Modals of Obligation (Must, Have to, Should) – English Grammar Exercises for A2
You are reading and writing social media updates about a flight delay caused by a massive storm. Read the sentences carefully and choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each update.
1 “Huge storm at the airport! The airline says we ______ wait until the wind stops.”
(A) must
(B) have to
(C) should
(D) has to
2 “I am so sad. I ______ change my holiday plans because my flight is cancelled.”
(A) has to
(B) must to
(C) have to
(D) should to
3 “My sister is lucky. Her flight is still on time, so she ______ wait at the airport like me.”
(A) doesn’t have to
(B) mustn’t
(C) shouldn’t
(D) haven’t to
4 “The weather is terrible. ______ you ______ stay at a hotel tonight?”
(A) Must / to
(B) Do / have to
(C) Are / have to
(D) Have / to
5 “The pilot announced that all passengers ______ leave the plane for safety reasons.”
(A) have to
(B) has to
(C) should
(D) must to
6 “We are stuck! We ______ find a place to sleep because the next flight is tomorrow.”
(A) should
(B) having to
(C) has to
(D) have to
7 “My boss is waiting for me, but I ______ stay here. The storm is too dangerous.”
(A) must to
(B) have to
(C) should
(D) has to
8 “Good news! The rain stopped, so we ______ wait any longer. We are boarding now!”
(A) mustn’t
(B) shouldn’t
(C) don’t have to
(D) haven’t to
9 “Wait, I forgot! ______ I ______ pay for a new ticket if the flight is delayed by a storm?”
(A) Do / have to
(B) Must / to
(C) Am / have to
(D) Have / to
10 “The airport is very crowded. Everyone ______ sit on the floor because there are no chairs.”
(A) have to
(B) has to
(C) should to
(D) must to
11 “My friend ______ call his family to tell them the bad news about the delay.”
(A) having to
(B) has to
(C) have to
(D) should to
12 “I’m exhausted. I ______ wait for 10 hours at the airport yesterday.”
(A) have to
(B) has to
(C) had to
(D) must to
13 “The airline provided food, so we ______ buy our own dinner.”
(A) don’t have to
(B) mustn’t
(C) shouldn’t
(D) hasn’t to
14 “It is the law. The airline ______ give us information about the new schedule.”
(A) have to
(B) should
(C) has to
(D) must to
15 “My phone battery is low. I ______ find a charging station quickly!”
(A) has to
(B) have to
(C) should to
(D) having to
16 “It’s 2:00 AM. We ______ sleep on these uncomfortable chairs tonight.”
(A) should
(B) has to
(C) have to
(D) must to
17 “If the storm continues, ______ the airport ______ close all the gates?”
(A) does / have to
(B) do / have to
(C) is / have to
(D) has / to
18 “I ______ apologize to my friends because I will miss their party tonight.”
(A) have to
(B) has to
(C) must to
(D) should to
19 “We are finally on the plane! But the pilot says we ______ wait for 20 more minutes on the runway.”
(A) has to
(B) must to
(C) have to
(D) should
20 “I am so happy this is over! I ______ never ______ travel during the storm season again.”
(A) should / to
(B) must / to
(C) have / to
(D) will / have to
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Key: (B) have to
Explanation: Waiting is forced by the airline and the weather (external factors), not by personal choice. “We” takes “have to”.
2 Key: (C) have to
Explanation: A cancelled flight is an objective, external problem that forces you to change your plans.
3 Key: (A) doesn’t have to
Explanation: This shows a lack of obligation. Because her flight is on time, it is not necessary for her to wait.
4 Key: (B) Do / have to
Explanation: To ask a question using “have to” in the Present Simple, we use the structure: Do/Does + Subject + have to + base verb?
5 Key: (A) have to
Explanation: An announcement from a pilot represents an official safety rule. It is an external obligation for the passengers.
6 Key: (D) have to
Explanation: The lack of flights forces the group to find a place to sleep. “We” takes “have to”.
7 Key: (B) have to
Explanation: Even though you internally want to see your boss, the storm (an external force) makes it mandatory to stay.
8 Key: (C) don’t have to
Explanation: Now that the rain has stopped, the obligation to wait is gone. It is no longer necessary.
9 Key: (A) Do / have to
Explanation: The speaker is asking about an airline policy/rule, which requires the standard “Do I have to…?” question format.
10 Key: (B) has to
Explanation: The word “Everyone” is grammatically treated as a singular subject, so it takes “has to”.
11 Key: (B) has to
Explanation: “My friend” is a singular subject (he/she), which requires “has to”.
12 Key: (C) had to
Explanation: The word “yesterday” indicates the past tense. The past tense of “have to” is “had to”.
13 Key: (A) don’t have to
Explanation: Because the airline gave out food, it is not necessary for the passengers to buy their own.
14 Key: (C) has to
Explanation: “The airline” is a singular entity that must obey external laws.
15 Key: (B) have to
Explanation: An urgent, practical situation (a dying phone battery) forces you to act.
16 Key: (C) have to
Explanation: The circumstances (being stuck at 2:00 AM with no beds) force the passengers to sleep on chairs.
17 Key: (A) does / have to
Explanation: “The airport” is a singular subject, so the question must start with the auxiliary verb “does”.
18 Key: (A) have to
Explanation: The flight delay physically forces you to miss the party, creating the obligation to apologize.
19 Key: (C) have to
Explanation: An order from the pilot or air traffic control acts as an unavoidable external rule.
20 Key: (D) will / have to
Explanation: The sentence talks about the future. To express a future obligation, we use “will have to”.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- The Structure of “Have to”: We use have to to express an obligation caused by external circumstances, rules, laws, or objective situations (like bad weather or an airline’s policy).
- Affirmative: Subject + have to/has to + base verb.
- Negative: Subject + don’t have to/doesn’t have to + base verb. (Meaning: Lack of obligation. You are not forced to do it).
- Question: Do/Does + Subject + have to + base verb?
- “Have to” vs. “Must”:
- Must: Obligation comes from inside the speaker (subjective feelings, guilt, personal desires).
- Example: “I must call my mom, I miss her.”
- Have to: Obligation comes from outside the speaker (forced by a situation).
- Example: “I have to call my mom because she told me to.”
- The Golden Rule: Never use “must to” or “should to”. Modals like must and should are always followed directly by the base verb without “to”.