should have

Hi, lawn2llawn2,

No, that is not how should is used. Say one of the following.

I think she went shopping.
She might have gone shopping.
I think she might have gone shopping.

Here you can learn about the usage of modals:

htt

In American English, this is not standard English.
In other dialects, such as Indian English, you might hear this quite regularly.

American English:
"Do you know where Liz is?" "I think she is / has gone / went shopping."

"Should" expresses obligation, or what is the right thing to do:.
In general:
You should brush your teeth after meals.
You should he

What about this one?

I think she should have arrived at the office by now. I'll give her a call.
In this sentence I think "should have" is used to express something which may or may not have happened. Is this sentence okay?

Thanks

Liya

lawn2llawn2Is this sentence okay?

Yes, this kind of should is used to express probability or expectation.

So, as for my fisrt sentence, why can't I use "should have" since "should have" can also be used to express probability that something took place in the past?

I think she should have gone shopping (probably she went shopping).
Sorry If I keep asking because I still dont really get it.

Thanks

lawn2llawn2I think she should have arrived at the office by now. I'll give her a call.

Lila;
In this case, there is an expectation of some obligation or commitment.
She is supposed to be at the office at 9:00.

It is 9:30. She should be in her office now. She should have arrived a half-hour ago.
If she isn't then there might (not

Just to double check:
"Do you know where Liz is?" "She can't be at the office. She should have left the office by now"

This one is not right as well because no one is really commited to leaving the office?

lawn2llawn2Sorry If I keep asking because I still dont really get it.

It's all right, Liya. English can be a pain sometimes!

I think she should have arrived at the office by now.

Used this way, should indicates that something should happen by a specific time, that it is expected to happen within a certain time frame, wher

lawn2llawn2She should have left the office by now"
This one is not right as well because no one is really commited to leaving the office?

The sentence is correct. The usage is not limited to commitment. See my previous post.

lawn2llawn2"Do you know where Liz is?" "She can't be at the office. She should have left the office by now"

Actually, it is correct. It is an expectation. We expect her to leave the office at a certain time.
We use should when there is an expectation or commitment or obligation.

Liz works from 9:00 to 5:00. She eats lunch from 12:00 to 1:0