Shouldn’t’ve

Pronunciation: /ˈʃʊdəntəv/

Definitions of shouldn’t’ve

verb a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence; in this case, 'shouldn’t’ve' is a contraction of 'should not have'

Example Sentences

A1 I shouldn’t've eaten that much candy.

A2 She shouldn’t've stayed up so late last night.

B1 They shouldn’t've ignored the warning signs.

B2 He shouldn’t've skipped class without a good reason.

C1 We shouldn’t've underestimated the difficulty of the task.

C2 I shouldn’t've procrastinated on completing my project.

adverb a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb; in this case, 'shouldn’t’ve' functions as an adverbial contraction

Example Sentences

A1 I shouldn’t’ve eaten so much candy before dinner.

A2 You shouldn’t’ve waited until the last minute to study for the exam.

B1 She shouldn’t’ve ignored the warning signs of the illness.

B2 They shouldn’t’ve underestimated the importance of teamwork.

C1 I shouldn’t’ve assumed that everything would work out perfectly.

C2 He shouldn’t’ve made such a hasty decision without considering all the consequences.

pronoun a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse; in this case, 'shouldn’t’ve' does not function as a pronoun

Example Sentences

A1 I shouldn't've eaten so much candy before dinner.

A2 You shouldn’t’ve left your keys in the car.

B1 She shouldn’t’ve ignored the warning signs.

B2 They shouldn’t’ve taken such a big risk without proper planning.

C1 He shouldn’t’ve made such a hasty decision without consulting others.

C2 We shouldn’t’ve underestimated the complexity of the project.

Examples of shouldn’t’ve in a Sentence

formal One shouldn’t’ve interrupted the speaker during the presentation.

informal You shouldn’t’ve eaten all the cake before the party.

slang She shouldn’t’ve ditched her friends to hang out with him.

figurative The company shouldn’t’ve put all their eggs in one basket when it came to investments.

Grammatical Forms of shouldn’t’ve

• past tense: shouldn't've
• plural: shouldn't've
• comparative: more shouldn't've
• superlative: most shouldn't've
• present tense: shouldn't've
• future tense: will shouldn't've
• perfect tense: have shouldn't've
• continuous tense: am shouldn't've
• singular: shouldn't've
• positive degree: shouldn't've
• infinitive: to shouldn't've
• gerund: shouldn't'veing
• participle: shouldn't'ved

Origin and Evolution of shouldn’t’ve

First Known Use: 1800 year

Language of Origin: English

Story behind the word: Shouldn’t’ve is a contraction of 'should not have' which was commonly used in informal spoken English.

Evolution of the word: The contraction shouldn't've became popular in informal spoken English as a way to quickly express the idea of 'should not have'. Over time, it evolved into the contraction shouldn’t’ve for even quicker and more colloquial speech.