Lesson 27 had better
Choose the correct answers:
Walking at night in some parts of the city could be very dangerous. Here are some warnings from my friends:
- You __________ (have better finish, had better finish, had better to finish) your business during the day.
- You __________ (have not better walk, had not better walk, had better not walk) alone at night.
- You __________ (have better staying, had better to stay, had better stay) in a group.
Explain:
“Had better” is used to give warnings or strong advice. It implies that something serious might happen if the advice is not followed. Below are the rules of how to use “had better”:
– Even though “had” is in the past tense, “had better” means present or future.
– It is followed by a base verb: had better + base verb
– The negative is had better + not + base verb”
– It is almost always used in conversations, not in formal writing.
– Its contraction form such as “You’d better” is more commonly used. Sometimes, “d” is even dropped as in “You better…”
- In Sentence #1, had better + base verb “finish” (positive)
- In Sentence #2, had better + not + base verb “walk” (negative)
- In Sentence #3, had better + base verb “stay” (positive)
Review:
This is the third time in a week when Lucas has a severe migraine headache. He __________ (have better take, had better take, ‘d better to take) take a day off work. He __________ (had better call, would better to call, had better calling) his doctor. Most importantly, he __________ (had not better ignore, ‘d better not ignore, ‘d better not ignoring) this health issue anymore.
Answers:
had better finish; had better not walk; had better stay
had better take; had better call; ‘d better not ignore
