ESL Grammar: Must, Have To, Have Got To

Forms of Must, Have To, Have Got To

Affirmative 

Subject + auxiliary verb + main verb 

Example: She must return to her country. They have to start university. We have got to practice harder. 

Negative ( For Must) 

Subject +  auxiliary verb + not + main verb 

Example: I must not act rashly. 

Question 

Auxiliary verb + subject + main verb 

Example: Must we leave tomorrow? Do they have to go to school today? 

Uses of Must, Have To, Have Got To 

1. These modal verbs are used to express legal obligation and/or a sense of urgency. You must act now. You have to act now. You have got to act now. 

Note: Avoid using must for personal obligations. It sounds very official and is too strong for most situations. 

Have To and Have Got To Exercise: Fill in the blanks with words that describe personal obligations

1. After class, I must __________ . 

2. This weekend, I have to _____________ . 

3. Before the next class, we've got to _________________ . 

4. Every day I have to ________________ . 

5. Once a month, I've got to ____________________ . 

6. When I'm not sure of the spelling of a word, I have to ___________________ . 

7. Before I go to sleep at night, I have to __________________ . 

8. A few times a year, I must  _____________________ . 

9. My English isn't perfect. I have to __________________ . 

10. Before I take a test, I've got to ____________________ .