Suppose versus supposed

Question

Which is correct when stating that someone is suppose (ed) to get back to you.

J7 · Accepted Answer

"Supposed" is correct, "suppose" is a conjugation of the verb "to suppose"

Matthewg · Answer

To continue j7's explanation, here are some examples:

Jade was supposed to get back to me. --> Jade was meant to contact me.

I suppose I will have to speak to the headmaster. --> I think I'll have to speak to the headmaster.

CalifJim · Answer

0 01i00(be) suppos01b00ed02b00 to02i00 is the idiom, and it sounds like suh-PO01b00S02b00T-too.02br
02br
00 In all other uses of the verb 01i00suppose02i00, the final 01b00s02b00 sounds like a 01b00z02b00.02br
02br
00 CJ0-

Anonymous · Answer

Which is correct?

My talk show is (suppose) to air today, or My talk show is (supposed) to air today.

Mister Micawber · Answer

My talk show is (supposed) to air today. Or you could read the post immediately above yours.

Anonymous · Answer

Does anyone have a sentence that "suppose" is supposed to be in?

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousDoes anyone have a sentence that "suppose" is supposed to be in?

I suppose you ask because you don't suppose that you have a sentence like that of your own. Do you suppose that you could write one now? Let's suppose that you could. What do you suppose it would be?

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

He's pot is, would we put an "ed" of suppose to? or not?

Anonymous · Answer

Suppose so.

Anonymous · Answer

Monday, December 05, 2005

suppose / supposed

1) I suppose I should go.
2) I am supposed to go.
3) He is the supposed leader.

The first difference between suppose and supposed is that suppose is a verb and supposed is an adjective. With this difference in mind, we can begin to understand the differences in meanings.

In 1), suppose has a meaning similar to think. Suppose generally expresses a belief that lacks certainty or an opinion.

In 2), supposed means required or obliged. It is similar in meaning to the modal should.
In 3), supposed means either mistakenly believed or based on not very strong evidence.

In 3), the meaning is closer to the verb meaning 1) than is 2).

Since 3) and 1) are somewhat similar, how can we tell them apart in reading?

Here are two sentences with supposed in them.

A. After waiting for a half an hour, she supposed her friend was not coming.
B. Her supposed friend had failed to support her in the disagreement.

In the first sentence, the verb, supposed, follows directly after the subject. In the second sentence, supposed is in the adjective place in a noun phrase, that is, it is in front of the noun.
The most common use of supposed, however, is after the BE verb as an adjective. In writing, don't forget the adjective form looks like the past tense, but it isn't really a verb, so it doesn't agree with time of the other verbs.

Suppose is sometimes used at the beginning of a sentence in an imperative sentence.

Suppose your parents don't come.

This sentence is used as a hypothetical statement, a sort of if-clause. It is similar to:

What if your parents don't come?

This use of suppose occurs when a writer wants the reader to think of something in a way that is different from the current reality.

Courtesy of Grammarramble.com

P.S. I have no connection with this web site, but it is correct in its explanation. G.D.

Suppose versus supposed

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

14 Answers

J7

Matthewg

CalifJim

Anonymous

Mister Micawber

Anonymous

CalifJim

Anonymous

Anonymous

Anonymous

Monday, December 05, 2005

suppose / supposed