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Should be vs Should it not be

The phrases 'should be' and 'should it not be' serve different purposes. 'Should be' is a common phrase used to express what is expected or required, while 'should it not be' is a more formal and less common way to pose a rhetorical question. They are not directly comparable as they have different functions.

Last updated: March 29, 2024 • 1071 views

Should be

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to express what is expected or required.

Use 'should be' to indicate what is expected or required in a situation. It is a common phrase used in everyday language.

Examples:

  • You should be at the meeting by 9 AM.
  • The report should be completed by Friday.
  • The cake should be ready in an hour.
  • The package should be delivered tomorrow.
  • The document should be signed by both parties.
  • Should be here before nightfall for the big announcement.
  • Should be a pretty interesting surgery.
  • Should be ready by three o'clock.
  • Should be at the center stairwell.
  • Should be a standard two-man squad.
  • Should be hot enough to mimic heat distribution over flesh.
  • Should be just over the next ridge.
  • Should be in the air right about now.
  • Should be up and running before the end of the month.
  • Should be up and running in 15 minutes.
  • Should be here within the hour.
  • Should be installed by the end of the week.
  • Should be translated into Spanish, at the very least.
  • Should be here in an hour.
  • Should be derived from a rent roll or other document indicating occupancy consistent with most recent financial year information.
  • Should be rounded to the nearest 1000 units.
  • Should be in your account by now.
  • The secondary flow valve Should be behind you and to your right.
  • Should be enough to satisfy your Titanic Jones for a while.
  • Should be impossible to get two right answers to one question.

Alternatives:

  • ought to be
  • must be
  • needs to be
  • has to be

Should it not be

This phrase is correct but less commonly used in English. It is a formal way to pose a rhetorical question.

Use 'should it not be' to pose a rhetorical question in a formal context. It is not commonly used in everyday language.
  • Should it not be obvious that Members will decide to vote against granting discharge to the Committee of the Regions until such time as all the uncertainties have been clarified?
  • Should it not be elected, representative parliamentarians who are ambassadors for the EU?
  • Should it not be accepted, we will not support adoption of the directive.
  • Should it not be possible to reach it - well, we will just have to continue to talk.
  • I have a specific question for Commissioner Almunia: if a particular country wants to ban a chemical in agriculture, should it not be free to do so?
  • Why should it not be possible for the G7 countries, the other EU Member States, China, Singapore and Switzerland to come to an agreement on the introduction of the Tobin tax?
  • Should it not be?
  • If 27 countries with very different social and economic realities can agree in a relatively short time on a very complex and far-reaching set of measures, why should it not be possible to come to a similar agreement internationally?
  • After all, why should it not be possible to open up new prospects for the workers at the relevant Opel plant in Antwerp, and naturally also for the workers at the other Opel plants in Europe who have been affected?
  • Since this money clearly benefited Mubarak but not his people, should it not be Mubarak, rather than his victims, who is held responsible for it?
  • Should it not be consumers who determine the market?
  • Should it not be giving human health top priority?
  • Should it not be possible to give this body the powers to eliminate barriers, the EU or Member States should eliminate these restrictions directly through their own measures.
  • Should it not be adopted, I am even more opposed to the thrust and the tenor of the Socialist and Green resolutions, nor can I support the EPP resolution.
  • Should it not be recommended to every Member State to use the presumption of consent system?
  • Should it not be compatible, is any initiative under way to end this state of affairs?
  • Should it not be possible for young women to eat ordinary food?
  • Should it not be possible for the request to be satisfied (or, at least, not immediately), the requested Member State shall notify the requesting Member State of that fact as soon as possible, by means of a reasoned reply.
  • Should it not be possible for the Member States concerned to reach agreement, the Member States in question shall immediately inform the other Member States and the Commission, giving reasons for their decision.
  • Should it not be a priority for the fifteen governments within the Union to hold fundamental discussions on the objectives to be adopted with regard to what form Europe should take in the third millennium?

Alternatives:

  • shouldn't it be
  • ought it not be
  • mustn't it be
  • is it not supposed to be

Related Comparisons

Could be vs Can be would be vs Would be should be vs would be could be vs could be achieved would became vs would be could be vs should be

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