[Grammar] giving directions - must/have to

Status
Not open for further replies.

marker

Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2010
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Polish
Home Country
Poland
Current Location
Ireland
Which is better when giving directions? 'Must' or 'have to'?

You must go to the end of Brown Street.
You have to go to the end of Brown Street.

I know it's better to use the imperative or 'should' but if I really wanted to use one of these, which would be more natural/better/grammatically correct?

Thanks for replies in advance :)
 
Simply "Go to the end of..." is most natural.
 
Yes, I know the imperative is most natural but if I wanted to use 'must' or 'have to' then which one would be better?
 
"Have to." Of course, you rarely here "must" in AmE.
 
So it's the only reason why you'd use 'have to' in AmE. And I bet in BrE they'd say 'must' then :)
 
So it's the only reason why you'd use 'have to' in AmE. And I bet in BrE they'd say 'must' then :)

In BrE we would generally use "have to" if you are only offering a choice between that and "must". We would be far more likely to say "Go to..."
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ask a Teacher

If you have a question about the English language and would like to ask one of our many English teachers and language experts, please click the button below to let us know:

(Requires Registration)
Back
Top