student asking question

I have an image that "be forced to" is enforced by a third party. What's different between must, have to, should and be obliged to? 

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Good question! All of these words are very similar, yet they all have different nuances. You are right about the phrase "forced to". To be "forced to" do something implies that someone else is requiring you to do it without a choice. This is the strongest of all of these words. "Have to" and "must" are fairly similar to "forced to". To "have to" means that you are required to do something, however, this may or may not be because someone else is requiring you to do it. To "must" means the same thing as "have to", but it sounds a bit more polite. To be "obliged to" usually means that someone is required or forced to do something by law. This phrase is a little more formal than the others. "Should" is the only word here that actually has a completely different meaning from the others. "Should" means that it would be preferable to do something, but nothing is forcing you or requiring you to do it. Ex: Bartenders are obliged to ask all customers for an ID. Ex: I must go home for dinner. Ex: I wish I could come to the party but I have to do homework tonight. Ex: I want to go to the beach, but I should do some chores first.

Popular Q&As

04/19

Complete the expression with a quiz!