A puzzling question
Drivers........carry a valid driving licence when operating a motor vehicle.
a) must b) have to
I go for 'a' because we use 'must' when we talk about laws and rules. I know that we use 'have to' to express an external obligation. How can I differentiate between the use of 'must' and that of 'have to' in a sentence like this?
Top answer
I speak American English, so usage may be different for me than for a speaker of other varieties of English. For a written official rule such as the one you quoted in your post, we expect to see "must". However, if this were said in an ordinary, everyday conversation (a less likely situation), we would say "have to".
- I speak American English, so usage may be different for me than for a speaker of other varieties of English.
- For a written official rule such as the one you quoted in your post, we expect to see "must".
- However, if this were said in an ordinary, everyday conversation (a less likely situation), we would say "have to".
- In an exam situation I would answer "must".
- The formal language of "operate a motor vehicle" is the sign that this is official, and not casual conversation in which we'd say something more like "drive a car".
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I speak American English, so usage may be different for me than for a speaker of other varieties of English.
For a written official rule such as the one you quoted in your post, we expect to see "must".
However, if this were said in an ordinary, everyday conversation (a less likely situation), we would say "have to".
In an exam situation I would answer "must". The forma
0In British English there's negligible difference between the two, but I guess, as CJ says, 'must' is slightly more official and forceful, and is therefore the preferred option.
0
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