Using 'Had better' in the past

[aachu]

I was reading the use of 'had better', which is used to give strong advice or to tell people what to do about the present or future, in Michael Swan's book, and it occurred to me at once as to how can we use it in the past. For example, if I were to say: "It had been good if you had not gone there", can't we use 'had better' here making the sentence look somewhat like: "You had better not gone there"? Can it, at all, be used in the past?

 

[5jj]

You cannot make a suggestion/recommendation or give advice about the past. You can only hypothesise about something that did not happen:

It would have been better if you had gone.

 

[susiedq]

Perhaps someone can explain the unique use of "better" in the following sentences.

It does alter the verb.

He better keep that quiet.

He had better save his allowance if he wants to buy that car.

He better have kept that quiet.

 

[emsr2d2]

Perhaps someone can explain the unique use of "better" in the following sentences.

It does alter the verb.

He better keep that quiet.
I would never say this. I would say "He had better keep that quiet".

He had better save his allowance if he wants to buy that car.
I agree with the wording of this one.

He better have kept that quiet.
As with number 1, that's not what I would say. I would say "He had better have kept that quiet".

Sorry to disagree with another native speaker but my comments are above in red. In numbers 1 and 3 I would contract "He had" to "He'd" which may well be why many people think they're just hearing "He better".

 

[BobSmith]

It might be AmE, or perhaps a silent "apostrophe d" as you mentioned, but I hear variations of "You better do what you're told." quite often.

You better go to sleep.
You better shut up.
You better watch where you're going
... watch your step.
...watch what you're doing.

All of these sound "natural" to me.

 

[5jj]

You'll hear 'you better' in BrE, and children have been heard sayin such things as 'you better go, bettern't you', as if 'better' were a modal verb. However, in written BrE 'you better' is unacceptable. In spoken BrE, we assume that the "'d"is there, even if it's not heard.

 

[aachu]

It might be AmE, or perhaps a silent "apostrophe d" as you mentioned, but I hear variations of "You better do what you're told." quite often.

You better go to sleep.
You better shut up.
You better watch where you're going
... watch your step.
...watch what you're doing.

All of these sound "natural" to me.

Not a teacher, nor a native speaker.

Yes, they do. Swan says that 'Had' is dropped in very informal speech.

 

[5jj]

Yes, they do. Swan says that 'Had' is dropped in very informal speech.

He actually wrote that it is 'sometimes dropped in very informal speech' (my emphasis added).

This is one of the times that Swan cannot be totally relied on. It is very difficult indeed to be sure whether the "'d" has been dropped, or simply not released.

 

[Barb_D]

I will fully own up to having previously "I didn't used to" because I it sounds the same as "I didn't use to." And that's an error, which I no longer make.

But I agree with my fellow American. We use "You better..." quite frequently on this side of the pond. "You better watch your step!"

In fact, the latter is in an Elvis Costello song, and he's from London. Granted, song lyrics are the bane of our existance. But here's one more: You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm telling you why: Santa Claus is coming to town.

 

[5jj]

But I agree with my fellow American. We use "You better..." quite frequently on this side of the pond. "You better watch your step!"

I offer discounts to Americans who take English courses with me. ;-)

 

[emsr2d2]

I will fully own up to having previously "I didn't used to" because I it sounds the same as "I didn't use to." And that's an error, which I no longer make.

But I agree with my fellow American. We use "You better..." quite frequently on this side of the pond. "You better watch your step!"

In fact, the latter is in an Elvis Costello song, and he's from London. Granted, song lyrics are the bane of our existance. But here's one more: You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm telling you why: Santa Claus is coming to town.

I always hear, and sing, "You'd better watch out, you'd better not cry" albeit it with a rather swallowed "apostrophe + d". It might not clearly come out of my mouth but if I wrote the lyrics down, I would use "You'd".

 

[Barb_D]

Sure, but you're on the east side of the big pond.
Just for fun, I checked about five sites that provide lyrics. All of them had "You better" (but they were American sites).

 

[5jj]

I suppose I'd better admit that I have just checked with the British National Corpus.

They have quite a few 'you better' citations.:-(

 

[Barb_D]

I suppose I'd better admit that I have just checked with the British National Corpus.

They have quite a few 'you better' citations.:-(

Hmm. Now here's a weird thing. When making a threat or admonition, I'm pretty sure I'd use the "you better" form. Yet, the idea of "I'd better get going now" seems totally normal... I give up!

 

[BobSmith]

Santa Claus is coming to town.

He better! ;-)

 

[Tdol]

"You had better not gone there"? Can it, at all, be used in the past?

You can say You'd better not have gone there, meaning that the speaker will be angry if they find out that you did go there.

 

[emsr2d2]

You can say You'd better not have gone there, meaning that the speaker will be angry if they find out that you did go there.

Regular exchange in my flat, between me and my flatmate:

Flatmate: Oh, I've used all the milk, by the way.
Me: You'd better not have. I won't be impressed.
Flatmate: OK, I haven't used all the milk then.
Me: You have, haven't you?
Flatmate: Yup.

 

[5jj]

You'd better look for a new flatmate.