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Thread: Modal verbs

  1. #11
    engee30's Avatar
    engee30 is offline Key Member
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    Cool Re: Modal verbs

    Quote Originally Posted by svartnik View Post
    Both are okay.
    "You must have a permit to enter the national park." -- necessity
    If someone other than you tells you what you're supposed to do, must is fine and means a direct order:
    Ranger: 'You must have a permit to enter the national park.'

    If you think that you should do something, then must means a strong self-persuasion:
    I must see that new movie by Spielberg. They say it's marvellous.

    When talking about someone else's orders or things that are necessary for you to do, you use have to:
    The ranger told me that we had to have a permit to enter the park.
    Do you know if we have to have visas for the Caribbean?


    Last edited by engee30; 21-May-2009 at 18:14.

  2. #12
    Raymott's Avatar
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    Default Re: Modal verbs

    Quote Originally Posted by svartnik View Post
    The job interview was a disaster; i could only answer half the questions.
    What is happening here? Native speakers are giving correct and appropriate usage advice to learners, and non-native speakers are not only contradicting them, but giving "authoritative" statements of what one can and can't say in English, based on a web-page. You're not dealing with semi-literate dolts here, Svartnik.
    David, Chris, Engee and I have all said that this sentence is good, correct, grammatical English.
    Perhaps you need to put your mouse aside; speak to some native speakers and learn a little humility and respect.

  3. #13
    swedish meatball is offline Newbie
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    Default Re: Modal verbs

    Quote Originally Posted by Raymott View Post
    What is happening here? Native speakers are giving correct and appropriate usage advice to learners, and non-native speakers are not only contradicting them, but giving "authoritative" statements of what one can and can't say in English, based on a web-page. You're not dealing with semi-literate dolts here, Svartnik.
    David, Chris, Engee and I have all said that this sentence is good, correct, grammatical English.
    Perhaps you need to put your mouse aside; speak to some native speakers and learn a little humility and respect.

    As a native english speaker (and a teacher with many years experience), I completely agree with the above. The sentence in question to me sounded perfectly acceptable.
    Try not to bite the hand that feeds you Svartnik!

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