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Old 10-Dec-2004, 13:26
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Default should have

How are you? May I ask a question?
In dictionary,
If you say that something should have happened, you mean that it did not happed, but that you wish it had happened.

They wondered if they should ever have adopted a child at all.
( In this sentence, is it true that they didn't adopt a child,but they wish they had adopted a child?)

They wonder if they shouldn't have adopted a child at all.
(In this sentence, is it true that they adopted a child,but they wish they had not adopted a child?)
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Old 10-Dec-2004, 13:55
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Default Re: should have

Hello

should have happened means that it did not happen, but that you wish it had happened.

EXAMPLES
(1) They're wondering if they should've ever adopted a child at all.
=> They adopted a child, but now they are reconsidering the choice they made.

(2) They're wondering if they shouldn't have adopted a child at all.
=> Same as (1)
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