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Modals Chart

Modal	Past Modal	Negative	Negative Past
Can	Could	Can't Cannot	Couldn't Could not
Could	Could have	Could not	Couldn't have Could not have
Will	Would	Won't Will not	Wouldn't Would not
Would	Would have	Wouldn't Would not	Wouldn't have Would not have
May	May have	May not	May not have
Might	Might have	Might not	Might not have
Should	Should have	Should not	Should not have
Must	Had to Must have	Must not Mustn't	Must not have
Ought to	Ought to have	Ought not to	Ought not to have
Have to Has to	Had to	Don't have to Doesn't have to	Didn't have to Did not have to
Have got to Has got to
Be going to Be supposed to	Was/were	Is/are/am/not going to Isn't/aren't/am not supposed to	Wasn't/weren't going to Wasn't/weren't supposed to
Be able to	Was/were able to	Isn't/aren't able to	Wasn't/weren't able to
Be to	Was/were to	Is/are/am/not to	Wasn't/weren't to
Need to Needs to	Needed to	Doesn't need to	Didn't need to Needn't
Had better		Had better not
Used to		Didn't use to
Be about to	Was/were about to	Is/are/am not about to	Wasn't/weren't about to
Would rather	Would rather have	Would rather not	Would rather not have

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Comments (4) Add Comment

must not and Mustn't
written by sarah, October 07, 2009

Hi. our English teacher said us there is a big difference between must not and mustn't. what is that? please ask my question asap.

difference between must not and mustn't
written by Ros, October 19, 2009

Hi sarah,
I am an English teacher and English is my mother tongue. I haven't done any serious research into this question but the only difference I can think of between 'must not' and 'mustn't' is a matter of emphasis. Saying 'you mustn't walk on the grass' means that it is forbidden to walk on the grass but saying 'you must not walk on the grass' gets the point across to an even stronger degree. I always tell my students that the speaker chooses the modal on the basis of 'how strongly he wants to say something'. However, a sign saying 'YOU MUSTN'T WALK ON THE GRASS' is clear to the reader that it is forbidden. I hope this helps.