Must/Have to

Must or have to

We can use 'must' to show that we are certain something is true. We are making a logical deduction based upon some clear evidence or reason.

• There's no heating on. You must be freezing.
• You must be worried that she is so late coming home.
• I can't remember what I did with it. I must be getting old.
• It must be nice to live in Florida.

We also use 'must' to express a strong obligation. When we use 'must' this usually means that some personal circumstance makes the obligation necessary (and the speaker almost certainly agrees with the obligation.)

• I must go to bed earlier.
• They must do something about it.
• You must come and see us some time.
• I must say, I don't think you were very nice to him.

We can also use 'have to' to express a strong obligation. When we use 'have to' this usually means that some external circumstance makes the obligation necessary.

• I have to arrive at work at 9 sharp. My boss is very strict.
• We have to give him our answer today or lose out on the contract.
• You have to pass your exams or the university will not accept you.
• I have to send a report to Head Office every week.

In British English, we often use 'have got to' to mean the same as 'have to'.

• I've got to take this book back to the library or I'll get a fine.
• We've got to finish now as somebody else needs this room.

We can also use ' will have to' to talk about strong obligations. Like 'must' this usually means that that some personal circumstance makes the obligation necessary. (Remember that 'will' is often used to show 'willingness'.)

• I'll have to speak to him.
• We'll have to have lunch and catch up on all the gossip.
• They'll have to do something about it.
• I'll have to get back to you on that.

As you can see, the differences between the present forms are sometimes very small and very subtle. However, there is a huge difference in the negative forms.

• We use 'mustn't' to express strong obligations NOT to do something.
• We mustn't talk about it. It's confidential.
• I mustn't eat chocolate. It's bad for me.
• You mustn't phone me at work. We aren't allowed personal calls.
• They mustn't see us talking or they'll suspect something.

We use 'don't have to' (or 'haven't got to' in British English) to state that there is NO obligation or necessity.

• We don't have to get there on time. The boss is away today.
• I don't have to listen to this. I'm leaving.
• You don't have to come if you don't want to.
• He doesn't have to sign anything if he doesn't want to at this stage.
• I haven't got to go. Only if I want to.

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Giving Recommendation or Advice

Should

We use 'should' for giving advice.

• You should speak to him about it.
• He should see a doctor.
• We should ask a lawyer.

We use 'should' to give an opinion or a recommendation.

• He should resign now.
• We should invest more in Asia.
• They should do something about this terrible train service.

'Should' expresses a personal opinion and is much weaker and more personal than 'must' or 'have to'. It is often introduced by ' I think'.

• I think they should replace him.
• I don't think they should keep the contract.
• Do you think we should tell her.

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  more on should here

  
  

Wish

Let's start off with the easy part. ' I wish to' can mean the same as 'I want to' but it is much, much more formal and much, much less common.

• I wish to make a complaint.
• I wish to see the manager.

You can also use 'wish' with a noun to 'offer good wishes'.

• I wish you all the best in your new job.
• We wish you a merry Christmas.

Notice that when you want to offer good wishes using a verb, you must use 'hope ' and not 'wish'.

• We wish you the best of luck.
• We hope you have the best of luck.
• I wish you a safe and pleasant journey.
• I hope you have a safe and pleasant journey.

However, the main use of 'wish' is to say that we would like things to be different from what they are, that we have regrets about the present situation.

• I wish I was rich.
• He wishes he lived in Paris.
• They wish they'd chosen a different leader.

Notice that the verb tense which follows 'I wish' is 'more in the past' than the tense corresponding to its meaning.

• I'm too fat. I wish I was thin.
• I never get invited to parties. I wish I got invited to parties.
• It's raining. I wish it wasn't raining.
• I went to see the latest Star Wars film. I wish I hadn't gone.
• I've eaten too much. I wish I hadn't eaten so much.
• I'm going to visit her later. I wish I wasn't going to visit her later.

In the case of 'will' , where 'will' means 'show willingness' we use 'would'.

• He won't help me. I wish he would help me.
• You're making too much noise. I wish you would be quiet.
• You keep interrupting me. I wish you wouldn't do that.

Where 'will' means a future event, we cannot use 'wish' and must use 'hope'.

• There's a strike tomorrow. I hope some buses will still be running.
• I hope everything will be fine in your new job.

In more formal English, we use the subjunctive form 'were' and not 'was' after 'wish'.

• I wish I were taller.
• I wish it were Saturday today.
• I wish he were here.

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The Passive

We use the active form to say what the subject does. For example:

• I speak English every day at work.
• I repaired the flat tire on the car.

We use the passive form to say what happens to people and things, to say what is done to them. For example:

• English is spoken here.
• The car is being repaired.

We use the passive form when we don't know who did the action. For example:

• The car was damaged while it was parked on the street.
• The shirts were made in Turkey.

We use the passive to describe processes

• The data is fed into the computer.
• The bumpers are manufactured.

We use the passive form when what was done is more important than who did it. For example:

• It was approved by Gerry last week.
• I was informed by the Human Resources Manager only two days ago.

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Comparatives and superlatives

We use Comparatives and Superlatives to compare two or more nouns.

The formation of the comparative and superlative depends on the number of syllables in the adjective:

One-syllable Adjectives

To form the comparative, we add -er to the end of the adjective.

To form the superlative, we add -est to the end of the adjective.

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
small	smaller	the smallest
cold	colder	the coldest
light	lighter	the lightest
short	shorter	the shortest

Remember that comparatives are often followed by than.

• London is bigger than Santiago.
• Mike is taller than John but James is the tallest.

Two-syllable Adjectives ending in -Y

To form the comparative, we remove the -y and add -ier to the end of the adjective.

To form the superlative, we remove the -y and add -iest to the end of the adjective.

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
crazy	crazier	the craziest
happy	happier	the happiest
early	earlier	the earliest

• It was the happiest day of my life.
• My joke was funnier than your one.

Adjectives with Two or more Syllables

For Adjectives with 2 syllables (that don't end in -y) and higher (3, 4 syllables etc), we use more for comparatives and the most for superlatives.

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
handsome	more handsome	the most handsome
nervous	more nervous	the most nervous
enthusiastic	more enthusiastic	the most enthusiastic

• My girlfriend is more beautiful than yours.
• Alex is more intelligent than you but I am the most intelligent.

Irregular Forms

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
good	better	the best
bad	worse	the worst
far	further / farther	the furthest / farthest

• I am a better tennis player than you but Marcelo is the best.
• Steve is a worse liar than me but Adrian is the worst.

Note: Further / farther, furthest / farthest are all used for distance.

Only Further / furthest are used to mean 'additional' or 'more advanced'.

• Ushuaia is further / farther than Barilocheis from here (in Buenos Aires).
• If you require further information, please contact reception.

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Tag questions

We use tags in spoken English but not in formal written English.

They are not really questions but are a way of asking the other person to make a comment and so keep the conversation open.

Making a tag is very mechanical. To make a tag, use the first auxiliary. If there is no auxiliary, use do, does or did. With a positive sentence, make a negative tag and with a negative sentence, make a positive tag.

• It's beautiful, isn't it?
• He has been, hasn't he?
• You can, can't you?
• It must be, mustn't it?
• You know him, don’t you?
• He finished it, didn't he?
• He will come, won't he?

• It isn't very good, is it?
• It hasn't rained, has it?
• It can't be, can it?
• Jenny doesn't know James, does she?
• They didn't leave, did they?
• He won’t do it, will he?

Notice these:

• There isn't an ATM here, is there?
• Let's have a cup of coffee, shall we?

To reply, use the same auxiliary:

• It's beautiful, isn't it? ~ Yes, it is. I think it's fabulous.
• It isn't very good, is it? ~ No, it isn't. In fact, it's terrible.

Although, the rules are very simple and mechanical, in order to use them easily in conversation, they have to be automatic. So you need to hear and practice them very often.

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Zero Conditional

When we talk about things that are generally or always true, we can use:

If/When/Unless plus a present form PLUS present simple or imperative

• If he gets there before me, ask him to wait.
• When you fly budget airline, you have to pay for your drinks and snacks.
• Unless you need more space, a small car is big enough for one person.

Note that we are not talking about a specific event but something which is generally true.

In the condition clause, we can use a variety of present forms. In the result clause, there can only be the present simple or imperative.

• If you visit London, go on the London Eye.
• If unemployment is rising, people tend to stay in their present jobs.
• If you've done that, go and have a coffee.
• When you go on holiday, take plenty of sun cream. It'll be very hot.
• When I'm concentrating, please don't make so much noise.
• When I've finished an article, I always ask Kate to read it through.

Notice that 'unless' means the same as 'if not'.

• Unless he asks you politely, refuse to do any more work on the project.
• Unless prices are rising, it's not a good investment.
• Unless you've been there yourself, you don't really understand how fantastic it is.

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