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In the past, I have posted long “Talking about… in English” columns, but this year I would also like to start sharing some quick tips in short, easy to read posts. The first one is about “had better.”
Although it’s grammatically correct to say “had better,” English speakers often leave out “had” when speaking casually.
For example, instead of saying “I’d better leave soon” or “You’d better call her back,” they may say “I better leave soon” and “You better call her back.”
This is just a lazy shortcut, but it’s quite common. Don’t take this shortcut on an IELTS test, but feel free to use it in casual conversation!
If you do use “had” in speaking, do your best to use contractions like “I’d better” and “You’d better” instead of “I had better” and “You had better.” It will sound more natural.
