Obligation, prohibition, lack of necessity and advice with must, have to and should
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- 1Multiple choice
You wear a seatbelt in a car. It's the law.
mustmustn'tdon't have toneedn'tWe use 'must' for strong obligations such as rules and laws. - 2Multiple choice
You smoke in the hospital. It's forbidden.
don't have tohave tomustn'tshould'Mustn't' means something is not allowed. - 3Multiple choice
Tomorrow is Saturday, so I get up early.
mustn'tdon't have tomusthave to'Don't have to' means it is not necessary. - 4Multiple choice
You look tired. You go to bed earlier.
shouldn'tmustn'tdon't have toshouldWe use 'should' to give advice. - 5Fill the gap
Yesterday I stay at work late because of a meeting.
musthad tohave toshould'Must' has no past form, so we use 'had to' for obligation in the past. - 6Fill the gap
My sister is a nurse, so she (have to) work at night every week.
Answer: has toWith he/she/it we say 'has to'. - 7Fill the gap
How often you have to travel for work these days?
Answer: doQuestions with 'have to' in the present use 'do' or 'does'. - 8Fill the gap
You tell anyone my secret! Promise me.
don't have tomustmustn'tshouldAlso accepted: must not'Mustn't' is used when something is not allowed. - 9Fill the gap
We to wear a helmet on the building site. It's one of the rules.
Answer: haveAlso accepted: need'Have to' often describes rules made by other people. - 10True / false
This sentence is correct: 'She must to leave before eight.'
Answer: FalseAfter 'must' we use the infinitive without 'to': 'She must leave.' - 11Discussion question
What rules did you have to follow at school? Which of them were useful?
Sample answer: We had to wear a uniform and we weren't allowed to use our phones in class. The phone rule was useful because we paid more attention. - 12Discussion question
What advice would you give someone who wants to learn English quickly?
Sample answer: You should practise every day and you have to speak as much as possible. You don't have to understand every word in a film.