Must/Will

[Barman]

1) They must agree to the terms of the lease or face eviction.

2) They will agree to the terms of the lease or face eviction.

In the sentences above, I mean strong commands or directives to do something. In this case, between 'must' and 'will', which is more forceful?

 

[emsr2d2]

It's not a case of which is more forceful because they have completely different meanings. Just because someone must do something doesn't mean they will do it.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Right. Both are forceful.

"Must" states a rule or requirement: If you want to watch TV tonight, you must do your homework first.

"Will" states a certainty: The stars will shine long after all of us are gone.

 

[jutfrank]

Firstly, we don't use must for commands. Also, I don't think will works here very well because you're using the third person (They) instead of the second person (You), which means your sentence is not a command. If you want to use will forcefully, make sure your command is addressed directly to whom you're commanding.

You will surrender or die.
You will kneel before me.

You can use must in your sentence if you're expressing that the people are under obligation to agree.

 

[Tdol]

If you have the force of the law and can evict, then the modal verb is not the strength of the statement.