Obligations

“must” or “have to”

It’s true, talking about our obligations, especially things we mustn’t do or have to do, is not the most entertaining of topics, especially nowadays where we’re all under extra strict regulations to prevent the spread of the Corona Virus.

To try to lighten things up a bit I’ve come up with a few alternative situations for speaking about obligations. So, whether you are playing the character “Q” telling James Bond how he should use his latest gadget filled motorcar, or you are explaining to some extra planetary visitors how they should behave if they want to interact socially with humans, yes, it’s really true, obligations can be fun!

As usual you’ll find a grammar summary explaining the forms and uses of “must” and “have to”, and to consolidate this information there are a fair few exercises to do. Then the speaking activities with some alternative scenarios for talking about obligations, these come with “must/have to” cards that allow the teacher to create some games and a few suggestions for activities are included in the teachers notes.

Of course, at this time it’s not easy to avoid talking about the Corona Virus and the language point of obligations is definitely well suited to the theme… So here are some discussion points to practice using “must” or “have to” on that topic:

• what are the most important rules given by your government to avoid the spread of Corona Virus?
• if you are at school, college or university how is homeschooling or home study different from regular school/study. (Using present and past forms of “have to”)
• if you are at work, how is working from home different from how you worked before? (Using present and past forms “have to”)
• what is your advice for others on how to survive or even enjoy confinement?

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If you try out any of the resources I’ve posted here on my blog I’d love to hear your feedback. You can post comments on the relevant blog page or send a message.

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