shouldn

Shouldn is a nonstandard written form used to represent the contracted negation of the modal verb should. In standard English, negation of should is formed as should not or its contraction shouldn't. Shouldn appears mainly in dialect writing, informal transcripts, or casual text to convey a clipped pronunciation; it is not used in formal writing.

Origin and form: The contraction for negated modals is normally formed by attaching n't to the base verb, as in should not → shouldn't. In some dialects and in rapid speech representations, the o of not can be omitted, leaving shouldn' or shouldn. This makes shouldn a representation of pronunciation rather than a separate lexical entry in major dictionaries. Some sources treat shouldn as a typographical variant rather than a standard word.

Usage: Standard: You should not go there. Dialect or informal rendering: You shouldn' go there. Shouldn can appear in informal texting, dialogue in fiction, or transcripts to reflect speech. It should be avoided in formal writing and in contexts where precise negation could be misread.

See also: Contraction, English modal verbs, Dialect writing.