaxing place in the city.
We commmonly use should in questions:
▪️Should I play soccer today?
▪️Should we drive to David’s house now or later?
Exercises
25 questions and answers with explanations.
1 . People _______ be quiet when they come into a library.
should / shouldn’t
2. Dave ___________ eat so much fast food. He’s very overweight…
✅ shouldn’t
3. Mother to daughter: You are young, but I think you ________ start to save some money for your future.
✅ should
4. Everyone ________ try to respect other people’s opinions.
✅ should
5. We don’t want to be late, so I think we _______ leave at 2pm tomorrow.
✅ should
6. They ________ smoke when children are around…
✅ shouldn’t
7. We _______ buy them a really nice gift for Christmas. What shall we get?
✅ should
8. I am getting a bit fat… I think I ______ join a gym next week.
✅ should
9. He _________ worry so much. Life is too short to worry all the time.
✅ shouldn’t
10. The supermarket _______ open on Sundays. I can’t understand why it’s closed.
✅ should
11. Maria ________ buy that bag. It’s too expensive…
✅ shouldn’t
12. This sandwich tastes very bad. You _______ put so much salt in it.
✅ shouldn’t
13. You _______ buy your tickets for the concert now. Maybe there won’t be any left tomorrow.
✅ should
14. I _______ get a haircut this weekend.
✅ should
15. The postage _______ cost so much…
✅ shouldn’t
16. I charged my phone this morning, so it _______ run out of battery today.
✅ shouldn’t
17. Your landlord ______ let you stay here for a few more months. He’s a good guy.
✅ should
18. It’s June. The weather ______ be much sunnier and hotter.
✅ should
19. It’s getting late. I ______ go.
✅ should
20. You _______ eat food at night. Some people say it’s not very healthy.
✅ shouldn’t
21. I ________ eat this cake. However, I have worked so hard and need a treat.
✅ shouldn’t
22. They _______ stop complaining and just accept the situation.
✅ should
23. Dave and Claire _______ come and visit us. I really like them.
✅ should
24. Parent to child: You _______ play on your computer all day. It’s not healthy.
✅ shouldn’t
25. I think you ______ learn to play basketball. Your very tall.
✅ should
