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Suppose vs. Be Supposed To

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Common mistakes

  1. (NG) I supposed to be there at 8:30am.
    1. (OK) I am supposed to be there at 8:30am.
  2. (NG) What are you suppose you do?
    1. (OK) What are you supposed to do?

Grammar words and phrases in context
I think it is very important for a teacher to always suppose his or her students enjoy the subject they are teaching. That will keep the idea in the teacher’s mind that they need to make the lesson interesting. And that reminds me – all teachers are supposed to walk into the classroom fully prepared for the lesson.

We use suppose to mean guess or assume. We usually use suppose followed by a subject and verb in this way:

  1. Jack is an hour late. I suppose he is not coming.
  2. I suppose it is going to be a cold winter.
  3. Do you suppose the supermarket is open late tonight?

 We use be supposed to followed by a verb when we want to talk about something that is an obligation or duty.

  1. Jack is supposed to be at work at 9 every morning.
  2. We are supposed to hand in our term paper by the end of the week.
  3. All of the students in the class are supposed to do their homework.
  4. I am supposed to help my wife make dinner.

The difference between be supposed to and modal verbs like must or have to is that be supposed to has the nuance that someone has an expectation about what we are supposed to do.

  1. Jack is supposed to be at work at 9 every morning.

This means that someone, like Jack’s boss, is expecting that he will be at work at 9 every morning.

  1. I am supposed to help my wife make dinner.

This means that my wife expects me to help her make dinner.

The negative form, be not supposed to means forbidden or prohibited.

  1. You are not supposed to smoke on an airplane.
  2. The boss said we are not supposed to wear sneakers to the office.
  3. You are not supposed to enter that room. It’s private.

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