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Caroline and Pearson Brown give you their

English Grammar Secrets

Suppose 2

'Supposed to be' can be used to mean 'it is said/believed'.

  • The new James Bond movie is supposed to be excellent.
  • He is supposed to have been rude to Mark but I don't believe it.
  • It is supposed to be the best restaurant in town.

'Supposed to be' can also be used to talk about what is arranged, intended or expected. It is a bit like 'should'.

  • I'm supposed to get to work by 8.
  • John is supposed to turn off all the lights when he leaves.
  • I'm supposed to pay my rent on the first of the month.
  • It's not supposed to be here.

Often there is a suggestion that the action 'supposed to' happen does not actually happen.

  • I'm supposed to be there before 8 but I'm often late.
  • You were supposed to phone me.
  • I'm supposed to be getting on a plane to Tokyo at this very minute.

'Not supposed to' often suggests that something is not allowed or prohibited.

  • You're not supposed to smoke in here.
  • I'm not supposed to tell you.
  • We're not supposed to use the Internet for personal reasons at work.

'Suppose' can also be used as a conjunction to mean 'what if'. Notice that the verb which follows it is sometimes, but not always, put 'more in the past'.

  • Suppose we take the earlier train to Munich? It would give us more time there.
  • Suppose we took the plane instead? That would give us even more time.
  • There's nobody in reception to let our visitors in. Suppose I sit there until somebody comes?
  • I'm going to ask him for a pay increase. ~ Suppose he said 'no'? What would you do?

exercise 1

exercise 2

exercise 3

exercise 4

exercise 5

exercise 6

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