مستر رمضان عيسى
13-11-2008, 08:16 PM
Use the verb that is right for the meaning you want.
If you are talking about a law or a rule, use must. For example Drivers must wear a seat belt.This is a law and drivers can get a ticket if they don’t wear a seat belt. Students must wear their uniform. This is a rule and students can get punished if they don’t wear their uniform.
You should also use must when you are talking about a person with some authority talking to someone under them. For example The mother told her son, “You must finish your homework before you watch TV.” The mother has authority over her son and she is telling him that he does not have permission to watch TV before his homework is finished.
Generally, use should when you are talking about or giving advice. In the above situation, you could say The mother told her son, “You should finish your homework before you watch TV.” Now she is advising him to do the homework first. Perhaps she thinks he will be too tired after watching TV to finish his work. But she is not really forbidding him to watch TV before his homework is finished.
You can use must when you are talking about or giving very strong advice. For example, you could say to your friend You must get more exercise and eat better or you’re going to be ill. You don’t have any authority over your friend, so this is strong advice, not “laying down the law.”
So in real life, speakers choose must or should depending on their meaning and their relationship to the listener.
In school, test writers must be careful in testing the use of these verbs. Students must not have to choose between must and should unless the desired meaning and the relationships are very clear.
If you are talking about a law or a rule, use must. For example Drivers must wear a seat belt.This is a law and drivers can get a ticket if they don’t wear a seat belt. Students must wear their uniform. This is a rule and students can get punished if they don’t wear their uniform.
You should also use must when you are talking about a person with some authority talking to someone under them. For example The mother told her son, “You must finish your homework before you watch TV.” The mother has authority over her son and she is telling him that he does not have permission to watch TV before his homework is finished.
Generally, use should when you are talking about or giving advice. In the above situation, you could say The mother told her son, “You should finish your homework before you watch TV.” Now she is advising him to do the homework first. Perhaps she thinks he will be too tired after watching TV to finish his work. But she is not really forbidding him to watch TV before his homework is finished.
You can use must when you are talking about or giving very strong advice. For example, you could say to your friend You must get more exercise and eat better or you’re going to be ill. You don’t have any authority over your friend, so this is strong advice, not “laying down the law.”
So in real life, speakers choose must or should depending on their meaning and their relationship to the listener.
In school, test writers must be careful in testing the use of these verbs. Students must not have to choose between must and should unless the desired meaning and the relationships are very clear.