Video summary

Book 2, Unit 15 Part 2 - Past Modals

Main summary

Key takeaways

Educational

Main ideas / concepts

The video teaches past modals (also called “modal + have + past participle”) and how to use them to talk about:

  • Regret about past decisions/actions
  • Hypothetical past situations
  • Advice about what someone should have done differently
  • Personal opinion/advice using would (with I as the subject)

Dental-related real-world examples (regret + advice)

  • The girl “hadn’t come” for years → should have come earlier
  • She started smoking again → shouldn’t have done that
  • She drinks wine daily → should have been more responsible
  • She needs hygiene appointments → advice to see the hygienist

Key methodology: sentence structure (grammar formula)

Past modals follow this basic structure:

  • Subject + modal + have + past participle

Examples given:

  • I should have listened (regret)
  • You should have been more careful (advice)

How to choose the modal (should vs would, and regret vs advice)

1) “Should” — regrets and advice

“Should have + past participle” can express:

  • Regret (when the subject is I)
    • Example: I shouldn’t have eaten so much pizza.
  • Advice (when the subject is you / other people)
    • Example: You should have gotten there earlier.

The video contrasts:

  • I should have… → often regret/past lesson
  • You should have… → advice about what to do differently

2) “Would” — personal opinion / advice with I

“Would have + past participle” is used to give advice that reflects the speaker’s personal opinion, and it uses I as the subject.

  • Example: I would have taken a different route.

Quick decision rule emphasized

  • If the sentence subject is I:
    • Use should for regret
    • Use would for personal-opinion advice
  • If the sentence subject is you:
    • Use should for advice (not would)

Instructional examples for context

A) Advice using “should have” (video’s illustration)

  • Prompt idea: “You ___ have been more careful.”
  • Correct completion:
    • You should have been more careful.

B) Questions with past modals (question formation)

The video uses the “usual question” pattern:

  • Question word + auxiliary/modal area + subject + have + past participle (+ extra details)

Example pattern:

  • What would you have done differently?
    • Answer example: I would have gone to a different party.

C) “Where” question + “should” (location-based)

  • Prompt sentence: You should have gone to a Spanish-speaking country.
  • Reframed as a question:
    • Where should I have gone?

Correction note: the earlier draft “Where should I gone…” is corrected to include have:

  • Correct: Where should I have gone?

Then the matching advice/response format is:

  • You should have gone… (statement form)

Speakers / sources featured

  • Oliver 12 (the course/host persona implied by “hello and welcome back to Oliver 12”)
  • Dr. Lowenstein (mentioned in the example scenario; not a speaker in the subtitles)
  • The hygienist (mentioned as someone to visit; not a speaker in the subtitles)

Original video