Should, Must, Have To - Advanced English Grammar

In this video, let's talk about the difference between should, must, and have to. This is a lesson that's been requested by many students, and I know this is a confusing topic, so I'm happy to make this very clear for you. Of course, my name is Jennifer from JForrestEnglish.com, and this channel is dedicated to helping you sound like a fluent, confident, natural English speaker. Now, before we go any further, make sure you subscribe and hit that bell icon so you're notified every time I post a new lesson. Now, let's dive in with this video. Let's talk about the difference between should, must, and have to. Now, all three of these are modal verbs, and we use them to talk about obligation or to give advice. First, let's talk about should. We use should to give advice or opinion or a recommendation. So keep in mind, should is not an obligation. So let's think of a scenario where you could give advice, an opinion, or a recommendation. Let's say your friend calls you and says, I feel overwhelmed at work. So your friend's in a negative situation, and you want to give some advice, an opinion, or recommendation. You can use should. You can reply back and say, you should talk to your boss. Now, let's take a look at the structure. We need should and a base verb. The base verb is simply the infinitive without to. You should talk. You should talk to your boss. I could use a negative, and I could say, you shouldn't. You shouldn't take on any more work. Or maybe I could give her some advice or my recommendation, my opinion, and say, you should ask a colleague for help. Now, it's your turn to practice this structure. Let's say I call you and I say, I have a really bad headache. What's some advice, a recommendation, or an opinion you can share with me using should or shouldn't, and remember you need your base verb. So put your example in the comments now. Now, let's talk about must. Must is used for obligation. For example, you must finish the report by five o'clock. I have no option. I must finish the report by five o'clock. It's an obligation. Now, let's take a look at the structure. We use must with a base verb. You must finish. You must finish the report by five o'clock. I might get an email from the government that says, you must file your taxes by the end of the month. Or to apply for a job, they might tell me, you must submit your application online. So now it's your turn to practice. I want you to leave an example in the comments using must. And remember, it's an obligation and you need a base verb. So leave your example now. Let's move on to have to. Have to is also used for obligation. But generally, that obligation is coming from someone else, an outside force. For example, I could say, I have to walk my dog. So first, let's take a look at the sentence structure. Here we have have and then our infinitive. So keep in mind, this one we use have to. Have to and the base verb. I have to walk my dog. So whether or not I want to walk my dog isn't really the issue here. Is that as a pet owner, I'm obligated to walk my dog. I have to walk my dog. Or I could say, I have to babysit my cousin this weekend. So again, the obligation is coming from somewhere else. So maybe my aunt is requiring that I do this or another family member. I have to babysit my cousin this weekend. Remember, to babysit or infinitive. Or I could say, I have to buy a new car. Now the obligation is my current car doesn't work anymore. So I have to buy a new car. It's not my choice. I don't want to, but I have to because my current car doesn't work. So now it's your turn to practice. Let us know in the comments something you have to do this week. Have to do. Remember to use the infinitive. So to summarize, should is used with advice, opinion, or recommendation. Must and have to are used with obligations. You might be wondering, what's the difference? Well, generally, I see must being used by the government or official bodies. Official bodies that give us rules and regulations. And I see it on online forms as well. That's when I see must the most. Now with have to, I see that as an outside pressure. So that would be the difference between those two. And remember, should and must plus base verb, but have to verb. Have and the infinitive. So now you know how to use should, must, and have to. If you found this video helpful, please hit the like button, share it with your friends, and of course, subscribe. Now before you go, make sure you head on over to my website, JForrestEnglish.com and download your free speaking guide. In this guide, I share six tips on how to speak English fluently and confidently. And until next time, happy studying. Now, I don't have to make these videos for you. There's no obligation. I want to. I love making these videos for you. So just keep in mind, we use them with obligation. So I can't wait to read your examples in the comments. Make sure you leave them and I'll see you in my next video. Bye.