shouldn't

English

Etymology

should +‎ -n't

Pronunciation
  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈʃʊdn̩t/
  • Audio (US)(file)

Verb

shouldn't

  1. should not (negative auxiliary[1])

Usage notes

Although shouldn't is derived from should not, the two are not grammatically interchangeable. While "Shouldn't I do it?" is grammatical, "Should not I do it?" is no longer acceptable. It would instead be "Should I not do it?"[1]

Derived terms

See also

References
  1. Zwicky, Arnold M.; Geofrey K. Pullum (1983), “Cliticization vs. Inlection: English n't”, in Language, volume 59, issue 3, pages pp. 502–513
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