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Nina_Nia Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Modal verbs

Hello,

Which modal verb would sound more natural in this sentences? (In American English)

You must not /should not swim in the sea now. There is a shark!!!!

I have to/must/should/ought to /need to brush my cat every week.

Thanks
  

Top answer

You must not / should not swim in the sea now. There is a shark!!!! Either is okay but I'd say that "should not" is more common.

— MalRey

  • You must not / should not swim in the sea now.
  • There is a shark!!!!
  • Either is okay but I'd say that "should not" is more common.
  • I have to / must/should/ought to /need to brush my cat every week.
  • Any of these is okay depending on the nuances of meaning you intend.
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3 Answers
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You must not /should not swim in the sea now. There is a shark!!!! Either is okay but I'd say that "should not" is more common.

I have to/must/should/ought to /need to brush my cat every week. Any of these is okay depending on the nuances of meaning you intend.
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Nina_Nia,
This is My observation. The issue is not really which modal fits the best, rather, how you intend the meaning and the way your sentences was constructed. As written, it didn't sound like natural American utterance to me. But to make it more natural, I would borrow your sentence and say:
" You really should not swim in this water. Sharks have
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Nina_NiaAmerican English
You can't go swimming now. There is a shark!
You shouldn't go swimming now. There is a shark!
You had (You'd) better not go swimming now. There is a shark!
You may not go swimming now. There is a shark!

I have to brush my cat every week.
I had to brush my cat every week.
I should brush my cat every week
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