ENGLISH
REFERENCE

ought

v.
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //ˈɔt// UK //ˈɔːt// ought Archaic Formal General-service

v. used to say what is the right or sensible thing to do. You use it when you give advice or talk about what you expect to happen.

v. used to indicate duty, moral obligation, or advisability; also expresses a strong probability or expectation based on evidence.


SIMPLE

You ought to see a doctor about that cough.

CONTEXTUAL

The train ought to be here by now if it left the station on schedule.

COMPLEX

While the legal requirements are met, we ought to consider the ethical implications of our decision before proceeding with the merger.

Origin

From Middle English oughte, aughte, aȝte, ahte, from Old English āhte, first and third person singular past tense of Old English āgan (“to own, possess”), equivalent to owe + -t. Cognate with Sanskrit ईश्वर (īśvará, “capable of, liable”).

Usage

A modal verb followed by a 'to-infinitive'. It does not change form for person or tense and does not use 'do' for questions or negatives.

Pitfall

You ought go now.You ought to go now.Unlike most modal verbs like 'should' or 'must', 'ought' requires the particle 'to' before the following verb.

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