Examples
I should have measured the size of the door before I bought the sofa. I should have read the label instructions before washing the sweater. I shouldn't have put on the swim trunks with the open-bag of-chips pattern. I shouldn't have scheduled my surgery on Take Your Child To Work Day! |
Explanations
We use should have + past
participle to
comment on mistakes or regrets, or to
rethink the advisability of a past decision.
The speaker did not measure the size of the door before he bought the sofa, so he regrets that he didn’t measure the size of the door. The speaker didn’t read the label instructions before he washed the sweater, so he regrets that he didn’t read the instructions.
We use should not have
+ past participle to say that a past action was not
advisable.
The speaker put on the swim trunks with the open-bag of- chips pattern, so he regrets that he put them on. The speaker scheduled his surgery on Take Your Child To Work Day, so he regrets that he did it. |