Dec 4, 2020 · While the usage of ought to has been declining steadily in the last 300 years, it is still incredibly common. (The linked Ngram shows that it is roughly 1/3 as frequent as the word table …

Verbs like ought, should, must, have to express degrees of desirability or probability, neither of which really apply to non-sentient things like branches. Maybe the branches "ought not reach" according to …

Nov 12, 2010 · What is the difference between You should go and You ought to go? I rarely use the latter.

Mar 4, 2016 · As a result of this, the following "rule" is valid for remembering the modern English spelling of past participles that end in -aught/-ought: the spelling -aught contains the letter "a," and is used in …

Mar 9, 2019 · 'Ought' is an archaic spelling of 'aught', which is another old word meaning 'anything' or 'any'. So the meaning is: None of the believers considered that any of the things they owned were …

Oct 21, 2023 · It depends on whether the speaker has internalized ought as a separate item from oughtta. It's got no other use and it's rare with an uncomplemented infinitive. Phrases such as I ought …

Nov 29, 2022 · The current use of ought in standard English is a modal auxiliary (as present or future tense, mainly with to and infinitive). Etymonline says ought has been detached from owe since 17c. …

Jul 24, 2024 · The engineer, and more generally the designer, is concerned with how things ought to be - how they ought to be in order to attain goals, and to function. I don't see any problem with the …

Feb 15, 2017 · Ought to is a unit. In older English texts, or modern texts whose authors are trying to sound old, one occasionally comes across ought separated from its to (?_Ought I to awaken him?_) …

Is it appropriate to omit to after ought? I ought to be disciplined for my insolence. Vs. I ought be disciplined for my insolence. Is it okay to omit the to?