35. Had better It’s time ……. ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN USE FOR INTERMEDIATE

ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN USE FOR INTERMEDIATE

35. Had better   It’s time …….

A	Had better (I'd better /you'd better etc.) I'd better do something= it is advisable to do it. If I don't do it, there will be a problem or a danger: ·         I have to meet Amy in ten minutes. I'd better go now or I'll be late. ·         'Shall I take an umbrella?' 'Yes, you'd better. It might rain.' ·         We'd better stop for petrol soon. The tank is almost empty. The negative is I'd better not(= I had better not): ·         'The jacket looks good on you. Are you going to buy it?' 'I'd better not. It's too expensive.' ·         You don't look very well. You'd better not go out tonight. Remember that: The form is 'had better' (usually 'I'd better /you'd better' etc. in spoken English). ·         I'd better phone Chris, hadn't I? Had is normally past, but the meaning of had better is present or future, not past. ·         I'd better go to the bank now /tomorrow. We say 'I'd better do' (not to do): ·         It might rain. We'd better take an umbrella. (not We'd better to take)
B	Had better and should Had better is similar to should, but not exactly the same. We use had better only for a specific situation, not for things in general. You can use should in all types of situations to give an opinion or give advice: ·         It's late. You'd better go. /You should go. (a specific situation) ·         You're always at home. You should go out more often. (in general- not 'had better go') Also, with had better, there is always a danger or a problem if you don't follow the advice. Should means only 'it is a good thing to do'. Compare: ·         It's a great film. You should go and see it. (but no problem if you don't) ·         The film starts at 8.30. You'd better go now or you'll be late.
C	It's time ... You can say It's time (for somebody) to ... : ·         It's time to go home. /It's time for us to go home. But you can also say: ·         It's late. It's time we went home. When we use it's time+ past (we went /I did /they were etc.), the meaning is present, not past: ·         It's time they were here. Why are they so late? (not It's time they are here) It's time somebody did something= they should have already done it or started it. We often use this structure to criticise or to complain: ·         This situation can't continue. It's time you did something about it. ·         He's very selfish. It's time he realised that he isn't the most important person in the world. You can also say It's about time .... This makes the criticism stronger: ·         Jack is a great talker. But it's about time he did something instead of just talking.

EXERCISES

35.1	Read the situations and write sentences with had better or had better not. Use the words in brackets. 1 You're going out for a walk with Tom. lt looks as if it might rain. You say to Tom: (an umbrella) ______ We’d better take an umbrella _________________ 2 Oliver has just cut himself. Ifs a bad cut. You say to him: (a plaster) _________________________________ 3 You and Kate plan to go to a restaurant this evening. Ifs a popular restaurant. You say to Kate: (reserve) We _______________________________ 4 Rebecca doesn't look very well this morning- not well enough to go to work. You say to her: (work)_____________________ 5 You received your phone bill four weeks ago, but you haven't paid it yet. If you don't pay soon, you could be in trouble. You say to yourself: (pay) __________________________________________________ 6 You want to ask your boss something, but he's very busy and you know he doesn't like to be disturbed. You say to a colleague: (disturb) I _________________________________________
35.2	Put in had better where suitable. If had better is not suitable, use should. 1 I have an appointment in ten minutes. _____ I’d better_____ go now or I'll be late. 2 It's a great film. You ___should_____ go and see it. You'll really like it. 3 You _____________ set your alarm. You'll never wake up on time if you don't. 4 When people are driving, they ____________ keep their eyes on the road. 5 I'm glad you came to see us. You ______________ come more often. 6 She'll be upset if we don't invite her to the party, so we ___________ invite her. 7 These biscuits are delicious. You _____________ try one. 8 I think everybody ___________ learn a foreign language.
35.3	Complete the sentences. Sometimes you need only one word, sometimes two. 1 a I have a toothache. I'd better ____go____ to the dentist. b John is expecting you to phone him. You______ better phone him now. c 'Shall I leave the window open?' 'No, you'd better _____ it.' d We'd better leave as soon as possible, __________we? 2 a It's time the government____________ something about the problem. b It's time something ______________ about the problem. c I think it's about time you _____________ about other people instead of only thinking about yourself.
35.4	Read the situations and write sentences with It's time (somebody did something). 1 You think the oil in the car needs to be changed. It hasn't been changed for a long time. _____It’s time we changed the oil in the car ______________________ 2 You haven't had a holiday for a very long time. You need one now. it's time I ______________________________________________ 3 You're sitting on a train waiting for it to leave the station. It's already five minutes late. _________________________________________________________ 4 You enjoy having parties. You haven't had one for a long time. _________________________________________________________ 5 The company you work for has been badly managed for a long time. You think some changes should be made. _________________________________________________________ 6 Andrew has been doing the same job for the last ten years. He should try something else. _________________________________________________________

ANSWER KEY

35.1 2 You'd better put a plaster on it. 3 We'd better reserve a table. 4 You'd better not go to work (this morning). 5 I'd better pay my phone bill (soon). /I'd better pay it (soon). 6 I'd better not disturb him. 35.2 3 'd better 4 should 5 should 6 'd better 7 should 8 should 35.3 1 b 'd/had c close/shut d hadn't 2 a did b was done c thought 35.4 2 it's time I had a holiday. 3 it's time the train left. 4 it's time 1/we had a party. 5 it's time some changes were made. /it's time the company made some changes. 6 it's time he tried something else.