Should (past form of shall)

Often used in auxiliary functions to express an opinion, suggestion, preference, or

idea:

You should rest at home today.

I should take a bus this time.
He should be more thoughtful in the decision-making process.
Used to express that you wish something had happened but it didnt or couldnt
(should + have + past participle):

You should have seen it. It was really beautiful.

I should have completed it earlier to meet the deadline.
We should have visited the place on the way.
Used to ask for someones opinion:

What should we do now?

Should we continue our meeting?
Should we go this way?
Where should we go this summer?
Used to say something expected or correct:

There should be an old city hall building here.

Everybody should arrive by 6 p.m.
We should be there this evening.

Questions and negatives:

We make questions by putting the subject after can/could:

Can I ? Can you ? Could I Could you ? and so on.

The negative form is cant in spoken English and cannot in written English.
We sometimes say cannot, but it is very emphatic.

The negative form of could is couldnt in spoken English and could not in written
English.
We sometimes say could not.

We use can and cant :

To talk about ability:

Maria can speak four languages.
I cant swim, but my sister can.

To say that something is possible or impossible:

Learning English can be difficult [= Learning English is sometimes difficult.]
Children can be very naughty [= Children are sometimes very naughty.]
Its still light. It cant be bedtime.

For requests and refusals of requests

Can I go home now?
You can go whenever you like.
You can borrow the car today, but you cant have it tomorrow.

To offer to help someone:

Can I help you?
Can I carry that bag for you?

We use could and couldnt as the past tense of can/cant:

To talk about ability:

I could run very fast when I was younger.
She couldnt get a job anywhere.

To say that something was possible or impossible:

Our teacher could be very strict when we were at school. [= Some teachers were
very strict.]
People could starve in those days. [= People sometimes starved.]
You couldnt use computers in the nineteenth century.

To make a polite request:

Could I go now please?
Could you lend me a dictionary please?

To make a polite offer:

Could I give you a lift?
I could carry that for you.

We use could have:

to show that something is possible now or was possible at some time in the past:
Its ten oclock. They could have arrived now.
They could have arrived hours ago.

We use 'can' to talk about 'possibility'.

Can you do that?

I can't manage to do that.
You can leave your car in that parking space.
You cannot smoke in here.

Notice that there are two negative forms: 'can't' and 'cannot'. These mean exactly
the same thing. When we are speaking, we usually say 'can't'.

We use 'can' to talk about 'ability'.

I can speak French.

I can't drive.
We use 'can' to ask for and give permission. (We also use 'may' for this but is more
formal and much less common.)

Can I speak to you or are you too busy?

You can use my phone.
You can't come in.
We use 'can' in offers, requests and instructions.

Can I help?
Can you give me a hand?
When you finish that, you can take out the garbage.
We use 'can' with 'see' 'hear' 'feel' 'smell' 'taste' to talk about something which is
happening now . (Where you would use the present continuous with most other
verbs.)

I can smell something burning.

Can you hear that noise?
I can't see anything.
We can use 'can't' for deduction. The opposite of 'can't' in this context is 'must'.

You can't be hungry. You've just eaten.

You must be hungry. You haven't eaten anything all day.
He was in London one hour ago when I spoke to him. He can't be here yet.