25/2/2016 ENGLISH PAGE Had Better englishpage.com Home > Modal Verb Tutorial > Had Better Had Better f t g+ p "Had better" is most commonly used to make recommendations. It can also be used to express desperate hope as well as warn people Examples: You had better take your umbrella with you today. recommendation That bus had better get here soon! desperate hope You had better watch the way you talk to me in the future! warning Using "Had Better" in Present, Past, and Future Most modal verbs behave quite irregularly in the past and the future. Study the chart below to learn how "had better" behaves in different contexts Use had better Positive Forms Negative Forms 1. = Present 2. = Past 3. = 1. = Present 2. = Past 3. = use: Future Future 1. SHIFT TO "SHOULD" OR 1. SHIFT TO "SHOULD" OR should, "OUGHT TO" "OUGHT TO" ought People should unplug People shouldn't clean to toasters before they clean toasters without unplugging them them first 2. SHIFT TO "SHOULD 2. SHIFT TO "SHOULD HAVE" OR "OUGHT TO HAVE" OR "OUGHT TO HAVE" HAVE" recommendation You should have unplugged You shouldn't have cleaned the toaster before you tried the toaster without to clean it unplugging it first http://www.englishpage.com/modals/hadbetter.html Also 1/2 25/2/2016 ENGLISH PAGE Had Better 3. You had better unplug the 3. You had better not clean toaster before you try to the toaster until you unplug clean it it The movie had better end They had better not be late soon had better They had better not forget They had better be here desperate hope, before we start dinner warning Tom's birthday gift Desperate hopes and Desperate hopes and warnings usually refer to the warnings usually refer to the near future near future "Had better" is often simply pronounced as "better" in spoken English EXERCISES AND RELATED TOPICS Modal Exercise 5 have got to, had better, may and shall Modal Exercise 7 modal verb forms Modal Verb Final Test complete review Copyright © 2016 Englishpage.com, All Rights Reserved Contact us | Privacy Policy | Advertise with us Your personal online English school. Learn English at Englishpage.com! Weekly Lesson Grammar Book Vocabulary Verb Tenses Conditionals Modals Gerunds / Infinitives Articles Prepositions Minitutorials Irregular Verbs Reading Room Listening Lounge Games English Forums English Schools English · Foreign Dictionaries English ·English Dictionaries Irregular Verb Dictionary Phrasal Verb Dictionary Verb + Preposition Dictionary http://www.englishpage.com/modals/hadbetter.html 2/2