Have to and Must - ESL Grammar Lesson Plans

Many students often confuse the usage of the modals must and have to. While meaning is generally maintained in incorrect usage in the positive forms, a mix-up in the negative forms can cause confusion. This lesson uses daily routines and an interviewing game to help students master these important modal forms. Aim: Learn the modal forms have to and must Activity: Grammar introduction/review, talking about daily routines and interview game Level: Lower levels Outline: Ask students to talk about their daily routines. Have them make a list of five things that they have to do every day.Introduce the grammar by having the students take a look at the grammar sheet below.Discuss the differences between have to and must in the positive form. Make sure to point out that have to is used for daily routines while must is used for strong personal obligation.Discuss the differences between dont have to and mustnt. Make sure to stress the idea that dont have to expresses the idea that the person isnt required to do something but may do so if he/she would like while mustnt expresses the idea of prohibition.In order to encourage students to favor the use of have to, spend the rest of the lesson focusing on daily responsibilities in the following exercises.Ask students to take out the list they created earlier and re-write the list using have to.Ask students to choose a job from the list provided (you might want to first check that students are familiar with the j obs listed) and think about what a person working in that profession has to do.Once you have given students a chance to think a while, play a variation on the 20 questions game. You can begin by choosing a profession and having students ask you 10 or 15 questions about what you have to do in this job. Questions can only be answered by yes, no or sometimes.The student who guesses the name of your profession should be the next to be asked the 15 questions. Another variation on this game is for students to play the game in pairs. Have to - Must Study the Use of Have to and Must in the Chart Below Must/Have To - Mustnt/Not Have To Listed below are examples and uses of must/have to/mustnt/not have to Example Chart Examples Usage We have to get up early.She had to work hard yesterday.They will have to arrive early.Does he have to go? Use 'have to' in the past, present, and future to express responsibility or necessity. NOTE: 'have to' is conjugated as a regular verb and therefore requires an auxiliary verb in the question form or negative. I must finish this work before I leave.Must you work so hard? Use 'must' to express something that you or a person feels is necessary. This form is used only in the present and future. You don't have to arrive before 8.They didn't have to work so hard. The negative form of 'have to' expresses the idea that something is not required. It is, however, possible if so desired. She mustn't use such horrible language.Tom. You mustn't play with fire. The negative form of 'must' expresses the idea that something is prohibited - this form is very different in meaning than the negative of 'have to'! Did the have to leave so early?He had to stay overnight in Dallas. IMPORTANT: The past form of 'have to' and 'must' is 'had to'. 'Must ' does not exist in the past. Choose a profession from the list below and think about what a person doing that job has to do every day. Professions and Jobs - What do they have to do? accountant actor air steward architect assistant author baker builder businessman / businesswoman / executive butcher chef civil servant clerk computer operator / programmer cook dentist doctor driver bus / taxi / train driver garbageman (refuse collector) electrician engineer farmer hairdresser journalist judge lawyer manager musician nurse photographer pilot plumber police officer politician receptionist sailor salesman / saleswoman /salesperson scientist secretary soldier teacher telephone operator Back to lessons resource page