Unit 18: Auntie Annie's Advice Column

Dear Auntie Annie…

Auntie Annie writes an advice column for the Round Hill Gazette. Every week, readers send her their problems. Some are serious, some are silly, and some are both.

Meet Auntie Annie.
She is kind, practical and occasionally mischievous. She believes in giving advice, but she also believes that people should think for themselves.

In this unit, you'll read letters, discuss problems, give advice and write a reply of your own.

Step 1

Meet the problem

Read this letter to the Round Hill Gazette.

Dear Auntie Annie,

My brother has invited twelve people to dinner on Saturday. He didn't ask me first, although he expects me to cook. The oven has stopped working, I have only £15 until payday, and he says I shouldn't worry because he has bought a packet of crisps.

He also says I ought to be grateful because one of the guests is bringing a guitar. I like music, but I don't think guitar music will feed twelve hungry people.

What should I do? Should I tell everyone to bring a sandwich, or should I hide until Monday?

Yours desperately,
Nadia

Check your understanding

1. How many people has Nadia's brother invited?

2. What is wrong with the oven?

3. Why is Nadia worried about money?

Talk about it

What do you think Nadia should do? Tell a partner before you read Auntie Annie's reply.

Step 2

Should and shouldn't

Auntie Annie often uses should to recommend a good idea and shouldn't to advise against something.

You should talk to your brother.
This is a good idea.

You shouldn't spend all your money.
This is not a good idea.

Questions are useful when we ask for advice:

What should I do?
Should I invite everyone to a restaurant?

After should and shouldn't, use the base form: should talk, shouldn't hide. Don't add to.

Complete the advice

Use the base verb in brackets. Type the missing words. Contractions and full forms are both accepted where appropriate.

1. You ______ (talk) to your brother before Saturday.

2. You ______ (not / spend) your last £15 on crisps.

3. ______ I ______ (ask) the guests to bring something?

4. Nadia ______ (not / hide) until Monday.

Step 3

Ought to and oughtn't to

Auntie Annie also uses ought to and oughtn't to. They often mean much the same as should and shouldn't, although should is more common in everyday conversation.

Dear Nadia,

You ought to tell your brother that inviting twelve people without asking you is unfair. He ought to help with the food, too. You oughtn't to spend your last £15 on a dinner you didn't agree to prepare. And you certainly oughtn't to hide until Monday — unless you have a very comfortable hiding place!

Ask each guest to bring something simple. Your brother ought to provide the main dish, and someone else can bring a salad. If the oven is broken, you ought to choose food that doesn't need cooking.

Above all, you should remember that you are his sister, not his unpaid restaurant manager.

Good luck,
Auntie Annie

Ought is followed by to before the main verb: ought to tell. In the negative, we can say ought not to or oughtn't to.

Match the meanings

1. “You ought to tell him.”

2. “You oughtn't to spend your last £15.”

3. Which sentence is correct?

Change the wording

Rewrite each sentence using the other expression.

1. You should apologise. → You ______ apologise.

2. You oughtn't to be rude. → You ______ be rude.

Step 4

Advice, choices and consequences

Read three more letters. Decide what the writer should do before looking at the suggestions.

Dear Auntie Annie,

My flatmate plays the drums at midnight. I have an important interview tomorrow, but he says music helps him relax. What should I do?

— Sleepless in Sussex

Dear Auntie Annie,

I want to learn English, but I feel embarrassed when I make mistakes. Should I stop speaking until my grammar is perfect?

— Quiet in Class

Dear Auntie Annie,

My friend wants to borrow money again. He still hasn't paid back the money I lent him last month. What ought I to do?

— The Unpaid Bank

Give advice

Choose a sentence that fits each problem. Then compare your own advice with a partner's.

1. Sleepless in Sussex

2. Quiet in Class

3. The Unpaid Bank

Use your own words

Choose one letter. Give two pieces of advice: one with should or shouldn't, and one with ought to or oughtn't to.

Step 5

Auntie Annie's advice clinic

Now it's your turn to be the agony aunt or uncle. Choose a problem and discuss what the person should do.

Problem A: Your cousin spends all night playing video games and is tired at work.
Problem B: Your neighbour keeps borrowing things and never returns them.
Problem C: Your friend is afraid to apply for a better job because they might fail.

Advice starters

You should…
You shouldn't…
You ought to…
You oughtn't to…
If I were you, I'd…

Try to give two different pieces of advice for the same problem. Do you and your partner agree?

Choose the natural form

1. You ______ talk to your manager if the problem continues.

2. You ______ to tell lies about your friend.

3. ______ I ask my teacher for help?

Step 6

The reply that went too far

Auntie Annie's next letter is from a reader who has taken her advice very literally.

Dear Auntie Annie,

You told Nadia that she should ask her guests to bring food. I tried your advice at my own dinner party. I told everyone they ought to bring a dish, so they did. One guest brought a bowl of porridge, another brought twelve lemons, and my uncle brought a large bag of dog biscuits because he misunderstood the message.

Then I told my brother he shouldn't play music during dinner. He took his guitar outside and played under my bedroom window until midnight. What should I do now?

Yours in despair,
Peter

Dear Peter,

You should explain your instructions more clearly next time. You ought to tell your uncle that dog biscuits aren't suitable for human guests. You shouldn't invite your brother to provide the entertainment until you have discussed the meaning of the word quiet.

And you oughtn't to blame me for everything. I gave advice; I didn't organise the concert!

Yours,
Auntie Annie

Check your understanding

1. What unusual things did Peter's guests bring?

2. Why did Peter's brother play outside?

3. What does Auntie Annie say about her role?

Write your own advice-column reply

Choose one problem from Step 4 or Step 5. Write a short reply as Auntie Annie. Include at least two examples of should/shouldn't and one example of ought to/oughtn't to.

Remember

Should / shouldn't + base form: You should talk to him. You shouldn't worry.
Ought to / oughtn't to + base form: You ought to ask. You oughtn't to be rude.
Use these forms to give advice or say what you think is a good or bad idea.
Should is more common in everyday speech; ought to is also useful to recognise and use.
For a personal recommendation, you can also say: If I were you, I'd…

Teaching notes

Let learners discuss Nadia's problem before reading Auntie Annie's reply. Encourage them to disagree politely and to give more than one possible solution. The humorous letters provide context for the language; the teacher can model the forms orally before learners complete the written exercises.

In open tasks, accept any grammatically correct advice that fits the problem. In gap-fill tasks, the answer checker is intended to accept natural contractions and equivalent forms when the prompt allows them.