have to

Question

We have to ask ourselves a question. What kind of world will our children have to live in? Will they have air to breathe and food to eat? These are among the basic questions that were addressed at the first world meeting on the environment, attended by more than 100 world leaders and 30,000 other scientists, newspeople, and citizens concerned. These complex problems can no longer be solved by individual countries. Nations of the world must act together if we are to develop answers that will give a safe and healthy world to our children. World leaders should have the vision to protect our environment.

What does 'have to' mean?
What does 'be to' mean?

Cool Breeze · Accepted Answer

have–v.t.
1. to possess; own; hold for use; contain: He has property. The work has an index.
2. to hold, possess, or accept in some relation, as of kindred or relative position: He wanted to marry her, but she wouldn't have him.
3. to get, receive, or take: to have a part in a play; to have news.
4. to experience, undergo, or endure, as joy or pain: Have a good time. He had a heart attack last year.
5. to hold in mind, sight, etc.: to have doubts.
6. to cause to, as by command or invitation: Have him come here at five.
7. to be related to or be in a certain relation to: She has three cousins. He has a kind boss.
8. to show or exhibit in action or words: She had the crust to refuse my invitation.
9. to be identified or distinguished by; possess the characteristic of: He has a mole on his left cheek. This wood has a silky texture.
10. to engage in or carry on: to have a talk; to have a fight.
11. to partake of; eat or drink: He had cake and coffee for dessert.
12. to permit or allow: I will not have any talking during the concert.
13. to assert, maintain, or represent as being: Rumor has it that she's going to be married.
14. to know, understand, or be skilled in: to have neither Latin nor Greek.
15. to beget or give birth to: to have a baby.
16. to hold an advantage over: He has you there.
17. to outwit, deceive, or cheat: We realized we'd been had by an expert con artist.
18. to control or possess through bribery; bribe.
19. to gain possession of: There is none to be had at that price.
20. to hold or put in a certain position or situation: The problem had me stumped. They had him where they wanted him.
21. to exercise, display, or make use of: Have pity on him.
22. to invite or cause to be present as a companion or guest: We had Evelyn and Everett over for dinner. He has his bodyguard with him at all times.
23. to engage in sexual intercourse with.
–v.i.
24. to be in possession of money or wealth: There are some who have and some who have not.
–auxiliary verb.
25. (used with a past participle to form perfect tenses): She has gone. It would have been an enjoyable party if he hadn't felt downcast.
26. to be required, compelled, or under obligation (fol. by infinitival to, with or without a main verb): I have to leave now. I didn't want to study, but I had to.
27. had better or best, ought to: You'd better go now, it's late.
28. had rather. See rather (def. 8).
29. have at, to go at vigorously; attack: First he decided to have at his correspondence.
30. have done, to cease; finish: It seemed that they would never have done with their struggle.
31. have had it,
a. to become weary of or disgusted with whatever one has been doing: I've been working like a fool, but now I've had it.
b. to suffer defeat; fail: He was a great pitcher, but after this season he'll have had it.
c. to have missed a last opportunity: He refused to take any more excuses and told them all that they'd had it.
d. to become unpopular or passé: Quiz shows have had it.
32. have it coming, to merit or deserve: When they lost their fortune, everyone said that they had it coming.
33. have it in for, to plan or wish to do something unpleasant to; hold a grudge against: She has it in for intelligent students who fail to use their abilities.
34. have it out, to come to an understanding or decision through discussion or combat: We've been in disagreement about this for a long time, and I think we should have it out, once and for all.
35. have on,
a. to be clothed in; be wearing: She had on a new dress.
b. to have arranged or planned: What do you have on for Christmas?
c. to tease (a person); make the **** of a joke. Cf. put (def. 34).
36. have to do with,
a. to be connected or associated with: Your lack of confidence probably had a lot to do with your not getting the job.
b. to deal with; be concerned with: I will have nothing to do with their personal squabbles.
37. to have and to hold, to possess legally; have permanent possession of: The house, with the mortgage finally paid, was at last their own to have and to hold.
–n.
38. Usually, haves. an individual or group that has wealth, social position, or other material benefits (contrasted with have-not).

be–v.i.
1. to exist or live: Shakespeare's “To be or not to be” is the ultimate question.
2. to take place; happen; occur: The wedding was last week.
3. to occupy a place or position: The book is on the table.
4. to continue or remain as before: Let things be.
5. to belong; attend; befall: May good fortune be with you.
6. (used as a copula to connect the subject with its predicate adjective, or predicate nominative, in order to describe, identify, or amplify the subject): Martha is tall. John is president. This is she.
7. (used as a copula to introduce or form interrogative or imperative sentences): Is that right? Be quiet! Don't be facetious.
–auxiliary verb.
8. (used with the present participle of another verb to form the progressive tense): I am waiting.
9. (used with the present participle or infinitive of the principal verb to indicate future action): She is visiting there next week. He is to see me today.
10. (used with the past participle of another verb to form the passive voice): The date was fixed. It must be done.
11. (used in archaic or literary constructions with some intransitive verbs to form the perfect tense): He is come. Agamemnon to the wars is gone.
(RHUD)

CB

CalifJim · Answer

contrapositionWhat kind of world will our children have to live in?

This is not the semi-modal 'have to', so it's not a question whether the children will be required to live in a certain world. The 'have' goes with the previous words, and the 'to' goes with the following words.

What kind of world will our children have (available to them) | (that they will be able) to live in?

Alternately, you can think of it like this, even though this states the idea in a more awkward way stylistically.

What kind of world to live in will our children have?

(The interpretation with the semi-modal of obligation is possible, but the context leads me to prefer the interpretation I gave you above.)

contrapositionif we are to develop answers

~ if we are expected to develop answers
~ if we are going to develop answers

CJ

have to

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