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Good neighbors shovel snow: should and shouldn't for giving advice

This A2 ESL lesson plan teaches should and shouldn't for advice on a snowy New York street, where neighbors clear their own sidewalks.

Grammar
Should and shouldn't + the base verb, unchanged for every person (You should clear the path.), questions with Should I…? and What should we do?, and I think you should… for friendly advice.
Topic
Winter in New York City, where building owners clear the sidewalk after snow, with words such as shovel, snowplow, slush and nor'easter.
Activities
A city notice on clearing snow, two listenings from a snowy morning, self-checking drills, a chat in which a friend asks for advice, and open boxes of winter problems.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Hello, snow!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: snow in the cityVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: the sidewalk rule

    • Look at the photo: New York after the snowPictureUnlock
    • Read the city noticeReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: a snowy morning

    • Listen to Marco and RuthListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to Grandpa's ChallengeListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen to Grandpa and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: you should, you shouldn't

    • Study the scheme: should and shouldn'tGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct option: should or shouldn't?Choose the optionTry it
    • Fill in the gaps: should (+), shouldn't (–) or a question (?)Fill in the gapsUnlock
    • Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: good advice

    • Choose the right replies: Nora needs adviceChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: give good adviceOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Fill in the table: questions with shouldFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: snow-day adviceChoose the optionUnlock
    • Put the words in the right order: questions and adviceUnjumbleUnlock
    • Sort the advice: should or shouldn't?Sort into columnsUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: Nora's postDrag and dropUnlock

29 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Winter vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • fire hydrant
  • snowplow
  • snow day
  • nor'easter
  • stuck
  • sled
  • slush

Grammar: should and shouldn't + the base verb

Should says something is a good idea, and shouldn't says it's a bad one. After a nor'easter, there is advice to give at every step, from You should spread some salt to You shouldn't push the snow into the street. Learners put the base verb after should for every person, ask Should I…? and tell advice from a law.

You should clear the path.

should = a good idea. shouldn't = a bad idea. After them: the base verb.

Should or shouldn't, then the base verb

Advice has three parts: the person, should or shouldn't, and the verb in its base form. You should clear the path. He shouldn't eat street snow. Shouldn't is short for should not, and to never comes between should and the verb.

I, you, he, she, it, we, theyshould / shouldn't (= should not)base verb

You should clear the path.

Biscuit shouldn't eat street snow.

The same form for every person

Should never changes: I should walk slowly, she should shovel the path, they should clear the fire hydrant. Unlike most verbs, it takes no -s, and neither does the verb that follows, which has no -ed either: She should clean it, not She should cleans it.

Who✓ a good idea✗ a bad idea
II should walk slowly.I shouldn't run on the ice.
youYou should wear warm boots.You shouldn't use hot water on ice.
heHe should help his neighbor.He shouldn't eat street snow.
sheShe should shovel the path.She shouldn't leave the snow there.
itThe path? It should be wide.It shouldn't be narrow.
weWe should spread salt.We shouldn't wait all day.
theyThey should clear the fire hydrant.They shouldn't push snow into the street.

Asking for advice: Should I…?

Questions start with should, with no do: Should I bring a shovel? The short answers are Yes, you should and No, you shouldn't. For open questions, the question word comes first: What should I do? What should we wear?

Ask for advice

QuestionAnswer
Should I bring a shovel?Yes, you should. / No, you shouldn't.
Should we push the Toaster?No, you shouldn't. It's too heavy!
What should I do?You should spread some salt.
What should we wear?I think you should wear warm boots.

Advice on a snowy morning

  • What should I do? Should I push it?
  • No, you shouldn't. It's too heavy.
  • He shouldn't eat street snow.
  • You should spread some salt first.

I think you should…

I think in front makes advice friendlier: I think you should walk slowly. I think he should wear a hat. It's a natural reply to What should I do?, and the verb after should keeps its base form.

I think you should…

Want to sound friendly? Start with I think: I think you should walk slowly. I think he should wear a hat. Ask for advice with Should I…? or What should I do?

Advice or a law?

Should is advice: Good neighbors should help. A city law is stronger, and the rule itself says must: In New York, owners must clear the sidewalk. Learners only meet must here; it is taught in A2.2.

Advice or a law?

should is advice, a good idea: Good neighbors should help. A city law is stronger: in New York, owners must clear the sidewalk. You learn must in A2.2.

Common mistakes

  • You should to clear the path.

    You should clear the path.

    no to after should

  • He shoulds help. She should cleans it.

    He should help. She should clean it.

    no -s: should is the same for every person

  • Do I should bring a shovel?

    Should I bring a shovel?

    questions: Should I…? (no do)

  • You should cleared the snow.

    You should clear the snow.

    should + base verb, no -ed

More lessons on this grammar: Modal verbs lessons and exercises

Try the should exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 15 auto-checked exercises
  • 5 games
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • give advice with should and the base verb: You should wear warm boots. We should spread salt.
  • warn against a bad idea with shouldn't: You shouldn't use hot water on ice.
  • ask for advice and answer: Should I bring a shovel? – Yes, you should. What should I do?
  • make advice sound friendly with I think: I think you should walk slowly.

Lesson 26 comes second in Neighbors and community, unit 7 of English A2.1 · Then and Now. Advice follows on from the suggestions of A2.1 lesson 23 (Let's…, Why don't we…?, How about…?), and should works like could from lesson 8, with the base verb after it. Must and mustn't follow in A2.2 lesson 22. New York's sidewalk rule turns a snowy morning into a list of things neighbors should and shouldn't do.

A spin of the wheel about snow and cold days comes first, then ten winter words with pictures and audio, shovel, slush, snowplow and nor'easter among them. Students read a city notice on who clears the sidewalk and how fast, then listen to Marco and his neighbor Ruth on a snowy morning and to a voice message from Grandpa, both AI-voiced. In the grammar chapter, every drill after the scheme checks itself: students choose between should and shouldn't, fill gaps marked +, – or ?, put advice in order and pick the right sentence. A chat with a friend who needs advice follows, and open boxes bring problems such as a friend who is very cold.

The homework's eight tasks all check themselves: matching the new words to their meanings, unscrambling them and putting them in gaps, a table that turns advice into Should…? questions, snow-day advice to choose, word order, a sort of what a good neighbor should and shouldn't do, and a post to complete by drag-and-drop.

Grammar:
should / shouldn't · advice · Should I…? · What should we do? · I think you should…
Topic:
New York in winter · snow · neighbors · the sidewalk snow rule · nor'easter · snow days

Teaching tips

  • Start with a problem on the board: It's icy. My car is stuck. Students call out advice with You should… and You shouldn't…, and you sort their ideas into two columns.
  • Before the city notice, ask who clears the sidewalk where students live. The notice then shows how New York's rule works, with its time limits and a path at least 4 feet wide.
  • Pause the snowy-morning dialogue after each question, such as Should I push it?, and let students guess the neighbor's answer before they hear it.
  • Make the open boxes a role-play: one student reads a box as a problem, such as a first nor'easter, and the partner answers with two pieces of advice, one with should and one with shouldn't.

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The whole course: English A2.1 · Then and Now

32 lessons for adults at A2 in simple American English, from the past simple to going to, should and might. Eight units tell stories of journeys, American firsts, food, places, sports, music, neighbors and dreams. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Amazing journeys

    the past simple, regular and irregular verbs, negatives, prepositions of movement

    1. Lesson 1Around the world in 72 daysThe past simple of regular verbs
    2. Lesson 2The first drive across AmericaIrregular verbs in the past simple
    3. Lesson 3Get your kicks on Route 66Past simple negatives with didn't
    4. Lesson 4She walked 2,000 miles in sneakersPrepositions of movement

  2. Unit 2 American firsts

    was and were, past questions and short answers, ago and in, could for past ability

    1. Lesson 5The first American woman in spaceWas, were, there was and there were
    2. Lesson 6A real bug in the computerPast simple questions with did
    3. Lesson 7“Mr. Watson, come here”Wh- questions in the past simple
    4. Lesson 8Twelve seconds in the airCould and couldn't for past ability

  3. Unit 3 American food

    countable and uncountable nouns, comparatives, ordering food, a few and a little

    1. Lesson 9The first chocolate chip cookieCountable and uncountable nouns in a recipe
    2. Lesson 10Is a jalapeño hotter than a habanero?Comparatives of short adjectives
    3. Lesson 11Two eggs, sunny side up!Offers and orders with would like
    4. Lesson 12Cooking for twenty on ThanksgivingA few, a little and a lot of

  4. Unit 4 City or country?

    comparatives with more and less, superlatives, as … as, too and enough

    1. Lesson 13The island with no carsComparatives with more and less, plus better, worse and farther
    2. Lesson 14America's extremesSuperlatives with the + -est, the most and the least
    3. Lesson 15San Francisco or Yosemite? You choose!As … as for the same, not as … as for less
    4. Lesson 16A park on an old railroadToo, enough and not … enough

  5. Unit 5 Game on

    play, go and do with sports, going to, adverbs of manner, reflexive pronouns

    1. Lesson 17Basketball started with peach baskets?Play, go and do with sports
    2. Lesson 18What's going to happen at LA 2028?Be going to for plans and predictions
    3. Lesson 19Pickleball: a game from a backyardAdverbs of manner
    4. Lesson 20Be brave and tryReflexive pronouns and each other

  6. Unit 6 Music and nights out

    love, enjoy and hate + -ing, the present continuous for plans, suggestions, to for purpose

    1. Lesson 21Where jazz was bornGerunds after love, like, enjoy, hate and don't mind
    2. Lesson 22Music on every streetThe present continuous for future arrangements
    3. Lesson 23A night on BroadwaySuggestions with Let's, Why don't we and How about
    4. Lesson 24An orchestra for every kidThe infinitive of purpose and to or for

  7. Unit 7 Neighbors and community

    much and many, should, something and everyone, because and so

    1. Lesson 25Everybody cleans up!Much and many with nouns you can and can't count
    2. Lesson 26 · you're hereGood neighbors shovel snowShould and shouldn't + the base verb
    3. Lesson 27Take a book, leave a bookIndefinite pronouns with some-, any-, no- and every-
    4. Lesson 28A bench for making friendsBecause for reasons, so for results

  8. Unit 8 Plans and dreams

    verb + to, the present continuous vs going to, might, when, before and after

    1. Lesson 29Never give up: from farm fields to spaceVerb + to + the base form
    2. Lesson 30Across America by trainGoing to and the present continuous for the future
    3. Lesson 31Open in the year 6939Might and might not for possibility
    4. Lesson 32A college graduate at 95Time clauses with when, before and after

Questions about this lesson

When do you use should and shouldn't?
Use should for a good idea, shouldn't for a bad one, most often when you give advice: You should wear warm boots. You shouldn't walk fast on ice. A reason usually comes nearby: It's very cold outside. You should wear a warm hat. The A2 lesson Good neighbors shovel snow on edio.ai practices both forms on a snowy New York morning.
How do you use should and shouldn't in a sentence?
Put should or shouldn't between the subject and the base verb: We should spread salt. They shouldn't push snow into the street. The form is the same for I, you, he, she, it, we and they, and the verb after it has no to, -s or -ed. Shouldn't is the short form of should not, and both are correct.
How do you ask a question with "Should I…?"
Start with should, then the subject and the base verb: Should I bring a shovel? Should we push it? Answer with Yes, you should or No, you shouldn't. For an open question, put What first: What should I do? Don't add do: Do I should bring a shovel? is wrong. The first grammar drill in Good neighbors shovel snow, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, offers it as a trap.
How do you give advice in English?
The simplest way is You should plus the base verb: You should spread some salt first. For a bad idea, say You shouldn't…, and to sound friendlier, start with I think: I think you should walk slowly. To ask for advice, say What should I do? In a chat on edio.ai, the A2 lesson Good neighbors shovel snow has students advise a friend on a snowy day.
Is should for advice or for rules?
Should gives advice; rules and laws use stronger words such as must. Good neighbors should help is advice: a good idea, not a duty. A law sounds different: In New York, owners must clear the sidewalk. So a friend says You should wear boots, while a city notice uses must or a plain instruction: Clear a path for people.
Is it "should go" or "should to go"?
It's should go, with no to after should: You should clear the path, not You should to clear the path. The verb keeps its base form, so there's no -s or -ed either: She should clean it, not She should cleans it; He should help, never He shoulds help. Ought to keeps its to, but should never has one.
What winter vocabulary do A2 students need?
Start with words for snow, ice and getting around in them: shovel, slip (slide on ice and almost fall), stuck (not able to move), sled and slush, wet, dirty snow on the street. City winters add snowplow, a big truck for clearing roads, and the path people shovel along a sidewalk. American English also has snow day, a school holiday for bad winter weather.
What does "nor'easter" mean?
A nor'easter is a big winter storm with wind from the northeast, and it's the word people on the East Coast of the US use for one. It brings snow and strong wind: Last night, a big nor'easter came to New York. The apostrophe shows that letters are missing, since the word is short for northeaster. In Good neighbors shovel snow on edio.ai, it's one of the ten word cards.
How do I teach should and shouldn't to A2 students?
Start with a real problem and ask for advice: It's icy. What should I do? Students answer with You should… or You shouldn't…, so the meaning is clear before the form. Then drill the base verb with no to or -s, and finish with questions like Should I…? Here, a city notice and a snowy-morning dialogue come first, and the scheme and drills follow.
What's a good game for practicing giving advice?
An open-the-box advice game works well: each box holds a problem, and whoever opens it gives advice. Your friend is very cold calls for You should wear a warm hat, and Your friend slipped on the ice for I think you should… Pairs can swap roles, one asking What should I do? and the other answering. This lesson's boxes include a winter visitor who needs two pieces of advice.
What's good homework for practicing should and shouldn't?
Self-checking drills about everyday problems keep the form accurate between classes: choosing should or shouldn't for each situation, turning She should shovel the path into Should she shovel the path? and sorting advice into what to do and what not to do. The homework of Good neighbors shovel snow on edio.ai has eight such tasks, all checked automatically.
Are there interactive exercises for should and shouldn't?
Yes: exercises that mark each choice show at once whether should or shouldn't fits. Four parts of Good neighbors shovel snow, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, are open to try before signing up: the city notice about clearing sidewalks, the dialogue between Marco and his neighbor Ruth, a drill that asks should or shouldn't? for each situation, and a chat in which a friend asks for advice. Everything else is locked.
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