Timeline for Does "should have behaved" means different from "behaved" in this sentence?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
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| Oct 9, 2016 at 15:04 | history | edited | Andrew | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Oct 9, 2016 at 6:52 | history | bounty ended | Juya | ||
| Oct 9, 2016 at 6:50 | vote | accept | Juya | ||
| Oct 9, 2016 at 2:19 | comment | added | Readin | I think this answer is pretty much correct. But I think it is helpful to add that sometimes English speakers attempt to be more polite by adding unnecessary words. | |
| Oct 7, 2016 at 12:26 | comment | added | eques | "should have behaved" may be less common in contemporary English, at least in writing. It however doesn't sound wrong or difficult to understand for me. I think you are overly ascribing it to be "posh" or "affected". ""I would think he should have proposed to her by now" only might mean what you suggest it does in the context of subtext as the British upper-class were historically known to do (e.g. as in Downton Abbey). The sentence in plain meaning does not require "etiquette" | |
| Oct 6, 2016 at 15:30 | comment | added | Andrew | @Juya another example along these lines is "shan't", "I'm afraid Elizabeth shan't be coming to dinner," to mean, "Elizabeth won't be coming to dinner". I'm not certain if "shan't" is actually an upper-class speech or just kind of a faux-upper-class speech (used by the middle class to sound more upper class), but those kind of fine distinctions are a mystery to most native speakers. | |
| Oct 2, 2016 at 19:09 | comment | added | Andrew | @Juya if (for fun) you want to hear more examples of "upper-class British" English in context, I suggest you watch the television drama "Downton Abbey". The accents might be challenging (a mix of upper- middle-, and lower- class British, Irish, Scottish, American, and a few others) but you might get how the upper-class family talk compared with how the lower-class servants talk. | |
| Oct 2, 2016 at 16:54 | history | edited | Andrew | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Oct 2, 2016 at 6:53 | comment | added | Juya | Very interesting, Andrew! Thanks! So, a native understand much more form "should have behaved" than "behaved" alone. Would you please give some more examples? | |
| Oct 1, 2016 at 15:13 | history | edited | Andrew | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Oct 1, 2016 at 6:19 | history | edited | Andrew | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Oct 1, 2016 at 6:11 | history | answered | Andrew | CC BY-SA 3.0 |