SUGGESTIONS

To express suggestions, we use SHOULD.

-I think that Mary should listen to what John says.
-The boys should train harder to get better results.
-You should not start the project without the rest of the
group.

We use COULD to express a suggestion with a

sense of possibility.
-You could fix your car with those tools.
-Mary could enter to the voice competition if she wanted.
She has a great voice.

OBLIGATION & STRONG

RECOMMENDATION
To express an obligation, we use MUST and
HAVE TO.
-I must take care of y parents.
-You have to clean your room before you leave.

We can also express strong recommendations

with MUST and HAVE TO in conditional
sentences.
-I think that Sarah must study hard to get admitted at the
school.
-You have to be polite if you want to keep your job.

American English prefers the use of HAVE TO,

while the British English prefers the use of MUST.

WATCH OUT!
MUST NOT and DO NOT HAVE TO do not have
the same meaning as their positive form.
-We must not leave the room until the office comes back.
(prohibition)
-They do not have to wait for the transport to leave the
school. (option/possibility)
 PROHIBITION

To express a prohibition, we use MUST NOT and

CANNOT.
-Liza must not enter to the studio without her parents'
permission.
-Ray cannot tell anything about the competition until the
authorities announce it.

PERMISSION

To ask or give permission, we use CAN, MAY,

COULD and MIGHT.
Asking
Can I enter to the room? (friendly)
Could Claudia come with her friends? (polite)
May I tell you something important? (more polite)
Might Dereck talk in front of the King? (very polite)

Giving
You can stay here all the time you want. (friendly)
You may leave the flowers on the table. (polite)
You might tell Andrew to come. (very polite)
Let's summarize the expressions we have seen so
far.
You should stay with your mom. - suggestion.
Laura could sing better if she practiced. - suggestion.
I must / have to wash the dishes. - obligation.
You must / have to speak louder if you want them to
hear you. - strong recommendation.
We must not / cannot shout in the church. - prohibition
Can / could /may / might I bring a friend for dinner?
- asking permission
You can / may / might have lunch with us. - giving
permission.

EXERCISES
 Use the words to build a sentence in the form
asked in parenthesis.
Example:
You / stay not / up / late (suggestion)
You should not stay up late.
1.Mark / help / his friends / with History (suggestion)
2.The girl / take a shower / before lunch (obligation)
3.People / smoke not / in public places (prohibition)
4.You / sing / a song / with me (give permission)
5.I / sing / you / a song (ask permission)
6.Andrea / change / her attitude / to be more respected
(strong recommendation)
7.The group / keep studying / to win the school trip to
England. (strong recommendation)
8.You / wait / outside / until the teacher arrives. (give
permission)
9.We / intervene / the conversation / without
permission (prohibition)
10.The director / let / me / go home now (asking
permission)

OBILITION

the fact that you are obliged to do something:

[ + to infinitive ] If you have not signed a contract, you are under no
obligation to (= it is not necessary to) pay them any money.
You have a legal obligation to (= the law says you
must) ensure your child receives an education.

[C]
something that you must do:
I don't have time to do his work for him - I have too many obligations as it is.
 More examples
 Beach operators do not have a legal obligation
to provide against injury or drowning.
 One has an obligation to one's friends.
 It's her moral obligation to tell the police what she knows.
 Are you under a contractual obligation to any other company?
 You have a legal obligation to inform the police about the crash.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

(Definition of obligation from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge

University Press)
OBLIGATION | AMERICAN DICTIONARY
obligation
noun [ C/U ]
US
/ˌɑb·ləˈɡeɪ·ʃən/

something that a person feels morally or legally forced to do:

[ C ] The government has an obligation to assist relief efforts.
[ U ] You can just look – you’re under no obligation to buy.

(Definition of obligation from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University

Press)

OBLIGATION | BUSINESS ENGLISH

obligation
noun
LAW
UK
/ˌɒblɪˈɡeɪʃən/ US

[ C or U ]
a legal or moral duty to do something:
a legal/moral obligation
an obligation to do sth There is a legal obligation to publish accounts.
We have an obligation to generate value for our shareholders.
an obligation to sb Under bankruptcy law, the company has an obligation
to creditors.
be under (an) obligation You are under no obligation
to accept damaged goods.
obligations [ plural ]

things that you must do or pay because of a law, rule, agreement, etc.:
impose/place obligations on sb The law imposes certain obligations
on publicauthorities.
fulfil/meet your obligations He has fulfilled the obligations of
his current contract.
contractual/financial/statutory obligations Failure
to meet contractual obligations may result in legal action.
without obligation

COMMERCE, LAW
used to say that someone can look at or try a product or service without
having to buyit:
Auction houses will usually examine and place a price on your item without
obligation.
This mortgage advice is completely free and without obligation.
See also
tax obligation

(Definition of obligation from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University

Press)

EXAMPLES OF OBLIGATION
obligation
Very few associations, groups, or plans specifically endorse obligations to vulnerable
populations.
From Cambridge English Corpus
The latter response is reinforced in us by our obligation to stand in solidarity with victims
of wrongdoing against those who have wronged them.
From Cambridge English Corpus

These examples are from the Cambridge English Corpus and from sources on the web.
Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary
editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
More examples

COLLOCATIONS WITH OBLIGATION

obligation
These are words often used in combination with obligation.
Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.
absolute obligation
Basinger thinks so, but also seems to see it as a less absolute obligation than the first
type.
From Cambridge English Corpus

binding obligation
During this time, ultrasound examinations in pregnancy are approved with
a binding obligation to assess the results.
From Cambridge English Corpus

certain obligation
We have undertaken a certain obligation under the sanctions arrangements.
From the