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Article: putative should
- Article from:
- The Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar
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Copyright information© The Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar 1998, originally published by Oxford University Press 1998. (Hide copyright information)
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putative should
The use of the word
should
, particularly in a subordinate clause, to refer tentatively to a possible situation, rather than to assert the situation as fact.Also called
EMOTIONAL
should
The term is particularly applied to the use of
should
in subordinate noun clauses where the
should
does not express obligation, but emphasizes an emotional reaction to a possible or presumed fact:It is a pity (
or
It is sad) that ...