In which of the following sentence/s 'ought to' indicates 'advisability or desirability' ?
(a) You ought to buy new tyres for your car; you may have an accident.
(b) We ought to help those people who are old and sick.
(c) There ought to be more goods available in this shop; it is supposed to be a supermarket.
(d) He left Delhi yesterday, so he ought to be here tomorrow.

Question

In which of the following sentence/s 'ought to' indicates 'advisability or desirability' ?
(a) You ought to buy new tyres for your car; you may have an accident.
(b) We ought to help those people who are old and sick.
(c) There ought to be more goods available in this shop; it is supposed to be a supermarket.
(d) He left Delhi yesterday, so he ought to be here tomorrow.

Accepted Answer

Option 2 is the correct answer because it identifies sentences (a) and (c) as instances where 'ought to' indicates 'advisability or desirability.'

1. **Explanation for Option 2:**
   - **Sentence (a):** "You ought to buy new tyres for your car; you may have an accident." Here, 'ought to' is used to advise someone to buy new tyres to prevent a potential accident. This clearly indicates advisability, as it suggests a prudent course of action to avoid danger.
   - **Sentence (c):** "There ought to be more goods available in this shop; it is supposed to be a supermarket." In this sentence, 'ought to' expresses a desirable situation where more goods should be available, aligning with the expectations of a supermarket. This reflects desirability, as it suggests an ideal state of affairs.

2. **Explanation for why other options are incorrect:**
   - **Option 1 (Only (b)):** Sentence (b) states, "We ought to help those people who are old and sick." While this sentence does express a moral obligation or duty, it is more about ethical responsibility rather than advisability or desirability in a practical sense. Therefore, it does not fit the specific criteria of advisability or desirability as clearly as sentences (a) and (c).
   - **Option 3 ((b) and (c)):** As explained above, sentence (b) does not primarily indicate advisability or desirability. While sentence (c) does fit the criteria, pairing it with sentence (b) does not fully align with the specific focus on advisability or desirability.
   - **Option 4 ((a), (b), and (d)):** Sentence (d) states, "He left Delhi yesterday, so he ought to be here tomorrow." In this context, 'ought to' is used to express a logical expectation or prediction rather than advisability or desirability. Therefore, including sentence (d) in the answer does not meet the criteria of advisability or desirability.

In conclusion, Option 2 correctly identifies sentences (a) and (c) as those where 'ought to' indicates advisability or desirability, making it the correct choice.