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Questions tagged [obligation]

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2 votes
2 answers
14k views

"I have to" vs. "I must"

When would you use the following? I have to go the market. I must go to the market. I need to go to the market. If I replace 'have' with 'had' would you have any other way to say it? E.g. I had to ...
user963241's user avatar
9 votes
4 answers
35k views

Does 'should' imply an unquestionable command?

My question is prompted by a question on the programmers.stackexchange: This may be a duplicate of another question here on english.stackechange, but the answers given to that question did not ...
oosterwal's user avatar
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28 votes
5 answers
23k views

Why should I use "ought to"?

Is "ought to" still used in modern English? If yes, in what contexts is it used, and is it used more in formal or informal cases?
Mehper C. Palavuzlar's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
126k views

What is the difference between “have to”, “must”, and “should”? [duplicate]

Is there any difference between have to”, “must”, and “should”? If there is some difference between them, when do I have to use (nor not use) each of the constructions below? have to do something ...
Amirreza Nasiri's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
18k views

"Should" vs "have to" [duplicate]

Consider: You should do it. You have to do it. Does should show suggestion and have to show compulsion or motivation?
Chankey Pathak's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
3k views

Must (Past Obligation Interrogative) "Must you have eaten all the food?" [closed]

Is the question "Must you have eaten all the food" correct when used in the past obligatory sense? The best examples I can find are quite ambiguous. "Must He have been less than perfectly kind to ...
Tom Burchell's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
1k views

What is the degree of strength of the verbs listed below dealing with rules/advice?

I used to have a list that showed the increasing strength of these words, but I seemed to have lost it. The words/phrases are: must/mustn't, should/shouldn't, have to/don't have to, can/can't, and ...
Istable's user avatar
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