General English Level 1 V 3

UNIT 05 Keeping well TOPIC 04 Seeing the doctor

	LANGUAGE FOCUS 05 Can, should, must, have to

Dr Smith, Roberta and Ellen say:
Dr Smith:	She must rest and drink a lot.
Ellen:	Can I have lemonade, Dr Smith?
Dr Smith:	Of course you can , Ellen. And you have to take these tablets.
Roberta:	How many should she take? And how often?
Dr Smith:	She should take one tablet three times a day.

Can , should , must and have to are modal verbs .

Examples:

must take

can take

have to take

should take

must

must = it is very important, it is necessary.

Dr Smith: "She must rest."

To be a doctor, you must study very hard at university.
When you cross the road, you must look both ways first.

have to

have to = it is very important, it is necessary (= must)

Dr Smith says: "And you have to take these tablets."

When you study at university you have to work very hard.
You have to go to the doctor if you are very sick.

can

can = it is possible.

Ellen says: " Can I have lemonade, Dr Smith?"
Dr Smith says: "Of course you can , Ellen."

Tom can speak English, but he can't speak Chinese.
Can Sally play the piano? Yes, she can .
Can I get out of bed? No, you can't .

should

should = it is a good thing.

Roberta says: "How many should she take? And how often?"
Dr Smith says: "She should take one tablet three times a day.

We should eat fruit and vegetables to be healthy.
Ellen should stay in bed until she is better.

Now go to 06 WRITING Can, should, must, have to.