Dear Reader,
Last week I attended an international conference in London and was amazed that I didn’t hear the word “must” during the whole four days that I was there. In English, “must” is used mostly in situations of life or death. Instead, we often use “need” or “it is necessary” to express necessity.
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Admittedly, there are many ways to express yourself using modal verbs. Match the following statements with the meaning below. Check your answers on the following answer page.
- I could work on Saturdays.
- I must work on Saturdays.
- I need to work on Saturdays.
- I have to work on Saturdays.
- I mustn’t work on Saturdays.
- I couldn’t work on Saturdays.
- I don’t have to work on Saturdays.
- I shouldn’t work on Saturdays.
- I should work on Saturdays.
- I might work on Saturdays.
- It’s absolutely necessary for me to work on Saturdays.
- It’s absolutely necessary for me to work on Saturdays and someone forces me to do so.
- I’m unable to work on Saturdays.
- It isn’t necessary for me to work on Saturdays.
- It’s possible for me to work on Saturdays.
- It’s a good idea for me to work on Saturdays.
- It’s important for me to work on Saturdays.
- It’s a good idea for me to work on Saturdays.
- It’s forbidden for me to work on Saturdays.
- It isn’t a good idea for me to work on Saturdays.
- It’s a possibility that I might work on Saturdays.
Check you answers at this website: http://esl.about.com/od/grammarintermediate/a/mvb_qtwo_2.htm.
Good luck!
Nelly Thomas