What are the differences betweenshouldandought to?
What are the differences betweenshouldandought to?
【正确答案】:With all their semantic similarities, should is far more common than ought to. Because of its structural clumsiness, ought to is rare in a question or a negative statement, where it has to function as operator. Even semantically, should and ought to have nuances in implication. As expressions of obligation, should is more subjective or speaker-oriented, indicating the speaker’s advice concerning what to do or what not to do on the basis of his judgment of what is right and what is wrong, whereas ought to is more objective, referring to what is obligatory according to the moral or social principles. While ought to conveys a reprimand or warning, should offers friendlier advice. For this reason, ought to is normally stressed while should is normally unstressed.
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