Should Have VS Could Have English Grammar Lesson
Hi, I’m Vanessa from SpeakEnglishWithVanessa.com.
Could have, should have.
Should have, could have.
Which one should I use?
Let’s talk about it.
Today, we’re going to talk about two verbs
that a lot of English learners have questions
about.
These verbs, could have and should have, will
help you to speak advanced English, will help
you to understand fast English conversations
and will help you to just sound more natural.
Let’s start by talking about should have.
Let’s imagine that your boss comes up to you
and he says, “Hey.
We have a special opportunity in London next
week for business.
I want you to go.
Can you go to London next week on a business
trip?”
You smile at your boss and you say, “Sure,
I’ll go.”
In your mind, you’re thinking, oh no.
Oh no.
I … studied English more.
What should we fill in in this sentence?
I should have studied English more.
I don’t have anymore time.
I have to go on this trip, and I’m not going
to be able to communicate.
I should have studied more.
I want to give you a scenario, so that you
can fill in a sentence by yourself before
we talk about the grammar.
I think that really working through it in
your mind yourself is going to help this concept
stick with you, instead of me just giving
you the rule right away.
Okay, so let’s imagine the scenario of you
having the opportunity to go to New York.
You decide to go to New York, but it’s February.
February in New York is really cold, and we
have some more bad news.
You forgot to bring your winter coat.
What were you thinking?
How can you create a sentence using should
have to talk about this situation?
You’re in New York, it’s freezing cold.
It’s February, and you don’t have a coat.
I should have something.
Think about that for just a moment.
How can you finish that sentence?
I should have … You might say, “I should
have brought a coat.
I should have thought about this earlier.
I should have planned better.”
This is something that is negative.
It’s a regret, and that’s how we use should
have.
We use it to talk about something that you
regret, something that’s negative.
When you’re talking about this negative thing,
this disappointment, this regret, you can
use the word should have.
If you would like to sound like a native speaker,
you shouldn’t say, “I should have brought
my coat.”
Instead, you can shorten should have in two
different ways.
The first one is to say, “I shoulda brought
my coat.
I shoulda brought my coat.”
If you use shoulda, or if you use the second
shortened version, you need to say it pretty
quickly.
You don’t want to really slow down too much,
I shoulda brought my coat.
The reason why we reduce words is to speed
up our language.
I want to make sure that you use this correctly.
Make sure you say, “I shoulda brought my coat.”
You could also say, “I should’ve brought my
coat.”
This is a contraction.
You might see this sometimes written in really
casual situations.
In general, shoulda and should have are only
spoken.
I should have brought my coat.
I shoulda brought my coat.
I hope that you can say those sentences fast,
and use this for something that’s a regret,
a disappointment.
I shoulda studied English.
I should have brought my coat.
Now, let’s talk about could have.
Before I explain it, I want you to try to
make a sentence with it yourself like before.
Let’s imagine that you’re in New York City.
You have the option to go to the Empire State
Building or the Statue of Liberty.
Let’s say you choose the Empire State Building.
It’s an iconic experience, great view of the
city, so you have chosen to go to the Empire
State Building.
How can you create a sentence using could
have to talk about the option that you didn’t
choose?
You didn’t choose the Statue of Liberty, so
how can you craft a sentence using could have?
Think about that for just a moment.
You could have said, could have, I just used
it, you could have said, “I could have gone
to the Statue of Liberty, but I didn’t.”
This situation is just a choice.
It’s not a regret.
It’s just a choice.
It’s the thing I didn’t do.
I could have gone to the Statue of Liberty
but instead, I went to the Empire State Building.
You’re not really expressing regret or disappointment,
something negative.
You’re just showing that this is the thing
I didn’t do.
I could have gone to the Statue of Liberty,
but I decided not to.
Like with should have, you can really reduce
could have in the same way.
I coulda gone to the Statue of Liberty.
I could’ve gone to the Statue of Liberty.
These are great in spoken English.
I don’t really recommend writing them unless
you’re writing something really casual.
You can write it in the comments if you want
to practice it.
Make sure that you shorten your sentences
with these reductions in casual conversation.
Before we go, let’s take a look at two sentences,
one using a shoulda and one using coulda right
here.
Let’s talk about that verb that follows these
two expressions.
What is it?
Is it past tense, present tense, another tense?
This is the past participle.
I shoulda studied English earlier.
Studied looks like the past tense, but really
this is the past participle.
You need to make sure that you follow these
two expressions with the past participle.
I coulda slept but instead, I studied English.
I coulda slept, I coulda gone to the store.
Gone is that past participle.
I coulda taken out the trash, but I decided
not to.
Before we go, let’s say these two sentences
out loud.
I challenge you to read them out loud with
me to use your speaking muscles.
The first one is, I shoulda studied English
earlier.
Can you say it fast with me?
I shoulda studied English earlier.
I shoulda studied English earlier.
Your face probably looks a little disappointed,
because you’re expressing regret.
Make sure that you’re not smiling, oh I shoulda
studied English earlier.
Instead, you’re a little serious, I shoulda
studied English earlier.
In the second sentence, I coulda slept but
instead, I studied English.
Can you say that with me?
I coulda slept but instead, I studied English.
That’s what you’re doing now.
You prioritized English, I coulda slept.
Can you say that fast?
I coulda slept but instead, I studied English.
I coulda slept but instead, I studied English.
Thanks so much for learning should have and
could have with me.
Now, I have a challenge for you.
In the comments below this video, can you
make your own original sentence using should
have and could have?
Then, if you want to take it up to the next
level and repeat it again, say it out loud.
Use your speaking muscles, because repetition
is what’s really going to help you remember
how to use these expressions and help you
to understand it when other people say it.
Write a comment, and I’ll see you again next
Friday for a new lesson here on my YouTube
channel.
Bye.
The next step is to download my free ebook,
Five Steps to Becoming a Confident English
Speaker.
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Thanks so much, bye.