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10B Grammar

Talk about rules and advice

Unit 10

I CAN use modal verbs should, must, and have to
I CAN give advice and talk about rules

Grammar

11 cards

In English we use three modal verbs to talk about rules and advice: should, must and have to. They all share two important features. First, they are followed by the base form of the verb (the infinitive without to): You should study every day. — not to study. Second, they do not add -s in the third person singular: He should rest. — never shoulds. This is different from normal verbs like works or plays.

These three modals are not exactly the same. Should gives advice or a recommendation. It is the speaker's personal opinion: You should drink more water. Must expresses a strong rule that comes from the speaker, a law or a safety rule. The speaker is the authority: You must wear a seatbelt. Have to expresses an external rule — something required by a school, company, law or family: I have to work on Saturdays.

Look at the table to see the forms. Notice how the negative and the question are made in a very simple way — the same way for all three modals.

Meaning	Positive	Negative	Question	Short answer
Advice	You should go.	You should not (shouldn't) go.	Should I go?	Yes, you should. / No, you shouldn't.
Strong rule	You must stop.	You must not (mustn't) stop.	Must I stop?	Yes, you must. / No, you mustn't.
External rule	You have to pay.	You don't have to pay. / You don't need to pay.	Do I have to pay?	Yes, you do. / No, you don't.

A small but important point: don't have to and mustn't do not mean the same thing. You don't have to wear a tie = it is not necessary. You mustn't wear a tie = it is forbidden. Choose carefully when you speak and write.

Generating translation…

You should eat more fruit and vegetables.

A piece of advice with should.

Students must not use their phones in the exam.

A strong rule with must not.

Required

Look at the two example sentences above. What form of the verb comes right after should and must?

The base form (infinitive without to)
The -ing form
The past form

Required

You ___ (should / must / have to) see a doctor if you feel sick.

Required

All visitors ___ (should / must / have to) wear a badge.

Required

I ___ (should / must / have to) work from 9 to 5 because it's my job.

Required

Which sentence is correct?

You shouldn't to eat so much sugar.
You shouldn't eat so much sugar.
You doesn't should eat so much sugar.

Required

You mustn't park here means it is not necessary to park here.

Required

Put the words in the correct order to make a sentence.

should
You
more
sleep

Drag the correct modal verb into each sentence.

Listening

5 cards

You will hear a short conversation between two students, Maya and Adam. Maya has just started a new school and is talking to her friend Adam about the rules. Listen for the modal verbs should, must and have to — they tell you what kind of rule or advice is being given.

Before you listen, think about this: when you start a new school or a new job, what kinds of rules do you usually have to follow? Are they the same in every country?

Generating translation…

Maya has just started a new school. She is telling her friend Adam about the rules.

M
Maya Hi Adam! How was your weekend?
A
Adam Hi Maya. It was good, thanks. So, how is your new school?
M
Maya It's fine, but there are so many rules!
A
Adam Oh, like what?
M
Maya Well, we have to wear a uniform every day. And we must not use our phones in class.
A
Adam That's normal. What about the teachers?
M
Maya They're strict. We must arrive before eight o'clock, and we have to bring our ID card.
A
Adam And homework? Do you have a lot?
M
Maya Yes! My teacher says we should study at least two hours every evening.
A
Adam Wow, that sounds hard. You should also find a study group.
M
Maya Good idea. I'll try that.

Required

What is the main topic of the conversation?

A holiday plan
The rules at Maya's new school
A new teacher at Maya's old school

Required

Maya says students are allowed to use their phones in class.

Required

Maya's teacher says students ___ study at least two hours every evening.

Pronunciation

6 cards

This lesson focuses on two pronunciation points that come up all the time when we talk about rules and advice.

1. The weak form of should /ʃəd/. In natural, fast speech, English speakers almost never say should as a full strong vowel /ʊ/. They say it with a very short, quiet schwa vowel: /ʃəd/ — almost like shud. To make it: relax your mouth, lightly touch the back of your tongue near your soft palate, then quickly release the -d at the end. The word is short and weak, never stressed.

You should rest. /juː ʃəd rest/
We should go now. /wiː ʃəd ɡəʊ naʊ/
I think you should try. /aɪ θɪŋk juː ʃəd traɪ/

2. The contraction mustn't /mʌsnt/. In English we join must and not into one word: mustn't. When you say it, the t disappears completely — there is no /t/ sound in mustn't. The lips close for the /m/, the tongue makes the /ʌ/ vowel, then the tip of the tongue touches behind the top teeth for the /s/, the /n/ and finishes with no release. Three sounds, very quick: /mʌsnt/.

You mustn't park here. /juː mʌsnt pɑːk hɪə/
We mustn't be late. /wiː mʌsnt biː leɪt/

Listen to the difference between the t in must (still pronounced) and the silent t in mustn't (the t is dropped).

Generating translation…

Relax your mouth and say /ʃəd/ — a quiet, very short shud. Then say /mʌsnt/ — the lips close, the tongue touches behind the teeth, but the t is silent.

Required

Listen. Which word do you hear?

should
shouldn't

Required

Say the sentence naturally. Make should short and weak: /ʃəd/.

You should rest.

Required

Say the sentence. The t in mustn't is silent — say /mʌsnt/.

You mustn't park here.

Required

Practise the mustn't contraction again. Keep it short: /mʌsnt/.

We mustn't be late.

Speaking

6 cards

To talk about rules and give advice in real conversations, you only need a small set of phrases. Here are the most useful ones for B1 speakers.

Giving advice (personal opinion, weak):

You should + base verb — You should rest.
You shouldn't + base verb — You shouldn't worry so much.
I think you should… — I think you should call her.
My advice is to + base verb — My advice is to arrive early.

Talking about strong rules (the speaker is the authority):

You must + base verb — You must wear a helmet.
You mustn't + base verb — You mustn't park here.
It's forbidden to + base verb — It's forbidden to smoke inside.

Talking about external rules (school, work, law):

I/we/you have to + base verb — I have to work late today.
I/we/you don't have to + base verb — We don't have to wear a tie.
It is necessary to + base verb — It is necessary to bring ID.

When you speak, remember the three small pronunciation points from the earlier section: say should as /ʃəd/, drop the t in mustn't /mʌsnt/, and link have to quickly as /hæftə/ in normal speech.

Generating translation…

Listen to a short example: Ali is giving his friend Layla some advice before her driving test.

A
Ali Are you ready for your driving test tomorrow?
L
Layla I think so, but I'm a bit nervous.
A
Ali You should get a good night's sleep. You shouldn't stay up late studying.
L
Layla Good idea. Anything else?
A
Ali Yes. You mustn't forget your licence. And you have to check the car before you start.
L
Layla Thanks, Ali. I feel better now.

You should get a good night's sleep before the exam.

A model sentence for giving advice with should.

Required

Read the sentence aloud. Make should short and weak: /ʃəd/.

You should get a good night's sleep before the exam.

Required

Read the sentence aloud. The t in mustn't is silent: /mʌsnt/.

You mustn't forget your licence.

Required

You are talking to your friend Ali about a new job. Give at least three pieces of advice using should, one strong rule using must, and one thing that is forbidden using mustn't.

Vocabulary

6 cards

To talk naturally about rules and advice you need a small set of common nouns and verbs. Below are eight useful words for this topic. Read the table, then move on to the practice steps.

Word	Type	Meaning (AR gloss)	Example sentence
rule	noun	قانون	The school has a strict rule about uniforms.
advice	noun	نصيحة	Can I give you some advice?
allowed	adjective	مسموح به	Phones are not allowed in the library.
forbidden	adjective	ممنوع	Smoking is forbidden in this building.
necessary	adjective	ضروري	It is necessary to bring your ID card.
important	adjective	مهم	It is important to arrive on time.
to obey	verb	يطيع	Drivers must obey the traffic laws.
to recommend	verb	يوصي	I recommend this book about grammar.

A small but useful point: advice is uncountable in English. We say some advice, a piece of advice, a lot of advice — but never an advice and never advices. This is the same as information and furniture.

Notice the difference between allowed and forbidden: they are opposites. Something that is allowed is OK to do; something forbidden is not OK and there is a rule against it. The opposite of allowed is not allowed, and the opposite of forbidden is permitted (more formal).

Generating translation…

Eight key words for talking about rules and advice.

advice ədˈvaɪs
A suggestion or recommendation about what someone should do in a particular situation.
allowed əˈlaʊd
Permitted; given permission to do something. Used to indicate that something is officially or legally acceptab
forbidden fəˈbɪdən
Not allowed; prohibited by a rule, law, or authority.
important ɪmˈpɔː.tənt
necessary or of great value : having great effect or influence :
necessary ˈnɛsəsəri
Something that is needed or required; essential and unavoidable.
rule ruːl
A regulation or principle that governs how people behave or how something is done.
to obey tə əˈbeɪ
To do what someone tells you to do, or to follow a rule or law.
to recommend ˌrekəˈmend
To recommend means to say that someone or something is good and worth choosing, or to advise someone to do som