Expected (Present use)
- Be supposed to
Be supposed to is used to show a strong expectation. It is used only in the present or past.
You know you're supposed to take off your shoes when you enter my grandmother's house.
Expected (Past use)
- Be supposed to
Be supposed to in the past tells someone whether an expectation happened or not. The affirmative suggests that the expectation didn't happen, and the negative suggests that the expectation did happen. This might seem confusing so read the following sentences and the explanations that follow to get a better understanding of this.
- "We didn't know we were supposed to pick up the dry cleaning on the way home..." (This means that we didn't pick up the dry cleaning.)
- "We weren't supposed to tell anyone about the present we bought." (Being quiet was the expectation, but we mentioned it.)
- "We were supposed to take the flowers from the maid." (Taking flowers was the expectation, but we didn't do it.)
These examples are still just guidelines so pay attention to how it is used in each situation! Look at the following example:
Jennifer: "What are you doing with that sack of potatoes? I already bought some."
Bob: "Mom told me that I was supposed to buy them!" (The expectation was that Bob had to buy the potatoes, and he did.)
Exercise
Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.