Modals Part Seven

Skill: Grammar  

Category: General English & Academic English

Level: Upper-Intermediate

Modals

Part Seven

Expressing the past: Necessity, Advisability, Expectation

Has to, has got to and must are used to express necessity and advisability in present time, but instead of all these verbs had to can be used to express past necessity and advisability.

Example:

Present: Expressing necessity

1. Steven has to prepare for exam.
2. Steven has got to prepare for exam.
3. Steven must prepare for exam.

Past: Expressing necessity

• Steven had to prepare for exam.

Present: Expressing advisability

1. I should work to save a lot of money. I want to continue my education out of the country.
2. I ought to work to save a lot of money.
3. I had better work to save a lot of money.

Past: Expressing advisability

I missed the bus.

1. I should have left the class earlier.
2. I ought to have left the class earlier.
3. I shouldn’t have talked to my classmate more.  

Notes:

– should have + past participle and ought to have + past participle are used to express past advisability.

– In past advisability, should is more common than ought to.

– The past form of had better (had better have) is never used.

Present: Expressing Expectations

1. I am supposed to design an attentive course syllabus for my class. 
2. They are supposed to meet me in the part next week. 

Present: Expressing Expectations

1. I am supposed to design an attentive course syllabus for my class. 
2. The letter should be here by now. (Should can also be used for present expectation)

Past: Expressing Expectations

1. I was supposed to design an attentive course syllabus for my class. 
2. The envelope should have been here by now. (should have + past participle to show past expectation)  

Note. The speaker expected something to happen, but it may or may not have occurred.

Exercise. Make the sentences express past necessity.

1- I have to talk to you now. _______________________________________

1- I have to talk to you now. _______________________________________

1- I have got to talk to you now. ____________________________________

2- They must apply for new position before the deadline. _______________________________

Exercise. Answer the questions with be supposed to

1- Maryam’s teacher told her to be punctual, but she didn’t. What was she supposed to do?

_____________________________________________________________________________

2- The students expect their teacher to be absent. He told them he had a job interview. Be as usual he came to the class the next day. What was supposed to happen?

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