must
part of speech
verb (must — modal, no other forms; must not, mustn't; must have); noun (a must — informal)
meaning for a pupil
1) Must means something has to happen; it is needed or it is a rule: «You must wear shoes.» tree →
2) Must also means you are almost sure something is true: «You must be tired.» tree →
3) «Must not» means it is not allowed. tree →
4) A must is something you really should do or have: «Sunscreen is a must.» tree →
5) «Must have» + past form means you are almost sure about the past: «It must have rained.» tree →
6) (casual) «Gotta» and «have to» are the everyday words for must: «gotta go», «I've gotta save 30 more». tree →
7) (rough, sarcastic) «Must you?» means stop it, you are annoying; «if you must» means I don't like it, but fine. tree →
8) (formal) «Shall», «is required to», «is obliged to» and «it is necessary that» are the stiff words: «Each candidate shall provide…» tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: It is used in the usual way, meaning has to, and it shows what a person is bound to do under God's command. Interpretation: Balaam's words show that a prophet can speak only what God puts in his mouth. In the primary lessons: a need or rule in the story: how many must be bought, how far one must go, how much more one must save; in safety rules «you must» and «you must not»; in logic «it must be» shows a sure conclusion; in casual talk «gotta», «have to», «need to»; in the exam voice «is required to», «shall»; phrases «must have», «a must», «must-see», «if you must»
examples
- And he answered and said: 'Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD putteth in my mouth?' (Torah NUM.23.12, JPS 1917) tree →
- But Balaam answered and said unto Balak: 'Told not I thee, saying: All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?' (Torah NUM.23.26, JPS 1917) tree →
- And Moses said: 'Thou must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt-offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God. (Torah EXO.10.25, JPS 1917) tree →
- And how must the wise man die even as the fool! (Writings ECC.2.16, JPS 1917) tree →
- When I think thereon, O God, I must moan; when I muse thereon, my spirit fainteth. (Writings PSA.77.4, JPS 1917) tree →
- For thou loathest it, so that thou must choose, and not I; therefore speak what thou knowest. (Writings JOB.34.33, JPS 1917) tree →
- How many more pages must she read? tree →
- He must save 30 dollars more. tree →
- Each box must hold 6 eggs. tree →
- How many buses must they rent? tree →
- You must not swim without a grown-up. tree →
- Everyone must wear a helmet on a bike. tree →
- The grass is wet, so it must have rained. tree →
- You must be hungry after the long walk. tree →
- gotta get 30 more bucks before sat, how many weeks at 5 a week (casual) tree →
- Must you bang that drum? Give it a rest. (rough) tree →
- That film is a must-see. tree →
- Each vehicle is required to accommodate 40 passengers; determine the minimum number of vehicles necessitated for 130 persons. (formal exam) tree →
- I must know more of them." tree →
note
«Must still» or «more … must» often asks for what is left: need − have. «How many buses must they rent» often needs rounding up after dividing. Trap: when you divide, do not drop the part left over if one more bus or box is needed. Must has no -s and no past form: «she must», not «she musts»; use «had to» for the past. «Must not» (forbidden) differs from «don't have to» (not needed). «Gotta» = have got to (casual, spoken only). Formal «is required to» and «shall» = must. «Must be» can be a guess, not a rule: «you must be Tom» means I think you are Tom.
In the corpora
- And he answered and said: 'Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD putteth in my mouth?'
- My wound is grievous; but I said: 'This is but a sickness, and I must bear it.'
- For too costly is the redemption of their soul, and must be let alone for ever —
- When I think thereon, O God, I must moan; when I muse thereon, my spirit fainteth.
- But if he be found, he must restore sevenfold, he must give all the substance of his house.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «must» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.