Ought To

"Ought to" is used to advise or make recommendations. "Ought to" also expresses assumption or expectation as well as strong probability, often with the idea that something is deserved. "Ought not" (without "to") is used to advise against doing something, although Americans prefer the less formal forms "should not" or "had better not."

Examples:

• You ought to stop smoking. recommendation
• Jim ought to get the promotion. It is expected because he deserves it.
• This stock ought to increase in value. probability
• Mark ought not drink so much. advice against something (notice there is no "to")

Using "Ought to" in Present, Past, and Future

Most modal verbs behave quite irregularly in the past and the future. Study the chart below to learn how "ought to" behaves in different contexts.

Modal Use	Positive Forms 1. = Present   2. = Past   3. = Future	Negative Forms 1. = Present   2. = Past   3. = Future	You can also use:
ought to recommendation, advice	1. Margaret ought to exercise more. 2. Margaret ought to have exercised more so she would be better prepared for the marathon. 3. Margaret ought to come to the fitness center with us tonight.	1. Margaret ought not exercise too much. It might cause injury. 2. Margaret ought not have run the marathon. She wasn't in good shape. 3. Margaret ought not stay at home in front of the TV. She should go to the fitness center with us.	should
ought to assumption, expectation, probability	1. She ought to have the package by now. 2. She ought to have received the package yesterday. 3. She ought to receive the package tonight.	"Ought not" is used primarily to express negative recommendations. (See above.)	shou

Had Better

"Had better" is most commonly used to make recommendations. It can also be used to express desperate hope as well as warn people.

Examples:

• You had better take your umbrella with you today. recommendation
• That bus had better get here soon! desperate hope
• You had better watch the way you talk to me in the future! warning

Using "Had Better" in Present, Past, and Future

Most modal verbs behave quite irregularly in the past and the future. Study the chart below to learn how "had better" behaves in different contexts.

Use	Positive Forms 1. = Present   2. = Past   3. = Future	Negative Forms 1. = Present   2. = Past   3. = Future	You can also use:
had better recommendation	1. SHIFT TO "SHOULD" OR "OUGHT TO" People should unplug toasters before they clean them.2. SHIFT TO "SHOULD HAVE" OR "OUGHT TO HAVE" You should have unplugged the toaster before you tried to clean it. 3. You had better unplug the toaster before you try to clean it.	1. SHIFT TO "SHOULD" OR "OUGHT TO" People shouldn't clean toasters without unplugging them first.2. SHIFT TO "SHOULD HAVE" OR "OUGHT TO HAVE" You shouldn't have cleaned the toaster without unplugging it first. 3. You had better not clean the toaster until you unplug it.	should, ought to
had better desperate hope, warning	The movie had better end soon.They had better be here before we start dinner. Desperate hopes and warnings usually refer to the near future.	They had better not be late.They had better not forget Tom's birthday gift. Desperate hopes and warnings usually refer to the near future.

Should - Positives, Negatives, and Questions

Should is a modal verb like can or must.      Positives      You should take it easy.      She should go to bed early.      We should go somewhere exciting for our holiday.      Negatives      You shouldn't get angry.      He shouldn't work so much.      I shouldn't do it if I were you.      Questions      Should we tell her the truth?      What should I do?      Shouldn't we try to finish it now?  Should and Shouldn't - Practice Exercise. Click on the words in the correct order to make positives, negatives and questions with should and shouldn't. Tip! If you have no idea what word should go next, you can click on all the words one by one.

MUST - HAVE TO AND NEED

If you want to say the sth. is unnecessary, use needn't - not mustn't.
Be careful: The negation of must means not allowed to.

I must play football. = I have to play football.

I needn't play football. = I don't need to play football. = I don't have to play football.

I mustn't play football. = I'm not allowed to play football.

You can use must only with Simple Present benutzt. If want to use it with other tenses, you need the form have to. This form is not the same regardless the subject. Look the following table.

Modal	have to in Simple Present
I must play football.	I have to play football.
You must play football.	You have to play football.
He/She must play football.	He/She has to play football.
We must play football.	We have to play football.
They must play football.	They have to play football.

Affirmative sentences with must and have to

Modal	Form	Tense
I must play football.	I have to play football.	Simple Present
Do not use must in Simple Past.	I had to play football.	Simple Past
Do not use must in will-future.	I will have to play football.	will-future

Negations with must not, mustn't

Modal	Form	Tense
I must not play football. I mustn't play football.	I am not allowed to play football. I'm not allowed to play football.	Simple Present
Do not use must not in Simple Past.	I was not allowed to play football. I wasn't allowed to play football.	Simple Past
Do not use must not in will-future.	I will not be allowed to play football. I won't be allowed to play football.	will-future

Negations with need not, needn't, don't need, don't have to

Modal	Form	Tense
I need not play football. I needn't play football.	I do not have to play football. I don't have to play football.	Simple Present
I do not need to play football. I don't need to play football.
Do not use need not in Simple Past.	I did not have to play football. I didn't have to play football.	Simple Past
I did not need to play football. I didn't need to play football.
Do not use need not in will-future.	I will not have to play football. I won't have to play football.	will-future
I will not need to play football. I won't need to play football.

Questions

Modal	Form	Tense
Must he play football?	Does he have to play football?	Simple Present
Does he need to play football?
Do not use must in Simple Past.	Did he have to play football?	Simple Past
Did he need to play football?
Do not use must in will-future.	Will he have to play football?	will-future
Will he need to play football?

The form need is not used as a modal, this is a main verb. This form cannot be put before another verb.

I needn't sing. (Here needn't is a modal. The main verb is sing.)

We need a new computer. (Here need is a main verb).

More about modal verb HAVE TO

Have to (objective obligation)

We often use have to to say that something is obligatory, for example:

• Children have to go to school.

Note that we can use the have to expression in all tenses, for example:
I have to, I had to, I have had to, I will have to

Structure of Have to

Have to is often grouped with modal auxiliary verbs for convenience, but in fact it is not a modal verb. It is not even an auxiliary verb. In the have to structure, "have" is a main verb. The structure is:
subject + auxiliary verb + have + infinitive (with to)
Look at these examples in the simple tense:

	subject	auxiliary verb	main verb have	infinitive (with to)
+	She		has	to work.
-	I	do not	have	to see	the doctor.
?	Did	you	have	to go	to school?

Use of Have to

In general, have to expresses impersonal obligation. The subject of have to is obliged or forced to act by a separate, external power (for example, the Law or school rules). Have to is objective. Look at these examples:

• In France, you have to drive on the right.
• In England, most schoolchildren have to wear a uniform.
• John has to wear a tie at work.

In each of the above cases, the obligation is not the subject's opinion or idea. The obligation is imposed from outside.
We can use have to in all tenses, and also with modal auxiliaries. We conjugate it just like any other main verb. Here are some examples:

	subject	auxiliary verb	main verb have	infinitive
past simple	I		had	to work	yesterday.
present simple	I		have	to work	today.
future simple	I	will	have	to work	tomorrow.
present continuous	She	is	having	to wait.
present perfect	We	have	had	to change	the time.
modal (may)	They	may	have	to do	it again.

Have To

"Have to" is used to express certainty, necessity, and obligation.

Examples:

• This answer has to be correct. certainty
• The soup has to be stirred continuously to prevent burning. necessity
• They have to leave early. obligation

Using "Have to" in Present, Past, and Future

"Have to" behaves quite irregularly in the past and the future. Study the chart below to learn how "have to" behaves in different contexts.

Use	Positive Forms 1. = Present   2. = Past   3. = Future	Negative Forms 1. = Present   2. = Past   3. = Future	You can also use:
have to certainty	1. That has to be Jerry. They said he was tall with bright red hair. 2. That has to have been the right restaurant. There were no other restaurants on the street. 3. NONE	1. SHIFT TO "MUST" That must not be Jerry. They said he has blond hair, not red hair. 2. SHIFT TO "MUST" That must not have been the right restaurant. I guess there was another one around there somewhere. 3. NONE	must, have got to
have to necessity	1. She has to read four books for this literature class. 2. She had to finish the first book before the midterm. 3. She will have to finish the other books before the final exam.	1. She doesn't have to read "Grapes of Wrath." It's optional reading for extra credit. 2. She didn't have to write a critique of "The Scarlet Letter." She had to give a presentation to her class. 3. She won't have to take any other literature classes. American Literature 101 is the only required course.

Examples with mustn't and needn't

mustn't or needn't 

1) I needn't take the umbrella. It won't rain. 2) I mustn't cross this bridge. It's closed. 3) We mustn't be late. The train will leave in 10 minutes. 4) You needn't hurry. We have plenty of time. 5) You mustn't smoke in here. It's forbidden. Look at that sign. 6) We have enough diesel, so we needn't stop here. 7) You needn't come if you don't want to. 8) They needn't do the washing up, they have a dishwasher. 9) You mustn't show this e-mail to anyone else. I'll trust you. 10) The students mustn't forget their homework.

Other examples with Should and Shouldn't - Use

Should and Shouldn't - Use

---

• We use should and shouldn't to give advice or to talk about what we think is right or wrong.
  
• You should means something like I think it is a good idea for you to do it.
  
• You shouldn't means something like I think it is a bad idea for you to do it.
  
• Should is used to express the opinion of a speaker and often follows I think or I don't think.
  
  

Examples

     You look tired. I think you should take a few days off.

     Alice works very long hours. She should to talk to her boss.

     - I have an English test tomorrow.
     - I shouldn't worry if I were you. You have worked really hard.

     - I never have enough money.
     - I don't think you should go out so much.

Examples with must in negative

Must not, Mustn't (prohibition) We use must not to say that something is not permitted or allowed, for example: Passengers must not talk to the driver. Structure of Must not Must is an auxiliary verb. It is followed by a main verb. The structure for must not is: subject + must not + main verb The main verb is the base verb (infinitive without "to"). Must not is often contracted to mustn't. Look at these examples: subject auxiliary must + not main verb I mustn't forget my keys. You mustn't disturb him. Students must not be late. NB: like all auxiliary verbs, must CANNOT be followed by "to". So, we say: You mustn't arrive late. (not You mustn't to arrive late.) Use of Must not Must not expresses prohibition - something that is not permitted, not allowed. The prohibition can be subjective (the speaker's opinion) or objective (a real law or rule). Look at these examples: I mustn't eat so much sugar. (subjective) You mustn't watch so much television. (subjective) Students must not leave bicycles here. (objective) Policemen must not drink on duty. (objective) We can use must not to talk about the present or the future: Visitors must not smoke. (present) I mustn't forget Tara's birthday. (future) We cannot use must not to talk about the past. We use other structures to talk about the past, for example: We were not allowed to enter. I couldn't park outside the shop.

MORE EXAMPLES WITH MODAL VERBS

May and Might
 

Forma afirmativa e interrogativa	Forma negativa	Forma negativa contraida
may	may not	mayn't (poco usado)
might	might not	mightn't

Usos mas importantes de may

1. Permiso, sobre todo en preguntas:

- May I disturb you for a moment? / ¿Puedo molestarle un momento?
- May I put the light on? / ¿Puedo encender la luz?

Nota: Para expresar poder de permiso con may, puede utilizarse también can y could en el lenguaje más informal.

May not puede usarse para denegar permiso y para prohibir en el estilo formal:

Students may not use the staff car park / Los estudiantes no pueden usar el aparcamiento del profesorado.

Nota: Must not también se emplea para prohibir. Es más fuerte y enfático que may not: Students must not use the staff car park

'May I borrow your car?' 'No, you may not.' / '¿Me prestas tu coche?' 'No, no te lo presto.'

2. Posibilidad:

We may go to Paris this summer. / Puede que vayamos a Paris este verano.
You may be right. / Puede que tengas razón.

Nota: It may not be true. – Puede que no sea verdad. It can’t be true. – No puede ser verdad. (imposibilidad)

Para preguntar por la posibilidad de algo no se suele usar may, sino can:

Can it be true? - ¿Puede ser verdad?

3. Peticiones corteses:

May I have some more cake, please?
¿Puedo tomar más pastel, por favor?/¿Me das un poco más de pastel, por favor?

4. Matiz concesivo:

It may be a longer route, but it’s much quicker.
Puede que sea un camino más largo, pero es mucho más rápido.

Usos mas importantes de might

1. Posibilidad: El empleo de might en lugar de may indica que la probabilidad es más remota:

I may go to Barcelona tomorrow. (Tal vez una posibilidad del 50%)
Juan might come with me. (Tal vez una posibilidad del 30%)

2. Permiso o peticiones corteses:

Might I open this bottle of wine? / ¿Podría abrir este botella de vino?

Nota: En este tipo de expresiones es más frecuente emplear may

3. Matiz concesivo:

It might be a longer route, but it’s much quicker.
Puede que sea un camino más largo, pero es mucho más rápido.

4. En estilo indirecto, equivalente a may en el directo.

'May I sit down?', she asked? / '¿Puedo sentarme?', preguntó
(estilo directo)

She asked if she might sit down – Preguntó sí podía sentarse.
(estilo indirecto)
MUST

Forma afirmativa e interrogativa	Forma negativa	Forma negativa contraida
must	must not	mustn't

Para los tiempos que carecen del must, puede emplearse to have to (tener que):

I had to go to the hospital. / Tuve/Tenía que ir al hospital. (pasado)
I’ll have to go to the hospital. / Tendré que ir al hospital. (futuro)

Usos de must

1. Deber. Una obligación de hacer algo que se considera necesario o muy importante:

A soldier must obey orders. – Un soldado deber cumplir las ordenes.

You must be here before 8 o’clock tomorrow. / Debes estar aquí antes de las ocho de la mañana.

La negación mustn’t indica prohibición.

You musn’t smoke here. – No deben fumar aquí.
 

Nota: La ausencia de necesidad o de obligación se expresa con needn’t o not have to. You needn’t phone me. No hace falta que me llames. You don’t have to phone me. No hace falta que me llames.

Obligación en el pasado.

Para indicar obligación en el pasado, se hace necesario a veces utilizar had to en lugar de must:

I had to leave early. – Tuve/tenía que marcharse temprano.

2. Deducción afirmativa o suposición.

Maria must have a problem with her boss. / María debe tener un problema con su jefe.
He must be at home. / Debe estar en casa.

La deducción negativa o imposibilidad se expresa con can’t:

You can’t be hungry, it’s only 11 o’clock. / No puede ser que tengas hambre. Sólo son las once.
She can’t be married yet. She’s only 16. / Ella no puede casarse todavía. Sólo tiene 16 años.


3. Deducción o suposición con el aspecto perfecto (con have).

She must have paid already. – Debe haberlo pagado ya.


La deducción negativa o imposibilidad se expresa con can’t.

She can’t have done it already. / No puede haberlo hecho ya.

I / you / he / she  (etc.)

must   can't

have

been   started  known done seen had... (etc.)

EXERCISE 1
Choose can’t or must. Follow the example.
Elige can’t o must. Sigue el ejemplo.

Example: That pub be very popular. It’s always full of people.

1. You’ve been working all day. You be very tired.
2. Congratulations on passing your driving test. You be very happy to have a driving licence.
3. You got here very quickly. You have walked.
4. Amparo and Santi had terrible weather and they lost their passports and video camera. They have had a very nice holiday.
5. The neighbours have just bought a new Porsche. They be short of money.
6. You’re going on holiday next week, aren’t you? You be looking forward to it.
7. That new restaurant be very good. It’s always empty.

 

Read the situations and use the words in brackets to write sentences with must have/can’t have and must be/can’t be. Follow the examples.
Lee las situaciones y utiliza las palabras en paréntesis para escribir frases con must have/can’t have y must be/can’t be. Sigue los ejemplos.

Example 1: I’ve been phoning mum and dad all morning, but there’s no answer.
(they/out)

Example 2: I saw my boss in the bank yesterday, but he didn’t say hello.
(not/see me)

1. Carol wasn’t at work last week.
(be/ill)
2. I’m sure we parked the car here. It’s disappeared.
(someone/stole it)
3. I only bought that chocolate cake yesterday.
(you/not finished/already!)
4. When I woke up this morning, the computer was still on.
(I/forgot/turn it off last night)
5. They bought their flat for more than 400,000 euros.
(They/not pay/cash)
6. That loud music has been going on for hours next door.
(They/have/a party)
7. I keep seeing the woman next door going into and coming out of her house with different men.
(She/not/married)
8. But you’ve done exactly the opposite of what I asked you to do.
(You/not understand/what I said)
9. I haven’t seen our neighbours for ages.
(They/go away)
10.I can see a lot of people with umbrellas outside.
(It/rain)