English Modals: Obligation & Necessity

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Questions and Answers

You ______ stop at the ‘STOP’ sign.

must

You ______ arrive late to work.

mustn’t

In the past, you ______ have to complete all assignments.

had to

You ______ need to bring your lunch today if you prefer.

don’t Signup and view all the answers

We ______ to slow down at this junction.

have Signup and view all the answers

I ______ need to finish my homework before dinner.

do Signup and view all the answers

You ______ needn’t worry about the meeting; it was canceled.

need Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Must, Mustn't

Used to express strong obligation or prohibition in the present or future.

Have to

Expresses obligation, necessity, or a need to do something. It can be used in present, past, and future tenses.

Had to

The past tense form of 'must' and 'have to', used to express an obligation or necessity in the past.

Need to

Expresses a requirement or necessity to do something.

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Needn't, Don't need to

Used to express lack of necessity or obligation. It means something is not required to be done.

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Don't have to

Expresses lack of obligation. It means something is optional, not required to do.

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Expressing Obligation and Necessity

The use of 'must', 'mustn't', 'have to', 'need to', 'needn't', and 'don't need to' to convey requirements, prohibitions, and lack of necessity.

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Study Notes

Expressing Obligation

Must, mustn't, have to: Used to express obligation in the present and future.
Must: Example: You must stop at the 'STOP' sign.
Mustn't (must not): Example: You mustn't arrive late to work. (not allowed to)
Have to: Example: You have to slow down at this junction.
Mustn't's past: There is no past tense of mustn't.
Past tense of must and have to: had to

Expressing Necessity and Lack of Necessity

Have to, need to: Used to express necessity in the present, past, and future.
Negative forms (lack of necessity): Don't have to, needn't.
Need (vs have): Used interchangeably in many cases.
Example 1: "I have to finish a report but I don't need to hand it in until tomorrow."
Example 2: I needed to answer the phone and deal with customer complaints (last job necessity)
Example 3: We will have to book an airport taxi (future necessity).
Example 4: We won't have to find a hotel (lack of future necessity).

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Description

This quiz covers the use of modal verbs such as 'must', 'mustn't', and 'have to' to express obligation and necessity in English. It includes examples and clarifications on past forms and negative constructions. Test your understanding and improve your mastery of these essential modal verbs.