Must and may Compared

§ 91. Must and мaу can be compared in two meanings:

1) Both may and must serve to express supposition but their use
is not parallel. May denotes supposition implying uncertainty where-
as the supposition expressed by must implies strong probability.
Cf. For all I know, he may be an actor. His face seems so familiar.

He must be an actor. His voice carries so well.

I saw him an hour ago. He may still be in his office now.

He always comes at 10 sharp. So he must be in his office

now.

2) May and must are used to express prohibition in negative
sentences. But may is seldom found in this meaning. In negative
answers to questions with may asking for permission we generally
find must not or cannot.

e.g. "May I smoke here?" "No, you mustn't (you can't)."

To have to

§ 92. To have to as a modal verb is not a defective verb and
can have all the necessary finite forms as well as the verbals.

e.g. He is an invalid and has to have a nurse.
She knew what she had to do.
I shall have to reconsider my position.
He is always having to exercise judgement.
My impression was that he was having to force himself to talk.
I have had to remind you of writing to her all this time.
The women at Barford had had to be told that an experiment

was taking place that day.
"As a matter of fact," he said, "I've been having to spend

some time with the research people."
It wouldn't have been very nice for the Davidsons to have to

mix with all those people in the smoking-room.
Having to work alone, he wanted all his time for his research.

The interrogative and negative forms of the modal verb to have
to are built up by means of the auxiliary verb to do.¹

e.g. Why do I have to do everything?
Did he have to tell them about it?
"That's all right," she said. "I just thought I'd ask. You

don't have to explain."
There was a grin on his face. He did not have to tell me that

he already knew.

§ 93. The verb to have to serves to express obligation or neces-
sity imposed by circumstances. It is rendered in Russian as прихо-
дится, вынужден.

In this meaning it is found in all kinds of sentences — af-
firmative, interrogative and negative — and is combined only
with the simple infinitive.

e.g. He had to do it.

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