English Grammar In Use

Question 1

must, mustnt neednt (unit 32)

Answer 1

You must do something = it is necessary that you do it

You **mustnt** do something = dont do it

You **neednt** do something - its not necessary to do it (but you can if you want)

You can also use dont / doesnt need to:

• We don`t need to hurry.

Compare neednt and mustnt:

• You needn`t tell Steve. I cantell him myself (= it is not necessary)
• You **mustnt** tell Steve. I dont want him to know (=don`t tell him)

Question 2

have to and must (unit 31)

Answer 2

I have to do something - it is necessary to do it, i am obligated to do it

You can use must or have to when you give your opinion (for example, to say what you think is necessary, or to recommend someone to do something)

We use have to (not usually must) to say what someone is obligated to do. This is a fact, not the speakers own opinion

But we use must in written rules and instructions

We use had to to talk about the past

You **mustnt** do something = dont do it

You **dont have to** do something = you dont need to do it (but you can if you want)

You can use have got to instead of have to

Question 3

may and might (unit 30)

Answer 3

We use may and might to talk about possible actions or happenings in the future

The negative forms are may not and might not (mightn`t)

We use might when the situation is not real

We also use may / might be -ing for possible plans

We might as well do something = we should do it because there is no better alternative. There is no reason not to do it.

Question 4

may and might (unit 29)

Answer 4

We use may or might to say that something is possible.

The negative forms are may not and might not

could is similar to may and might (в переводе)

But couldn`t (negative) is different from may not and might not:

• Sarah couldn`t have received my message. Otherwise she would have replied. (= it is not possible that she got my message)
• Why hasnt Sarah replied to my message? I suppose she **might not have received** it. (= its possible that she didnt receive it. - perhaps she did, perhaps she didnt)

Question 5

can, could and (be) able to (unit 26)

Answer 5

We use can to say that something is possible or allowed, or that somebody has the ability to do something. We use can + infinitive (can do / can see etc.)

The negative is can`t (= cannot)

You can say that somebody is able to do something, but can is more usual

Sometimes could is the past of can. We use could especially with:

see, hear, smell, taste, feel, remember, understand

We also use could to say that somebosy had the ability to do something, or was alllowed to do something

We use could for general ability and with see, hear etc.

But to say that somebody succeeded in doing something in a specific situation, we normally use was / were able to or managed to

The negative couldn`t (could not) is possible in all situations.

Question 6

should (unit 33)

Answer 6

You should do something = it is a good thing to do or the right thing to do. You can use should to give advice or to give an opinion

You **shouldnt** do something = it isnt a good thing to do

We often use should with I think / I don`t think / Do you think

Should is not as strong as must or have to

We use should when something is not right or what we expect

We also use should to say that we expect something to happen

You should have done something = you didn`t do it, bit it would have been a good thing to do

You **shouldnt have done** something = you did it, but it wasnt a good thing to do

Question 7

must and can`t (unit 28)

Answer 7

We use must to say that we believe something is certain:

Youve been travelling all day. You **must be** tired. (travelling is tiring and youve been travelling all day, so you must be tired)

We use can`t to say that we believe something is not possible:

Youve just had lunch. You **cant be** hungry already.

For the past we use must have… and can`t have…

I lost one of my gloves. I must have dropped it somewhere.

You can use couldnt have** instead of **cant have