Grammar for ielts fiona Aish & Jo Tomlinson ■L& 11

Had to 
is used 
to express a strong objective obligation in the past
Unit 13
People had to travel to A ustralia on a ship before a ir tra ve l was invented, (it was necessary)
Didn’t have to 
is used 
to express that something was not an obligation
I did n ’t have to go to w o rk when I was a child.
Note: 
Must 
cannot be used in the past to express an obligation or choice.
Modal Verbs used for past regrets:
Should 
is used 
to express a recommendation or regret in the past
should + have +
past participle (Also 
should + have + been +
verb(-/ng)l
We should have gone on that Eco tourism trip. I’m sorry that we didn’t, (we didn’t go and I regret it] 
We shouldn't have gone on that Eco tourism trip. It was expensive and dull, (we went and I regret it)
Ought to 
is also used 
to express a recommendation o r regret in the past
ought to + have +
past participle (Also 
ought to + have + been +
verb(-/ng))
We ought to have thought more about the planet before using so much fuel.
This construction is less common in the negative.
Practice exercises
Decide on an appropriate past modal verb and the correct form of the verb in brackets to
finish the sentences. There may be more than one correct answer.
1 
When fossil fuels were discovered, p e o p le ____________
[know]
the negative effects
they w ould eventually cause as no research had been done on them .
2 
In early civilisations, p e o p le ____________
[hunt]
fo r th e ir own meat.
3 
P eople_____________
[take]
more care of endangered species. Over a hundred species
have become extinct in the last 50 years and it’s a te rrib le shame.
U
I t _____________
[be]
d iffic u lt to survive in the days before m odern m edicine and
hygiene standards.
5 
A new lizard has been discovered in the rainforests of Sum atra. Some experts say they 
[inhabit]
the deeper rainforests fo r up to a m illio n years.
6 
P e o ple _____________
[travel]
across borders quite easily in the past. Nowadays there
are many more im m igration rules.
7 
Before organised form s of rule such as kingdom s or governm ents, people 
[pay]
taxes.
8 Resentm ent among the c itiz e n s _____________
[develop]
fo r a long tim e before the
overthrow of the Empire, because popular support fo r a revolt had been growing fo r
decades.