BROADCASTS.com

Published: Sept. 4, 2015, 2:16 p.m.

b'

Learning English is not easy, but can be both fun and challenging. You must have heard people talk of their own experiences and struggles trying to become fluent in English. There are so many little words and phrases that can either make you sound more natural, or less natural, depending on how you use them. Everybody wants to sound like a native speaker and that takes effort and perseverance.

\\n

\\xa0

\\n

In these American English language tips Gabby provides hints and suggestions on how to sound less stiff and more native-like. If you want to achieve success at American English fluency, you have to listen to as much American English as you can, whether it be music, radio, or television programs. You should also take advantage of all the resources that Gabby makes available to you.

\\n

\\xa0

\\n

Make sure you visit gonaturalenglish.com and get a free eBook guide and don\\u2019t be afraid to join some of the many English language conversations that are going on. Almost everybody there has been nervous at one time or another about being embarrassed by their accents, or vocabulary, or grammar. The Go Natural English community is there to support you and encourage you along the way to American English fluency.

\\n

\\xa0

\\n

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUIQH410Rsc

\\n

\\xa0

\\n

Episode transcript below:

\\n

\\xa0

\\n

Hello there! How are you doing?

\\n

Welcome to Go Natural English.

\\n

In this video tip we\\u2019re going to take a great question from Paolo.

\\n

Paolo asked, \\u201cWhat is the difference between \\u2018Must\\u2019 and \\u2018Have to?\\u2019\\u201d

\\n

Paolo, I love this question because the confusion I think comes from traditional \\u2013 I was going to say \\u201cbad.\\u201d

\\n

I don\\u2019t want to say \\u201cbad\\u201d \\u2013 I don\\u2019t like passing judgment but you know what? Bad!

\\n

Bad traditional English lessons that are too focused on grammar and that don\\u2019t look at real, natural conversational use of English \\u2013 at least American English.

\\n

Remember, I\\u2019m your American English teacher so I\\u2019m talking always about American English.

\\n

So, \\u201cMust\\u201d and \\u201cHave to\\u201d according to the grammar books are very similar.

\\n

They mean the same thing, right?

\\n

Kind of like \\u201cShould \\u2013 You should do something\\u201d \\u2013 it\\u2019s a suggestion but more powerful, right?

\\n

So, here\\u2019s the catch.

\\n

What your grammar books don\\u2019t tell you is that we really only use \\u201cMust\\u201d when we\\u2019re talking about probability.

\\n

This is how we really use \\u201cMust\\u201d in conversation \\u2013 in daily use.

\\n

You know how I know when someone hasn\\u2019t had enough exposure to real English is when they use \\u201cMust\\u201d to suggest something.

\\n

Like \\u201cYou must go to bed at 8 PM because it is good to go to bed early.\\u201d

\\n

Okay, thanks.

\\n

It sounds really unnatural.

\\n

You could say in a better, more natural way \\u201cYou should\\u201d or \\u201cYou have to go to bed at 8 PM\\u201d right?

\\n

That\\u2019s really early

\\n

I don\\u2019t know why I said 8 PM.

\\n

Oh, another dead giveaway that you really haven\\u2019t had much exposure to natural English is if you say, \\u201cOught to.\\u201d

\\n

\\u201cYou ought to go to bed at 8 PM.\\u201d

\\n

Now, actually I should take that back because I think people might say that in other countries like maybe British English but like I said \\u2013 disclaimer \\u2013 I am teaching American English.

\\n

I am American.

\\n

I have very little exposure to British English so keep that in mind.

\\n

Okay, so \\u201cMust\\u201d is used for probability, not suggestions.

\\n

In real life, okay, I\\u2019m talking about real-life usage so, \\u201cYou must have\\u201d so we always use \\u2013 I shouldn\\u2019t say always but most of the time we use \\u201cMust\\u201d and \\u201cHave\\u201d together.

\\n

\\u201cOh, you must have read the weather report; you brought your umbrella, so you know it\\u2019s going to rain.\\u201d

\\n

Wonderful, okay?

\\n

\\u201cOh, you must have gone to bed at 8 PM last night because you\\u2019re looking so handsome today\\u201d \\u2013 so, probability, right.

\\n

We use \\u201cMust have\\u201d to show probability which is not actually discussed that often in traditional English classes.

'