Grammar question about should have past participle.

Question

Hello.

I have a question about the meaning of 'should have past participle'

As far as I know, It is used when talking about things we regret.

But I can't catch the meaning of the part-' should have published' in the next paragraph.

Beyond the practical need to make order out of chaos, the rise of dictionaries is associated with the rise of the English middle class, who were anxious to define and circumscribe the various worlds to conquer-lexical as well as social and commercial. It is highly appropriate that Dr Samuel Johnson, the very model of an eighteenth-century literary man, as famous in his own time as in ours, should have published his Dictionary at the very beginning of the heyday of the middle class.

Dr. Johnson should have published his dictionary at the very beginning of the hey day of the middle class.

Could you paraphrase this sentence for me to understand?

Thank you.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

YJ LeeIt is highly appropriate that Dr Samuel Johnson ... should have published his Dictionary at the very beginning of the heyday of the middle class.

There are three uses of "should". There is the should that advises (You should see that movie) and the should of expectation (Max should be here soon), and these two are usually familiar to learners. The third is called "evaluative should", and it is governed by an introductory expression like "It is appropriate that", "It is fitting that", "It is surprising that", "It is sad that". This kind of should is similar to the present subjunctive.

You might paraphrase evaluative should with 'the fact that', thus:

It's sad that he should have lost the game.
~ The fact that he lost the game is sad.

It's odd that Bella should have written that email.
~ The fact that Bella wrote that email is odd.

CJ

Grammar question about should have past participle.

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