Should 2

Should After insist / demand / recommend / suggest / propose

You can use should in a that-clause after these verbs:

Verb	Example
insist	The client insisted that we should send the revised contract by Friday.
demand	Several departments are demanding that something should be done about the parking situation.
recommend	The safety officer recommended that all employees should wear protective gear on site.
suggest	What do you suggest we should do about the late shipment?
propose	The manager proposed that the team should meet twice a week during the project.

The same pattern works after expressions like it’s important / vital / necessary / essential that … should …:

• It’s essential that everyone should be here on time for the quarterly review.

Leaving Out should (the Subjunctive)

You can also drop should entirely. The verb that follows keeps its base form (be, do, send, etc.) — no -s, no past ending. This is called the subjunctive:

With should	Without should (subjunctive)
It’s essential that everyone should be here on time.	It’s essential that everyone be here on time.
I insisted that he should apologise.	I insisted that he apologise.
They demanded that something should be done.	They demanded that something be done about the problem.

Normal present and past forms also work:

• It’s essential that everyone is here on time.
• I insisted that he apologised.

All three patterns — with should, the subjunctive, or a normal verb form — are correct.

Be Careful With suggest

After suggest, you cannot use to + infinitive with an object. Look at the difference:

Correct	Wrong
I suggested that she should buy a car.	I suggested her to buy a car.
I suggested that she buy a car.	I suggested her to buy a car.
What do you suggest we do?	What do you suggest us to do?

You can also use -ing after suggest: What do you suggest doing?

Should After strange / odd / funny / surprising …

After certain adjectives that express surprise or unexpectedness, you can use should:

strange, odd, funny, typical, natural, interesting, surprised, surprising

• It’s strange that he should be late. He’s usually on time.
• I was surprised that she should say such a thing in the meeting.
• Isn’t it typical of Mark that he should leave without telling anyone?

Here, should does not mean obligation. It adds a feeling of surprise — “why would this happen?”

If … should … (a Smaller Possibility)

You can use should in an if-clause to suggest something is less likely:

• We have no openings at present, but if the situation should change, we will contact you.

You can also put should at the start of the sentence, dropping if:

• *Should the situation change, we will contact you.*

Both mean the same as If the situation changes, …, but the speaker feels the chance is smaller.

I should … as Advice

You can use I should … and I shouldn’t … to give someone advice. It means I would … if I were you:

• ‘Shall I leave now?’ — ‘No, I should wait a bit.’
• ‘Is it cold outside?’ — ‘Yes, I should wear a coat.’
• *I shouldn’t stay up too late. You have to be up early tomorrow.*

Quick Self-Check