Unit 35. Had better It's time …
(использование оборотов Had better и It's time …)
Had better (I'd better / you'd better etc.)
I'd better do something = it is advisable to do it. If I don't, there will be a problem or a danger:
- I have to meet Ann in ten minutes. I'd better go now or I'll be late.
- ‘Shall I take an umbrella?’ ‘Yes, you'd better. It might rain.’
- We'd better stop for petrol soon. The tank is almost empty.
The negative is I'd better not (= I had better not):
- A: Are you going out tonight?
B: I'd better not. I've got a lot of work to do. - You don't look very well. You'd better not go to work today.
You can use had better when you warn somebody that they must do something:
- You'd better be on time. / You'd better not be late. (or I'll be very angry)
Note that:
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Had better and should
Had better is similar to should (see Unit 33) but not exactly the same.
We use had better only for a particular situation (not for things in general).
You can use should in all types of situation to give an opinion or to give advice:
- It's cold today. You'd better wear a coat when you go out. (a particular situation)
- I think all drivers should wear seat belts, (in general - not ‘had better wear’)
Also, with had better, there is always a danger or a problem if you don't follow the advice. Should only means ‘it is a good thing to do’. Compare:
- It's a great film. You should go and see it. (but no danger, no problem if you don't)
- The film starts at 8.30. You'd better go now or you'll be late.
It's time…
You can say ‘It's time (for somebody) to do something’:
- It's time to go home. / It's time for us to go home.
You can also say:
- It's late. It's time we went home.
Here we use the past (went) but the meaning is present or future, not past:
- It's 10 o'clock and he's still in bed. It's time he got up. (not ‘It's time he gets up’)
It's time you did something = ‘you should have done it already or started it’. We often use this structure to criticise or to complain:
- It's time the children were in bed. It's long after their bedtime.
- The windows are very dirty. I think it's time we cleaned them.
You can also say: It's about time… / It's high time… . This makes the criticism stronger:
- Jack is a great talker. But it's about time he did something instead of just talking.
- You're very selfish. It's high time you realised that you're not the most important person in the world.