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English Step Up
B1 Intermediate
06

Modal Verbs — Obligation & Advice

Must, should, have to, ought to.

Visual Explanation

Modal + base verb

Subject+must / should / have to+base verb

Examples

You must wear a seatbelt in the car.

You should drink more water.

I have to finish this report by Friday.

When to Use

must / have to (obligation)
'Must' often expresses personal or internal obligation. 'Have to' often expresses external rules: 'I have to start at 9 — that's the company policy.'
should / ought to (advice)
Use these to recommend or suggest: 'You should see a doctor.' They are softer than 'must.'
mustn't vs. don't have to
'Mustn't' means it is forbidden. 'Don't have to' means it is not necessary: 'You don't have to come, but you mustn't be late if you do.'

Tip

The difference between 'mustn't' (prohibited) and 'don't have to' (optional) causes many errors. 'You mustn't park here' means it is against the rules. 'You don't have to park here' means you can park somewhere else if you prefer.

Practice Exercises

  • Multiple Choice

    Read the prompt and pick the correct answer from four options. A good way to test recognition before producing language yourself.

    Coming soon

  • Fill in the Blanks

    Complete sentences by typing the missing word or phrase. Tests active recall and spelling accuracy.

    Coming soon

  • Scrambled Sentences

    Drag words into the correct order to form a grammatically correct sentence. Builds structural intuition.

    Coming soon