Must and Have to

What's the difference between must and have to?

Must and have to are modal verbs in English. This page will guide you to the proper use of these modals.

Must

1. We use must to make a logical deduction based on evidence. It indicates that the speaker is certain about something:
Examples:

• It has rained all day, it must be very wet outside.
• The weather is fantastic in California. It must a lot fun to live there.

2. Must is also used to express a strong obligation.
Examples:

• Students must arrive in class on time.
• You must stop when the traffic lights are red.
• I must go to bed.

Modals in the Present and Past

Modals in the present and past

Generally speaking modals in the past have the following form:

• modal + have + past participle

Example:

• Present:
  You should see a doctor.
• Past:
  You should have seen a doctor

Except for modals that express obligation,ability and lack of necessity:

• Obligation:
  Present = I must / have to work hard. -- Past = I had to work hard.
• Ability:
  Present = I can run fast. -- Past = I could run fast when I was young.
• Lack of necessity:
  Present = You don't have to / needn't take your umbrella. -- Past = You didn't have to / didn't need to take your umbrella.

Modal verbs and their meaning

What are modal verbs?

Modals (also called modal verbs, modal auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliaries) are special verbs which behave irregularly in English. They are different from normal verbs like "work, play, visit..." They give additional information about the function of the main verb that follows it. They have a great variety of communicative functions.
Here are some characteristics of modal verbs:

• They never change their form. You can't add "s", "ed", "ing"...
• They are always followed by an infinitive without "to" (e.i. the bare infinitive.)
• They are used to indicate modality allow speakers to express certainty, possibility, willingness, obligation, necessity, ability

List of modal verbs

Here is a list of modal verbs:

can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must

The verbs or expressions dare, ought to, had better, and need not behave like modal auxiliaries to a large extent and my be added to the above list

Use of modal verbs:

Modal verbs are used to express functions such as:

1. Permission
2. Ability
3. Obligation
4. Prohibition
5. Lack of necessity
6. Advice
7. possibility
8. probability

Interjections

What are interjections?

In grammar, an interjection is a part of speech or (a lexical category) which is used to show a short sudden expression of emotion. Examples of common interjections in English are hi and hey.

Using interjections

Interjections are rarely used in academic or formal writing. They are, however, common in fiction or artistic writing.
Interjections are often used with exclamation mark.

Examples of interjections

This is a list of some English interjections:

• Ah - Ah, what a delicious meal!
• Aha - Aha, now I see what you mean!
• Alas - I love football but, alas, I have no talent as a player.
• Eh - Eh? Say it again - I wasn't listening.
• Er - "Is he handsome?" " Er, well - he's got a nice friendly sort of face though he's not exactly handsome."
• Hello - Hello, Paul. I haven't seen you for ages.
• Hey - Hey! What are you doing with my car?
• Hi - Hi, there!
• Hmm - "He says he's doing it for our benefit." " Hmm, I'm still not convinced."
• Oh - Is that for me? Oh, you're so kind!
• Well - Well, what shall we do now?

Conjunctions

What are conjunctions?

A conjunction is a part of speech that joins two words, phrases or clauses together.
There are three types of conjunctions:

Coordinating Conjunctions	Correlative Conjunctions	Common Subordinating Conjunctions
and but or nor	either...or neither...nor not only...but also both...and whether...or	after before although though even though as much as as long as as soon as because since so that	in order that so if lest even if that unless until when where whether while

Coordinating conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions, also called coordinators, are conjunctions that connect two or more equal items.
Examples:

• He plays tennis and soccer
• He works quickly but accurately
• You'd better do your homework, or you'll get a terrible grade.

Correlative conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions are used in pairs.They work in pairs to coordinate two items. Examples of correlative conjunctions include both...and..., either...or, not only... but also...
Examples:

• I didn't know that she can neither read nor write.
• You can either walk to school or take the bus.
• Both Sara and James are invited to the party.
• Whether you watch TV or do your homework is your decision.
• Not only are they noisy but they are also lazy.