by R. S. Karunaratne

How to use 'should' and 'must'

We use 'should' to talk about a good thing to do.

You should be more careful with electrical appliances.
Children should respect elderly people.
Should I wear a tie for the interview?
We should get up early every day.
You should speak clearly and to the point.
In a big city, you should be careful with your money.

Here's a short poem written by Lewis Mancha:

Letters to a magazine

Should I give up smoking?
Should I marry Bob?
Should I move to Woking?
Should I change my job?
Should I dye my hair green?
Should I tell his wife?
Should I ask a magazine
How to live my life?

We use 'must' to talk about what is necessary.

I must buy a new house.
You must finish this job today.
You mustn't smoke in public places.
Meat must be cooked thoroughly.
You must get some sleep.
You mustn't show this note to anybody else.
Small children must not be left unattended.
Must I go now?
I must phone the police.
We must hire someone who can do the job.

We use 'must' for emphasis.

I must say, you're extremely beautiful.
I must admit, I was a little careless in my driving.

We use 'must' to say 'it is a good idea.'

You must spend a day with us.

We must meet for lunch.

[Activity]

Fill in the blanks with 'should' or 'must' and check your answers with the key.

1. All passengers ............. wear seatbelts.
2. I .......... go and do my homework.
3. Accidents ........... be reported to the Traffic Police.
4. ........... you leave so soon?
5. I don't want to attend the meeting but I suppose I ........... .
6. You ............. tell me the truth.
7. She .............. support her family.
8. ........... I contact Sam's brother?
9. You ............. not leave your child alone at home.
They .............. have paid you for your services.

Key:

must 2. must 3. must 4. Must 5. should 6. should 7. should 8. Should 9. should 10. should

Match words and meanings

Here's a novel way to enrich your vocabulary. We give you 25 words in Column 'A' and their meanings in Column 'B.' However, the meanings are jumbled. Match them and check your answers with the key. The first one has been done for you.

[Column A ]

Y 1. bellow
... 2. bellows
... 3. belly
... 4. bellyache
... 5. belong
... 6. belongings
... 7. belt
... 8. bemoan
... 9. bemused
... 10. benchmark

... 11. bend
... 12. beneath
... 13. benefactor
... 14. benighted
... 15. benign
... 16. benumbed
... 17. berate
... 18. bereft
... 19. berserk
... 20. beseech

... 21. beset
... 22. beside
... 23. besides
... 24. besmeared
... 25. besotted

********

[Column B]

A. completely in love
B. marked with dirt
C. in addition to
D. next to
E. troubled
F. beg
G. very angry
H. lacking something
I. criticise angrily
J. unable to feel
K. pleasant
L. without morals

M. someone who gives money to help an organisation
N. in a lower position
O. a curved part
P. a level of quality
Q. slightly confused
R. to complain sadness
S. a strip of leather
T. the things a person owns
U. to be in the right place

V. a pain in the stomach
W. the stomach
X. a tool used to blow air
Y. to shout in a loud voice.

Key:

2. X 3. W 4. V 5. U 6. T 7. S 8. R 9. Q 10. P 11. O 12 N 13. M 14. L 15. K 16. J 17. I 18. H 19. G 20. F 21. E 22. D 23. C 24. B 25. A

Starters:

Comparison of adjectives

We form the comparative and superlative degrees of short and long adjectives in different ways. For short adjectives we usually add '-er' and '-est' endings.
Your T-shirt is smaller than mine.
I need a bigger computer than yours.
This is a better dictionary than that.
She is older than me.
Cyril went abroad for further studies.

For long adjectives we add 'more' and 'most' to make the comparative and superlative degrees.
Travel by bus is more expensive than going by train.
The film is more exciting than the novel.
Her dress is more elegant than mine.
Sam is more reliable than John.
Journalism is more interesting than archaeology.
Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
The Nile is the longest river in the world.
Alexander was the most powerful emperor in his time.

Spelling rules

There are some spelling rules for the 'er' and 'est' endings.

For adjectives ending in 'e', add 'er' and 'est' to make the comparative and superlative forms.

Nice > nicer > nicest
large > larger > largest
brave > braver > bravest
fine > finer > finest
safe > safer > safest

For adjectives ending in 'y', add 'ier' and 'iest' to make the comparative and superlative degrees.
lovely > lovelier >loveliest
lucky >luckier >luckiest
pretty> prettier > prettiest
ugly> uglier >ugliest

For adjectives ending in a single vowel letter + single consonant letter, double the consonant.

hot> hotter > hottest
big > bigger >biggest
sad > sadder >saddest
fit > fitter >; fittest
thin > thinner > thinnest
wet > wetter > wettest
Exception: new >newer >newest

For the following adjectives we add 'more' and 'most' to form the comparative and superlative degrees.

useful > more useful>most useful
careful > more careful > most careful
hopeless > more hopeless >most hopeless
boring > more boring > most boring
willing> more willing >most willing
annoyed > more annoyed > most annoyed
surprised > more surprised > most surprised
afraid > more afraid > most afraid
certain > more certain >most certain
eager > more eager > most eager
famous > more famous > most famous
foolish > more foolish> most foolish
frequent > more frequent > most frequent
modern >more modern > most modern
nervous > more nervous > most nervous
normal > more normal > most normal
recent > more recent > most recent

[Activity]

Underline the correct comparative or superlative forms and check your answers with the key.

1. He is the luckier / luckiest man I knew.
2. His condition is getting more serious / most serious.
3. I was happier / happiest in my old school.
4. He has got the smallest / most small office in the city.
5. Your photograph is best / better than mine.
6. The committee meeting was the shortest / shorter in recent times.
7. English is the most important / more important language in the world.
8. Is Gaya older / more older than Devi?
9. Cricket is more exciting / most exciting than volleyball.
10.Of all the workers Sam does more / the most work.

Key:

1.luckiest 2. more serious 3. happier 4. the smallest 5. better than 6. the shortest 7. the most important 8. older 9. more exciting 10. the most

Form adverbs from nouns

[Column A] [Column B]

1. generosity .............
2. gentleness ..............
3. gladness .............
4. government .............
5. gratitude .............
6. greatness ..............
7. ground .............
8. guilt ..............
9. habit ..............
10.happiness ..............

11.hardship ..............
12.harm .............
13.head .............
14.health ............
15.heart .............
16.heat .............
17.help ............
18.height .............
19.history .............
20.honesty ..............

21.hope ..............
22.human .............
23.hunger .............
24.hurry ...........
25.hurt ...........

Key:

1. generously 2. gently 3. gladly 4. governmentally 5. gratefully 6. greatly 7. underground 8. guiltily 9. habitually 10. happily 11. hard 12. harmlessly 13. overhead 14. healthily 15. heartily 16. heatedly 17. helpfully 18. highly 19. historically 20. honestly 21. hopefully 22. humanly 23. hungrily 24. hurriedly 25. hurtfully