Grammar ~20 min of the core left

Give advice and give your opinion

After this lesson you can

I can give advice, give my opinion, agree and politely disagree.

Start the lesson Core 18–20 min · steps: 6 · optional: +2

Declared core time. Two of the core blocks carry no figure at all, so the real lesson is longer than this sum.

Grammar

4 min

should is advice: not an obligation, but something that would be good.

You should see a doctor. it would be good for you to see a doctor
You shouldn't work at weekends. working at weekends is not a good idea
Should I call him? a question: is it a good idea to call him?

should is a modal verb, like can and must: no -s, no do, and after it the basic form.

Compare three degrees:

You must see a doctor. it is really necessary, or things will get bad
You have to see a doctor. it is the rule
You should see a doctor. advice: you decide

An opinion and how to react to it:

I think it's a good idea. my opinion: it is good
I don't think it's a good idea. my opinion: it is not good
I agree. / I don't agree. / I disagree. I think the same / I think differently
Exactly. / You're right. just so / what you say is true
I'm not sure. I don't know what to think
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Common learner errors

written for your language
1

I am agree

✗ I am agree with you

✓ I agree with you

Spanish estoy de acuerdo, French je suis d'accord, Italian sono d'accordo and Portuguese estou de acordo have "be". But agree is a verb, not an adjective, and it needs no be.

2

have with right

✗ You have right

✓ You're right

French tu as raison, Spanish tienes razón, Italian hai ragione, German du hast recht and Polish masz rację "have" it. In English you "are" right: be right.

3

Where the negative goes

I think it isn't a good idea is understood, but sounds unusual: English usually makes the verb of opinion negative: ✓ I don't think it's a good idea. Spanish (creo que no es) and many other languages often put the negative inside. And the negative needs do, as in A1 #8: ✗ I not think → ✓ I don't think.

4

should with to

✗ You should to rest

✓ You should rest

have to has to; should, like must, does not.

Pronunciation

3 min

should is unstressed and short — /ʃəd/, and the letter l is not pronounced at all. In shouldn't /ˈʃʊdnt/ the vowel becomes full, and the final t is often lost in connected speech.

The intonation of advice is a soft fall. A sharp fall turns advice into an order, and a rise makes it sound unsure.

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Text

3 min

I'm very tired. I work eleven hours every day.

You shouldn't work at weekends. I think you should take a holiday.

I don't think I can. We have a lot of work now.

I don't agree. You should talk to your manager.

Maybe you're right.

Reading aloud

Exercises

8–10 min

1. Gap fill.

  1. You look ill. You see a doctor
  2. You work at weekends
  3. I call him now?
Show the answers
should, shouldn't, Should.

2. Error correction.

  1. I am agree with you.
  2. You should to rest.
  3. I not think it's a good idea.
Show the answers
I agree with you. / You should rest. / I don't think it's a good idea.

3. Matching.

  1. You must go.
  2. You should go.
  3. You have to go.
Show the answers
`You must go.` — necessity; `You should go.` — advice; `You have to go.` — rule.

4. Multiple choice.

How do you agree, and how do you disagree? I agree, I don't agree, Exactly, I disagree, You're right

Show the answers
agreeing — I agree, Exactly, You're right; disagreeing — I don't agree, I disagree.
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Summary

Covered

  • should and shouldn't
  • three degrees of necessity
  • five phrases for opinion and agreement

Next — lesson 12: review of lessons 7–11.

End of the core

The lesson counts as done once the exercises are done. Everything after this is optional.

Lesson 48

optional

Vocabulary for your deck

12 words
  • should /ʃʊd/, weak /ʃəd/ used to give advice: it would be good to…
  • advice /ədˈvaɪs/ what you tell someone they should do
  • disagree /ˌdɪsəˈɡriː/ to have a different opinion; not to agree
  • right /raɪt/ correct; true (You're right.)
  • exactly /ɪɡˈzæktli/ just so; used to say that you agree completely
  • tired /ˈtaɪəd/ needing rest or sleep
  • manager /ˈmænɪdʒə/ a person who runs a team, a shop or a company
  • holiday /ˈhɒlədeɪ/ days with no work or school; a trip to rest
  • idea /aɪˈdɪə/ a thought or a plan (Good idea!)
  • problem /ˈprɒbləm/ something difficult that you have to deal with
  • maybe /ˈmeɪbi/ perhaps; it is possible
  • suggest /səˈdʒest/ to give someone an idea or a plan to think about

Writing

Four sentences: give a friend some advice and give your opinion.

Example

You shouldn't work at weekends. I think you should take a holiday. I don't think it's a good idea to work every day. You should talk to your manager.

Checklist

The draft is saved on this device
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Practise this lesson in the other sections

Dictationbased on this lesson Write down what you hear. The check shows every word that differs, and how. Write the dictation Reading aloudbased on this lesson Read the lesson text aloud — speech recognition highlights the words it did not catch. Read the text aloud Reading and listeningA1–C1 Texts at every level with comprehension questions; the transcript opens after you answer. Try it

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