Modal Verb

I. Obligation: ( Must and have to )

A. Must express obligation that is used by the speaker. ( Speaker’s power )

1. Mother: You must clean your feet before going to bed.

2. Boss: You must finish this project

B. Have to express outside obligation ( Not speaker’s power, but someone else’s power)

1. Sister: You have to clean your feet before going to bed.

2. Colleague: You have to finish this project

Other example:

School: Everyone must wear uniform to school.

My father: Dara have to wear uniform to school.

Teacher: Jen must complete her exercise in class.

Friend of Jen: You have to complete her exercise in class.

The children have to buy the ticket first before entering the playground.
Jen must work until 5pm to finish her project.

Negative Form: Must not = ( 99 not do it ) if you do it, you will get a bad result.

Ex: She must not get to the airport because there is a serious traffic jam nearby.
Ex: You must not enter the cinema without a ticket. The guard will kick you out.

Negative Form: have not to = not necessary to do it, or you have another choice.

Ex: Jen doesn’t have to drive to school because she has a chauffeur.
Ex: We don’t have to hurry to cinema now. The movie starts at 8:00pm.

II. Advice or Recommendation (Should/ought to and Had better )

We use Should/ought to to give advice to someone.

E.g. She should go to sleep now.

E.g They should study hard to pass the exam.

We use Had better to give advice the same as should. However, it’s the strong advice, so if
someone doesn’t follow the advice, there is a bad result happening.

You had better go to hospital now. You will die.

She had better study hard, or she will fail her exam.
Prepared by Ying