Present Modals of Obligation and Necessity
Must
Must is used to talk about strong obligations in the present and
future that are imposed by the speaker.
• You must do what I tell you to.
• You must stay away from video games for a while.
If you say that you must do something, you mean that
you strongly intend to do something in the future:
• I must phone my sister.
• We must get someone to fix that wheel.
• UK I mustn't bite my nails.
Must can be used for emphasis:
• I must say, you look absolutely great.
• I must admit, I wasn't looking forward to it.
Have to/Have got to
Have to/have got to are used to talk about strong obligations in
the present and future that are not imposed by the speaker.
• You have to carry plenty of water on your person at all
times.
• You have to know your family’s abilities and choose an
activity accordingly.
• You have to carry a physician’s release.
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If in doubt about whether to use must or have to, use have to.
Don't have to/Doesn't have to/Didn't have to
We use don't have to talk about lack of obligation or when
something is not necessary.
• You don't have to go with the biggest crowds. (It's not
necessary)
• She doesn't have to go with the expert climbers. (She can
go with the beginners)
Supposed to
We use be supposed to+ infinitive to talk about an obligation
which is different from what really happens, especially when you
are required to do something, but you don't do it for whatever
reason.
• Aren't you supposed to be in class right now? (i.e. not in the
park playing football)
You also use supposed to when something is common
knowledge of people.
• The Grand Canyon is supposed to be one of the world’s
premier national attractions. (it is meant to be)
• We're supposed to do five writing tasks each term. (But
most people only do two or three.)
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To
We can use the expression to be + to to say what is expected of
us. It is normally used in a formal context.
• The students are to stay in class during recess.
Weak obligation: should / ought to (present/future)
There is little difference in meaning between should and ought
to. Ought to can sound more formal.
You ought to/should write home more frequently.
In the past should have done and ought to have done are
often used for criticism or regret, because an action didn't
happen:
We should have /ought to have bought your sister a card for
her birthday.
• We should have /ought to have bought your sister a card
for her birthday.
Asking for and giving permission: can/could/may
Can is the more usual way of asking for and giving permission.
Could is a bit more polite and may is quite formal.
Can/may/could I borrow your bike? Yes, you can/may.
Other ways of asking for and giving permission are:
to allow someone to do (You are allowed to use a dictionary in
the exam.)
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to permit someone to do (It is permitted to use the calculator
in the test.)
to let someone do (Our teachers let us use laptops during
exams.)
Prohibition: mustn't/can't
Mustn't and can't are used when something is forbidden.
• You mustn't cross the road without looking.
• Elizabeth can't go out this evening - her father says so.
Other verbs which can be used are:
• to forbid someone to do something (It's forbidden
to smoke inside the building.)
• to ban someone from doing something (Matthew
is banned from entering football stadiums.)
• to not allow someone to do something
(You are not allowed to speak during the exam.)
• to not permit someone to do something (Standing is not
permitted in the stadium.)
• to not let someone do something. (Our parents won't let us
go out in the evening.)
It is also possible to use an imperative:
• Don't cycle on the pavement!
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