Necessity: must and have to

A Present, past and future

We use must and have to/has to to say that something is necessary. You'll be leaving college soon. You must think about your future. We're very busy at the office. I have to work on Saturday morning. Mark has to get the car repaired. There's something wrong with the brakes.

When we use the past, or the future with will, we need a form of have to.

Emma had to go to the dentist yesterday, not She must go-to~the-dentist yesterday.

That wasn't very good. We'll have to do better next time.
And in other structures we also use a form of have to, not must.
To-infinitive: / don't want to have to wait in a queue for ages.

After a modal verb: Emma has toothache. She might have to go to the dentist.
Present perfect: Mark has had to drive all the way to Glasgow.

For negatives and questions with have to/has to and had to, we use a form of do.

/ don't have to work on Sundays. Why does Andrew have to study every evening?

Did you have to pay for your second cup of coffee? ~ No, I didn't. I don't have to work means that it is not necessary for me to work (see Unit 48B).

B Must or have to?

Both must and have to express necessity, but we use them differently.

MUST

We use must when the speaker feels that

something is necessary.

You must exercise. (I'm telling you.) We must be quiet. (I'm telling you.)

I/we must can also express a wish.

/ must buy a newspaper. 1 want to see the racing

results.

We must invite Claire. She's wonderful

company.

HAVE TO

We use have to when the situation makes

something necessary.

I have to exercise. (The doctor told me.) We have to be quiet. (That's the rule.)

1 have to buy a newspaper. The boss asked melt get one.

We have to invite Trevor and Laura. They invited us last time.

Have got to

Have got to means the same as have to, but have got to is informal. We use it mainly in the present. I have to/I've got to make my sandwiches. My father has to/has got to take these pills. Do we have to apply/Have we got to apply for a visa?

48 Mustn't and needn't

47 Exercises

1 Have to (A)

Complete the conversations. Use the words in brackets and a form of have to.

► Melanie: David's broken his leg. He's had to go (he's / go) to hospital.
Harriet: Oh no! How long will he have to stay (will / he / stay) there?
Melanie: I don't know.

1 Claire: I parked my car outside the hairdresser's, and while I was in there, the police took the car

away. I've got it back now. But..................................................................... (I / pay) a lot of money.

Henry: How much................................................. ... (you / pay)?

Claire: Two hundred pounds!

2 Trevor: That door doesn't shut properly................ . (you / slam) it every time.
Laura: (you / will / fix) it then, won't you?

3 Jessica: You're always taking exams. Why ............................................ ... (you / take) so many?

Andrew: …………………………..(I / will / take) a lot more if I want a good job.

4 Mike: We're in a new house now................................................... (we / move). The old place was

too small.

Nick: Did it take you long to find a house?
Mike: No, we found one easily. ....................................................... (we / not / look) very hard. But it

was in bad condition....................................... (we've / do) a lot of work on it.

5 Nick: My brother................................. ……………………… (start) work at five o'clock in the morning.

Melanie: That's pretty early. What time ................................(he / get) up?

Nick: Half past three.

2 Must and have to (B)

Write a sentence with must, have to or has to.

► The sign says: 'Passengers must show their tickets.'

So passengers have to show their tickets.

► The children have to be in bed by nine.

Their parents said: 'You must be in bed by nine.'

1 Laura has to get to work on time.

Her boss told her: .............................................................................................................

2 The police told Nick: 'You must keep your dog under control.'
So Nick ………………………………………………………………………………....

3 The pupils have to listen carefully.

The teacher says: …………………………………………………………………….

4 The new sign says: 'Visitors must report to the security officer.'

So now …………………………………………………………………………………

3 Must or have to? (B)

Put in must ox have to/has to. Choose which is best for the situation.

► I have to go to the airport. I'm meeting someone.

1 You ............................................ lock the door when you go out. There've been a lot of break-ins recently.

2 Daniel …………………………..go to the bank. He hasn't any money.

3 I ................................... work late tomorrow. We're very busy at the office.

4 You really............................................... make less noise. I'm trying to concentrate.

5 I think you ............................................. pay to park here. I'll just go and read that notice.

6 You really ........................................ hurry up, Vicky. We don't want to be late.

7 I ...................................... put the heating on. I feel really cold.

Date: 2014-12-22; view: 1758