|
ESL Forum:
Techniques and methods
in Language Teaching
Games, activities
and teaching ideas
Grammar and
Linguistics
Teaching material
Concerning
worksheets
Concerning
powerpoints
Concerning online
exercises
Make suggestions,
report errors
Ask for help
Message board
|
ESL forum >
Ask for help > Mustn īt or don īt have to?
Mustn īt or don īt have to?
|
mari3lla
|
Mustn īt or don īt have to?
|
|
Dear colleagues, I need you help. Teaching the difference between modal MUSTN īT and don īt have to is quite simple. But I īm stuck on this sentence and I need your help. You.................................. go to school tomorrow, it īs a holiday! Which is correct: MUSTN īT or DON īT HAVE TO. Thanks a lot |
11 Dec 2016
|
|
|
|
chalco
|
|
definitely don īt have to because mustn īt indicates something that is strictly forbidden while don īt have to is an absence of obligation |
11 Dec 2016
|
|
|
|
|
mari3lla
|
|
That īs what I thought too but with some doubts... Thanks again and have a great Sunday! |
11 Dec 2016
|
|
|
martinasvabova
|
|
I think you mean the difference between donīt have to and needn īt, not mustn īt.
|
11 Dec 2016
|
|
|
a2king
|
DON īT HAVE To is my choice. because DON īT HAVE TO means "you don īt need to do that". In this circumstance, your sentence means "Today is a holiday, you don īt need to go to school."
By the way, I have got 1 question: What is the difference between "don īt need" and "needn īt"? |
11 Dec 2016
|
|
|
FrauSue
|
|
a2king - Officially, "don īt need" would be a main verb whereas "needn īt" would be a modal. In reality, it īs a bit more blurred. You don īt need a hat. The sun isn īt too strong. (Main verb.) You needn īt bother ringing beforehand. We īre sure to be in. (Modal.) BUT You don īt need to bother ringing beforehand. - this is also perfectly ok. I hope that someone else (Bruce??) has a better response for you! |
11 Dec 2016
|
|
|
yanogator
|
|
Thanks for inviting me in, FrauSue, but we don īt use "needn īt" in the US. Bruce |
11 Dec 2016
|
|
|
a2king
|
|
Bruce - so it means that in the British English, there are not differences between "don īt need" and "needn īt", but in the American English, there is only "don īt need". Is that correct? |
25 Jan 2017
|
|
|
yanogator
|
|
a2king, That is essentially correct. We do have "needn īt" in the US, but it is very rarely used. FrauSue explained it well. There is a difference. One would say "You don īt need a hat", but not "You needn īt a hat", so there is definitely a difference. Bruce |
25 Jan 2017
|
|
|
