Category: Class

Should, Would, and Could are auxiliary verbs and are the past form of Shall, Will, and Can. In some instances, they are also used in different ways.

Take a look at the uses of Should, Would, and Could.

Uses of Should

• You can use Should when talking about probability.

He should be on his way here.

I don’t have a lot to do at work. I should finish earlier.

Are you going with us to the music festival? It should be fun.

• Moreover, you use Should when asking questions.

Should I take a vacation?

Shouldn’t he be practicing his speech?

Should we call 911?

• You can use Should when showing obligations.

Children should obey their parents.

You should study harder.

He shouldn’t be driving when he’s had some drinks.

• Should is also used when giving recommendations or advice.

You should use this color. It’s more vibrant.

They should take 88th Ave. It’s the quickest way to get to town.

She should consider all her options first.

• Lastly, you can use Should when expressing opinions.

I think we should all read the news everyday.

Children shouldn’t spend so much time using gadgets.

They shouldn’t have come here anyway.

Uses of Would

• Like Should, you can use Would when asking questions.

Would you like red or white wine?

Would he like to see his kid?

Would this much food suffice?

• Would is sometimes used when asking the questions ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’, ‘why’ or ‘how’.

What would they do to solve this problem?

Who would want to go out in this freezing weather?

Where would they spend Christmas?

When would she come visit her friend in Paris?

Why would he do such thing?

How would you like to pay?

• You can use Would when making polite requests.

Would you like something to eat?

Would he do it for her?

Would they go to the pharmacy and buy me some medicines?

• You can use Would when talking about hypothetical situations.

If I had a lot of money, I would buy a mansion.

I would like to meet and have a conversation with the president.

She would live in abroad if it weren’t so complicated to uproot her whole family.

Uses of Could

• You can use Could when talking about possibilities in present, past, and future tense.

Present: Adam could be the one who left the door unlocked.

Past: Martin could have been the one who ate all the cookies.

Future: Lena could quit her job soon. 

• Could is used as conditional of Can. It can be used in present, past, and future tense.

Present: If she had more time now, she could stay longer.

Past: Even if he had had more money last year, he couldn’t have returned to his hometown in the countryside.

Future: If I had more vacation days next year, I could travel more.

• You can use Could when making suggestions in the past and future tense.

Past: I could have met you when I went there last week.

Future: They could go to Maldives for their honeymoon.

• You can use Could when talking about abilities in the past form.

I could memorize songs more easily when I was a kid.

He could swim faster when he was in his 20s.

Two years ago, I couldn’t exercise for more than a minute.

• Lastly, you can also use Could when making polite requests.

Could I have some tea, please?

Could you take these documents to her office?

Could I take this bottle of wine home?

Do you think you know how to use the word “enough” well enough?

The word “enough“ means ‘sufficient for the purpose’. It is used together with a noun, an adjective, a verb, or an adverb. It also sometimes be a pronoun.

Enough + Adjective or Adverb

• “Enough” goes before an adjective and an adverb.

It is not hot enough to cook the meat.
Your performance is good enough to get a pay rise.
I couldn’t read the questions quickly enough and I wasn’t able to answer all of them.

Verb + Enough

• “Enough” follows a verb.

She makes sure she sleeps enough.
They feel that they don’t visit enough.

I think you’ve practiced enough.

Enough + Noun

• “Enough” comes after a noun.

We don’t have enough flour to bake a cake.
She hasn’t got enough money.

Are there enough people on your team?

The Pronoun Enough

• “Enough” sometimes also acts as a pronoun. It can be used without a noun provided that you already know what the noun is based on the context.

I need more papers. These aren’t enough.
A: Can she still be with him? B: She can’t anymore. She’s had enough.

Using Enough With an Adjective and a Noun

There are to possible ways to use “enough” with an adjective and a noun. However, the two sentences do not have the same meaning.

He hasn’t got a big enough car. (=The car is too small.)
They haven’t got enough big cars. (=They have big cars but they need more.)

The Phrase Enough Of

Use “enough of” before a determiner or a pronoun such as: a, an, the, this, that, my, your, his, you, them, and others.

We don’t have enough of these white sheets.
They’ve eaten enough of their mother’s lasagna.
There’s enough of them there to finish the project.

A subordinate clause, also known as a dependent clause, is a clause that just makes a sentence more detailed by providing more information.

Like any other clause, it also has a subject and verb. But as it doesn’t express a complete thought, it cannot be a standalone sentence. Hence, it is always combined with an independent clause to form a complete sentence.

After Franco died, Juan Carlos became the King of Spain.

My sister, who lives in Boston, gave me her laptop. 

You can date whoever you want.

Parts of a Subordinate Clause

• It is either a subordinate conjunction or a relative pronoun that introduces a subordinate clause.

Subordinate Conjunction

• A subordinate conjunction signals cause-and-effect or a change in time and place between the two clauses of a sentence.

Below is a list of some of the most common subordinate conjunctions.

After, As, As long as, Although, Because, Before, Even if, Even though, If, Now, Now that, Once, Since, Than, Though, Unless, Until, When, Whenever, Whereas, Wherever, Whether, While, Whoever

As long as you follow the recipe, you won’t go wrong with this dish.

Although she likes smoking, she has to quit soon.

You cannot just leave whenever you please.

Relative Pronoun

A relative pronoun introduces a dependent clause that is related to the topic of the sentence.

Below is a list of some of the most common relative pronouns.

which, whichever, whatever, that, who, whoever, whose

Types of Subordinate Clause

• A subordinate clause can function as an adverb, adjective, or noun.

Adverbial Clause

• This clause answers the questions: where, when, how, and why. It starts with a subordinate conjunction.

We danced until the wee hours of the morning.

After the delegates arrived, the summit commenced.

Robin wasn’t promoted because he couldn’t meet the sales target.

Adjective Clause

• This clause typically answers the questions: what kind or which one. It can be one of these two patterns: pronoun/adverb + subject + verb or subject (pronoun/adverb) + verb.

pronoun/adverb + subject + verb

Whichever color of paper you have is fine.

subject (pronoun/adverb) + verb

This company that closed the deal is a multinational.

Noun Clause

• This clause follows this pattern: relative pronoun + subject + verb.

Whoever the new boss dislikes is in serious trouble.

She can choose the dress that she wants.

What the singer did shocked her fans.

Stative verbs express a state rather than action. They are not used in the present continuous form.

Stative: You don’t know the truth. 

Incorrect: You are not knowing the truth.

Stative: He really loves his mom.

Incorrect: He’s really loving his mom.

Stative: They seem satisfied with the proposal. 

Incorrect: They are seeming satisfied with the proposal.

Uses of Stative Verbs

Stative verbs often express thoughts and opinions, feelings and emotions, senses and perceptions, and possession and measurement.

Thoughts and Opinions

agree, believe, doubt, guess, imagine, know, mean, recognize, remember, suspect, think, understand

Feelings and Emotions

dislike, hate, like, love, prefer, want, wish

Senses and Perceptions

appear, be, feel, hear, look, see, seem, smell, taste

Possession and Measurement

belong, have, measure, own, possess, weigh

Stative vs Action Verb

• Some verbs can refer to both state and action, depending on the context.
• In the first example, it is a mental state wherein you express an opinion. Hence, it is in present simple. On the other hand, the second sentence shows that the speaker is presently doing the action of thinking. That is why it is in present continuous.

Stative: We think it’s absolutely perfect.

Action: We are still thinking about it.

• Other verbs that can either be stative or action are the following:

agree, appear, doubt, feel, guess, hear, imagine, look, measure, remember, smell, weigh, wish.

Stative vs Action Verb: Have

Stative (Possession): We have an attic. 
Action: We are having a meeting ASAP.

Stative vs Action Verb: See

Stative (Opinion): I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t hire her.
Action: I am seeing Batman Forever this weekend. 

Stative vs Action Verb: Be

Stative (Quality): He is very funny.
Action: He is being very funny. 

Stative vs Action Verb: Taste

Stative (Perception): These tacos tastes amazing.
Action: The diners are tasting the tacos.