Giving advice and talking about

14 necessity
14.1 Modal verbs to give advice
We can use both should and ought to to offer and ask for advice. We use the bare infinitive
after them.

You should/ought
They all look very
to eat less fatty
tasty! Which one
food. You’re already
should I pick?
overweight.

Note

TO
S
1 We often use think with should. This makes the advice more polite.

I
Bob looks tired. I think he should go to bed earlier.
Grandma is taking a nap. I don’t think we should turn on the TV.

R
Ted looks unhappy. Do you think I should talk to him?

A
2 The negative is should not/shouldn’t (do something) and ought not/oughtn’t to
(do something).
We shouldn’t/oughtn’t to talk loudly in the cinema. We might
disturb other people.

We can also use had better + bare infinitive (had better go, had better come, etc.) to give advice
and to say what we think is the wise or right thing to do. In conversation, we often use the
contracted form ’d better (I’d better go, you’d better come, etc.).
It’s getting late. We’d better go home now.
We’re running late. We’d better take a taxi.

Note
The negative is had better not/’d better not.
We’d better not be late for school again.

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 Another way to talk about what you think is right or necessary is to use must. Must is
stronger than should.

The film is very

good. You must
see it.

Note

O
Another way to give advice is to use can or could to suggest possible solutions
to a problem. The sense of need or obligation is not as strong.

T
Eric: I don’t know where this cinema is.

S
Herman: You can/could search for it online.

R I
A
14.2 Modal verbs to talk about necessity and obligation
We use both must and have to (I have to/You have to/He has to do something) to say that it is
necessary to do something.
It’s raining heavily. I must/have to go indoors.

We use have to in negative sentences and questions with do, does, or did.
The morning class has been cancelled. You don’t have to get up early tomorrow.
It’s the summer holiday. She doesn’t have to go to school.
I’m tired. Do we have to go to the party tonight?
Tammy is in Primary 6 now. Does her mother still have to take her to school every morning?
Typhoon signal No. 8 was hoisted yesterday, so we didn’t have to go to school.
Did you have to wake up really early to go to school when you lived so far away?
Compare:
We must not/mustn’t break the law.
Must we wait for you?

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 Giving advice and talking about necessity 14

The negative forms of must and have to are used differently. Must not/mustn’t is the
negative form of must, and is used to tell someone not to do something. Don’t have to
is used to say that it is not necessary (for somebody) to do something.
We don’t have to get up early tomorrow. It is a public holiday.
Compare:
We are meeting Sam tomorrow morning. You mustn’t get up late.
Ken has fully recovered. He doesn’t have to stay in bed any more.
Compare:
He has a bad cold. He mustn’t go to school.

Note

O
1 When we are not giving a personal opinion, command or instructions, we normally use have to
instead of must. This indicates that the action is required by law or by others.

T
You have to wear a seat belt when you drive.

S
(It’s the law, not the speaker’s personal opinion.)

I
Compare: You have the flu. You must take this medicine.
(This is a direct instruction from a doctor.)

R
2 We can also use need not/needn’t + bare infinitive (needn’t come, needn’t go, etc.) or don’t need to
to say that it is not necessary to do something, thus creating the opposite of must.

A
You needn’t recharge/don’t need to recharge your phone. The battery is full.

Look at the question and note the two answers:

Must I apply in person?
A: Yes, you must.
B: No, you needn’t.

3 We use must to talk about the present and the future. When we talk about the past, we use had to
or needed to.
Typhoon signal No. 8 was hoisted yesterday. We had to stay at home.

4 In conversation, we sometimes use have got to instead of have to.

We are running late. We’ve got to hurry up.
Have you got to leave now?

But we use have to, not have got to, for things that happen again and again.
Sally always has to help her mother prepare dinner.
Do you often have to take your dog to the vet?

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 A Complete each exchange using should/ought to or shouldn’t/oughtn’t to and a word/phrase from
the margin. Use each word once only.

apologize I dropped and broke ought to be/should be

You (1)
be my smartphone
more careful next time.
drink yesterday.
eat
stay up
take

Tiffany is angry

O
You (2) ought to apologize/should apologize
with me because
to her.
I shouted at her.

I S T
R
Sam has got to get oughtn’t to stay up/shouldn’t stay up
He (3)
up early tomorrow.
late tonight.

A
I feel so full!
You (4)
so much.
oughtn’t to eat/shouldn’t eat

It’s past midnight, oughtn’t to drink/shouldn’t drink

You (5)
but I can’t sleep.
so much coffee in the evening.

Sally’s puppy is sick. ought to take/should take

She (6)
it to the vet as soon as she can.

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 Giving advice and talking about necessity 14

B Use had better/had better not and the most suitable word or phrase from the box to complete each
sentence. Use each word or phrase once only. The first one has been done for you as an example.

drop it go out now hurry stay indoors turn on the light wash it

1 You had better hurry/‛d better hurry or you’ll miss your flight.

2 It’s going to rain. We had better stay indoors/’d better stay indoors .

3 It’s getting dark. You had better turn on the light/’d better turn on the light .

4 That vase was expensive. You had better not drop it/’d better not drop it .

O
had better not go out now/’d better not go out now

T
5 It’s raining hard. We .

S
6 Your T-shirt is awfully dirty. You had better wash it/’d better wash it .

R I
Complete the sentences using must or have/has/had to. Sometimes two different answers are possible.

A
Use negatives where appropriate.

1 I had to stay up all night last night to finish my assignment.

2 Jason had to set off early yesterday morning because he

had to visit his mother in hospital.

3 I’ve got some leftovers from last night’s dinner. We do not have to/don’t have to go out for
dinner tonight.

4 You must/have to apply for membership before you can post in this forum.

5 There were not many people queuing for tickets. I did not have to/didn’t have to wait long
to get a ticket.

6 Today is Sarah’s day off. She does not have to/doesn’t have to get up early.

7 The meeting begins at 4 pm sharp. You must not/mustn’t be late.

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 D Choose the correct words/phrases to complete these sentences.

1 We needn‛t go (needn’t go/mustn’t go) to the supermarket today. Mum’s

already bought the eggs.

2 You mustn’t drink (don’t need to drink/mustn’t drink) the water from this well.
It’s unsafe and most likely will make you sick.

3 You don’t need to go (don’t need to go/mustn’t go) to the meeting this afternoon.
It’s been cancelled.

4 Sarah is not coming today. We needn’t wait (needn’t wait/mustn’t wait) for her.

O
5 He didn’t need to pay (not need to pay/didn’t need to pay) in full. He could pay by

T
instalments.

I S
6 We can (can/must) take the bus to the airport, or we
can (can/have to) take the Airport Express.

A R
7 You don’t need to tell (mustn’t tell/don’t need to tell) me the rules. I’ve read the
handbook already.

8 ‘I’d like to get an extra battery for my smartphone.’ ‘You can

(need/can) get one at the shop around the corner.’

9 ‘Do we have to change trains at Mong Kok?’ ‘Yes, we must (must/need).’

10 ‘I feel tired.’ ‘ You’d better go to (You’d better go to/You needn’t go to) bed.’

11 ‘Must I go there early?’ ‘No, you needn’t (needn’t/mustn’t). I’ve already

reserved a table for the four of us.’

12 You don’t need to decide (mustn’t decide/don’t need to decide) now. Just let me know
your decision by the end of week.

13 You could (oughtn’t to/could) tell the school counsellor about your
problems. She may be able to help you.
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 Giving advice and talking about necessity 14

E Complete the guide by underlining the correct verbs.

Want to do live video posts on social media, but not sure where to start? You
(1)
( can / must ) read this guide to get some useful ideas!

First, you (2) ( could / must ) always plan ahead. You (3) ( ought / should ), for example,
check that your hair is in place before you hit the ‘start’ button. Think about what
you’re going to say, too. You (4) ( need not / must not ) write a script – it’s live!
Viewers won’t demand perfection, but you (5) ( could / must ) jot down a few notes,

O
just in case you get stuck. You (6) ( ought / should ) avoid long pauses. Awkward! For

T
example, if you are playing live music, you (7) ( can / should ) definitely have a list of

S
songs to play.

R I
There is another thing you (8) ( need / must ) to think about beforehand. Who can

A
see your live video? Only friends, or everyone? You (9) ( ought / must ) remember that
even a private video can become public, so make sure you don’t show something
you don’t want to be seen by everyone. Some social media apps promise to delete
your post after it has been viewed. You (10) ( could / should ) use this feature, but it’s
not very useful. People have ways of saving a video anyway.

When you do a livestream, you (11) ( need / should ) make sure your friends all get a
notification, so that they can switch their attention and watch. You (12) ( can / must )
even let your friends know about your live show in advance, assuming you can plan
that far ahead!

If you want to do a successful livestream, you (13) ( can / must ) use these steps to
prepare, but you (14) ( need not / must not ) worry too much about it. Just relax, hold
your camera steady and film away!

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 F Complete the following radio programme transcript by circling the correct answers from the options
below.

Host: You’re listening to Teens Today. We have with us the psychologist

Mr Kenneth Lau. Today we are talking about dealing with negative
emotions. Mr Lau, what strategies can we use?
Lau: Well, you can try to manage what’s around you. If something makes
you angry, you (1) ____ avoid it if you can. You can also manage
yourself. You (2) ____ drink some water or take deep breaths to calm
down. Or, you (3) ____ let off energy through sports or other activities.
If none of those is successful, you (4) ____ look more closely at the
thing that is making you angry and figure out why it drives you crazy.
Host: Sometimes you (5) ____ change your perspective on something.

O
Lau: Right, a fresh perspective can give you new, more positive feelings.
If something makes you sad, you (6) ____ think only about the negative

T
side of it. You (7) ____ try to also see the good in the situation, or

S
potential for improvement, but that does not mean you (8) ____ simply

I
ignore or bury your sadness.
Host: Sadness is often associated with guilt, right? If something tragic

R
happens to others, you might feel guilty, even if you didn’t cause it.

A
Lau: Whether or not you’ve done something wrong, you (9) ____ move on
from your regret. You (10) ____ to acknowledge your sense of guilt,
but in the end you (11) ____ leave the past in the past.
Host: These are great suggestions, Mr Lau. I think one big takeaway is
that if you don’t want to be controlled by your emotions, you
(12)
____ first understand them. We’ll be back after a short break.
Thanks for joining us, Mr Lau.

(1) A must not (4) A must (7) A need (10) A could

B should B could B have to B ought
C had better not C have better C better C must
(2) A can (5) A ought (8) A should (11) A can
B had B have B must not B need
C need C have to C need C must
(3) A can (6) A have not (9) A could (12) A should
B ought B could not B must B ought
C need not C must not C need C better
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 Giving advice and talking about necessity 14

USING THE LANGUAGE

We often use modal verbs when giving advice. We can use them in, for example, a letter of
advice, or a set of tips to tell people what they should do or how to handle a problem. Look
at the examples below. Note the uses of modal verbs for giving advice in bold.

Letter of advice (excerpt)

If you feel that your friend is ignoring you, you should not respond by ignoring them. You can
discuss your feelings directly with your friend. Or, if you do not feel comfortable doing that,
you could simply contact them regularly to show that you still want to hang out. Either way,
you must accept that the choice to be your friend, or not, is your friend’s.

TO
Tips (excerpt)

I S
To bake a moist cake, you must use plenty of milk. If the mixture feels very thick, you could add
a bit more milk to make it softer. Then you should bake the cake at the temperature specified in

R
the recipe. Do not bake it for too long.You can check the cake every now and then with a
toothpick. When the cake dough does not stick to the toothpick, the cake is done.

A
Your teacher asks you to write a letter of advice to a friend whose parents don’t allow her to go out at
the weekend to practise using modal verbs for giving advice. Begin with the given words. Do not use
more than 120 words.

Dear Anna

I understand how disappointed you must feel. However, I believe your parents may have
reasons for their views. You could try discussing the issue with your parents. You may tell them how you feel
and explain why you want to go out with friends. You should also listen to your parents’ reasons for their actions and
try to understand them. They may be worried about your safety. In this case, you can tell them how you can ensure
your own safety, such as by telling them where you are going and who you will be with. You can promise that you will
be home on time. Remember that if they allow you to go out, you must keep your promises. Good luck!

Cheers
Chris (accept any reasonable answer)
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