Should
Should is a very common English word, but it is one that non-native speakers often have trouble with. Sometimes people use should in cases where another modal or no modal would be better; other times, people don't use should in sentences where it should be used.
The basic use of should is to indicate that a writer or speaker is strongly suggesting a particular action or position because it is the best thing to do, because it is the morally correct thing to do, or because it is the correct or expected thing to do. Some typical examples are found below.
- When you are writing an essay, you should think about who will be reading it.
- An English essay should be clear and persuasive.
Must is stronger than should; must indicates that something is required and that there is no other possibility. Should, in contrast, indicates that there are more than one possibility, but that one of the possibilities is better than the others. The example below sounds strange because we know that not all English essays are clear and persuasive. Well-written essays are usually clear and persuasive, but there are poorly written essays too.
- An English essay must be clear and persuasive.
Because should indicates a choice among different possibilities, it is generally not used with words such as required, need, and necessary. If something is required or necessary, then you must do it whether you want to or not. The example below sounds strange for this reason.
- Some kinds of structures should be required whether the essay is written in English or Japanese.
Finally,the sentences below don't have should but they should have should. Without should, the sentences seem to be talking about the actual situation rather than a course of action that has not yet been taken.
- Strange:
- If we could do that, we could discuss whether euthanasia is legal or not.
- Better:
- If we could do that, we could discuss whether euthanasia should be legal or not.
- Strange:
- Life cannot be ended if the patients do not know that they are approaching death...
- Better:
- Life should not be ended if the patients do not know that they are approaching death...
- Strange:
- If we describe the problem simply, it is whether Japan continues to have US military bases in Okinawa or not.
- Better:
- If we describe the problem simply, it is whether Japan should continue to have US military bases in Okinawa or not.
so
In conversation, so can be used like very , in sentences such as the following sentence.
However, this use of so has a very informal sound, so the sentence above would not be used in formal written English. Very could be used instead:
- It was very hot yesterday.
However, you can use so before an adjective in written English when it is followed by a that clause, as in the example below:
- It was so hot that I didn't go outside all day.
Of course, you can also use so in both written and spoken English to join two clauses into one sentence.
- I'm feeling kind of tired, so I think I'll go home now.
too
Too does not mean the same thing as very. The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English gives this definition for too: "(before adjective and adverb) more than enough; to a higher degree than is necessary." This means that we use too instead of very when we don't like a situation or when there are some kind of negative results from a situation. Here are some examples using
very and too.
- It's very hot today. I love summer weather!
- It's too hot today. I hate summer weather.
- It's too expensive. I can't afford it.
Because it is good for something to be good, beautiful, or delicious, we don't ordinarily use too with these adjectives.
- Strange:
- This movie is too good
- That painting is too beautiful
- This meal is too delicious.
Too can only be used with a positive adjective if the context makes it clear that there is something negative in the situation, as in the following example.
- O.K.
- That story is too good to be true.
Too is more restricted than very in terms of where it can occur in a sentence. We don't use usually use too in the pattern too+ADJECTIVE+NOUN.
- Good:
- He is a very tall man. He is very tall.
- Strange:
- He is a too tall man.
- Good:
- He is too tall.
Another possible pattern is too+a+ADJECTIVE+NOUN+to
- It's too hot a day to play tennis.
- It's too strange a story to be true.
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