We use SHOULD with LEST.
As in these examples-
(a) I work hard lest I should fail.
So now is this sentence correct-
”I was afraid lest something should have happened to you”.
lest + should(we use)
lest + should have +3rd form of verb(is it also used?)
The conjunction can be confusing for language learners and even for some native English speakers this is why it is not used very often in everyday, colloquial language.
It can confuse learners and some native speakers because it has a negative meaning, it means for fear that, in case.Lest refers to an action that has been done in order to avoid something unwanted. For example;
- I won’t say anything else, lest we should argue again.
- Tomorrow I will quit my job, lest my boss should treat me worse.
Should is the only auxiliary verb that can be used with lest, you cannot use may, might, could, etc, with the conjunction.
You can use the conjunction with the past participle or the third form. For example:
- I didn’t say anything else, lest we should have argued again.
- I quit my job earlier, lest my boss should have treated me worse.
As you can see the tense in the first clause must agree with the tense in the second clause, therefore if you do want to use the past participle be careful with the previous clause.
