Modal verbs

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milky

#264796 Sun, 10 Sep 06 01:24 AM

For me, they have different uses. "Have to" is objective necessity or obligation and "must" is subjective.

milky

Joined on Thu, Jan 15 2004

Senior Member (3,149)

Hume said that if we had perfect or complete descriptive knowledge of reality, we could not, by reasoning, derive a single valid "ought".

Modals

milky

#264797 Sun, 10 Sep 06 01:26 AM

Because "I must do it" is a subjective statement.

milky

Modals

MrPedantic

#264800 Sun, 10 Sep 06 01:43 AM

Yes they are similar, but...

When you want to say that it is required something to be done regularly you use have to

He has to do his homework after school every day.

Cf. however

1. You must take three of these pills every day after lunch.

Formally, when you speak about the law or obligation you use must

Everyone must pay taxes.

Cf.

2. I have to send in my tax return before 31st January.

3. Not pay tax? Of course you have to pay tax! Everyone has to pay tax.

I don't have to go to school = there is no need for me to go to school

Also = "There is no obligation for me to go to school", e.g.

4. I don't have to go to school. I'm 16 now.

If you believe in certain fact you use must

You must be that man from the TV.

(If you believe something is not true you say You can't be the man from the TV.)

You use have to with the similar meaning but not with you

It has to be true.

(negative: It can’t be true.)

Cf.

5. You have to be joking.

MrP

MrPedantic

Joined on Tue, Oct 12 2004

Veteran Member (12,168)

...opella forensis / adducit febris...

Modals, Negatives

Schetin

#264802 Sun, 10 Sep 06 01:49 AM

Yes Milky, I agree. We can put it this way. In terms of subjective vs objective, I mean.

Schetin

Joined on Mon, Sep 4 2006

Moscow, Russia

Full Member (243)

Modals

milky

#264803 Sun, 10 Sep 06 01:52 AM

I must get a haircut. (Internal/psychological/subjective opinion)

I have to get a haircut. ( External/non-psychological/objective opinion)

In the first, the speaker thinks it's time to get a haircut, while in the second, the speaker understands that people more than he/she would think it was time to get a haircut.

milky

Modals

milky

#264805 Sun, 10 Sep 06 01:55 AM

<1. You must take three of these pills every day after lunch.>

Yes, the speaker is creating that obligation. Here, he is not: 1. You have to three of these pills every day after lunch.

milky

Modals

Schetin

#264806 Sun, 10 Sep 06 01:59 AM

I know you don't like it but you have to...

Schetin

Modals

milky

#264807 Sun, 10 Sep 06 02:04 AM

In BrEng anyway.

milky

Modals

Schetin

#264808 Sun, 10 Sep 06 02:11 AM

Since you must take three pills daily, you have to keep to your diet.

There's still that tint of inevitability.

Schetin

Modals

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