Modals of Obligation and Prohibition ESL Activities, Games and Worksheets

This free modals of obligation worksheet helps to teach students how to express obligation with have to and has to. First, students write sentences about what David has to do today by looking at items on his desk and using verbs and nouns in a box to write sentences with has to. Afterwards, students write a short paragraph about what they have to do today using have to. Finally, students read their paragraphs to the class.

In this light-hearted modals of obligation and prohibition activity, students write an imaginary classroom contract for their teacher. In groups, students read the student contract on the worksheet. Students then use modal verbs of obligation and prohibition to write a teacher contract about all the rules and regulations they think you should follow. The contract shouldn't be too serious. Instead, encourage the students to create an amusing or imaginative set of rules. When everyone has finished, each group reads out their teacher contract to the class. After each group has presented, you and the group members sign the contract.

In this modals of obligation game, students complete sentences expressing obligation for How to topics and then use the sentences in a guessing game. In pairs, students think of six 'How to...' topics and complete six sentences, expressing obligation for each topic, e.g. You must..., You should..., etc. Pairs then take it in turns to read out their sentences to another pair who has to guess the 'How to...' topic from the expressions of obligation. For each correct guess, pairs score one point. The pair with the most points wins the game.

In this modals of prohibition worksheet, students practice can't, mustn't and may not to communicate prohibited actions in a variety of situations. Students begin by matching prohibited actions with corresponding locations. Next, students read a list of strange old laws from countries around the world and decide if they are real or not, writing T for true or F for false next to each law. After that, students use expressions from a box to complete the prohibition for each situation shown. In the last exercise, students write three things that are prohibited in their home using can't, mustn't and may not.

Here is a can and can't activity to help students practice can for permission and can't for prohibition. In the activity, students discuss British laws and guess the ages people can and can't do certain things. In pairs, students discuss the British laws on the worksheet, choose one age for each law, and circle it. Each pair then joins with another pair, discusses the British laws and reaches a consensus about the ages people can and can't do the things shown. Afterwards, groups give their answers, and the correct age for each law is revealed to the class. Students then discuss which laws surprised them the most. Finally, groups compare the list of British laws on the worksheet with the laws in their home country.

In this modals of obligation game, students make sentences about what people must do or be if they want to be successful in a particular job. Write the name of a job on the board, e.g. athlete. In teams, students have five minutes to write down as many You must... sentences, expressing things people must do or be if they want to be successful in that particular kind of work, e.g. 'You must train every day'. When the time limit has been reached, the teams swap papers for marking. For each grammatically correct and appropriate sentence, teams score a point. Play several rounds with different jobs and other modal verbs and expressions of obligation, e.g. have to, should and ought to. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

In this free must and mustn't activity, students write and discuss how they would like people to behave in a perfect world using the modal verbs must for obligation and mustn't for prohibition. Working alone, students complete sentences about how they would like different people to behave using must and mustn't. Students then discuss and compare their answers in groups and talk about what qualities each person on the worksheet should have. Afterwards, groups give feedback to the class on their findings.

In this fun modals of obligation running dictation activity, students practice completing and writing rules for various places. One student is the reader and the other is the writer. The reader runs to Text A, reads the first sentence, remembers it, runs back and dictates it to the writer who writes the sentence on the back of their worksheet. This continues until all the sentences in Text A have been dictated. The students then swap roles for Text B and the process is repeated. Next, students refer to the sentences they just wrote down and complete rules with the modals of obligation: must, mustn't, have to, don't have to, should or shouldn't. Students then read the sentences and decide which rules are for a museum and which are rules for a swimming pool. The first pair to do this correctly wins. Afterwards, pairs think of a place and write five rules for that place using modals of obligation. Finally, students go around the class reading their sentences to other pairs who try to guess the place being described.

In this modals of obligation and prohibition activity, students write ten rules for studying in English class. In pairs, students use modal verbs of obligation and prohibition to write ten rules for studying in English class, explaining the reason for each rule. Pairs then take it in turns to read out their rules to the class. Afterwards, students work together as a class to come up with a list of ten rules that they all agree on.

In this obligation and prohibition activity, students use modal verbs to make rules for guests and staff in a hotel. Students imagine that they have taken over the management of a hotel and that they are going to decide what rules to have in the hotel for guests and staff. In groups, students use prompts on the worksheet to create a set of rules with modals of obligation and prohibition. Each group then joins with another group and compares rules, taking note of rules which are the same and different. If one group doesn’t agree with another group's rule, they try to persuade the other group to change it. Finally, groups explain their rules to the class and the class tries to agree on one set of rules for the hotel.

This past obligation activity helps to teach students how to express obligation in the past with had to and didn't have to. In the activity, students ask and answer questions about what they were obligated to do when they were children. Students start by turning each statement on the worksheet into a question, e.g. 'When you were young, did you have to go to school by bus?' Students also create two more questions of their own at the bottom of the worksheet. Next, students go around the class asking one another their questions. When a student finds someone who answers 'Yes, I did' to a question made from a positive statement, they write down that person’s name. If the question is about a negative statement, the student needs to find someone who answers 'No, I didn't'. When a student writes down someone's name, they ask a follow-up question to gain more information and write down the answer. Afterwards, students give feedback to the class on what they found out using had to and didn't have to.

This engaging modals of obligation activity can be used to help students practice have to, has to, don’t have to, and doesn’t have to. In pairs, students begin by asking their partner questions to find out which person on their worksheet has to do which household chore, e.g. 'Does Ethan have to clean the house?' When the students have found out who does each household chore, they complete sentences with the correct form of have to. After that, students decide who said different statements about what they have to do. Finally, students write about the household chores they have to do and then tell their partner about them.

In this free have to and must game, students guess jobs from clues that contain expressions of obligation and prohibition with must, mustn't, have to, and don't have to. There are six clues for each job. The first clue is quite difficult and the last clue is very easy. In pairs, one student goes first and picks up a card. The student then reads out the first clue on the card to their partner who listens and guesses what the job could be. If the guess is incorrect, the student reads the next clue and so on. If their partner correctly guesses the job, they get the number of points indicated next to the clue. The two students then swap roles. This continues until all the cards have been used. The student with the most points at the end of the game wins. Afterwards, each pair thinks of a job and creates their own clues using expressions of obligation and prohibition. The pairs then read their clues for the class to guess.

In this modals of obligation and prohibition worksheet, students practice expressing obligation and prohibition with can't, have to and don't have to by joining sentence parts together to make a set of school rules. Each sentence on the worksheet is split into three parts. Students join the three parts of each sentence together to make a school rule and write the sentence down on the worksheet. The first student to complete all the sentences correctly is the winner.

In this should and shouldn't activity, students practice asking and answering yes/no questions with should. This activity can be used to practice the modal verbs should and shouldn't for mild obligation and giving opinions. Students go through the items on the worksheet and form the yes/no questions they need to ask in order to do the activity, e.g. 'Should people eat meat?' Students then move around the classroom asking yes/no questions and completing their worksheets with yes or no answers, depending on whether the item on the worksheet is affirmative or negative. When a classmate responds appropriately, the student writes down their name and asks a follow-up question to gain more information. When everyone has finished, students give feedback to the class on what they found out.

In this modals of obligation and prohibition board game, students review how to express past and present obligation, lack of obligation, and prohibition. Students take it in turns to roll the dice and move their counter along the board. When a student lands on a square, they make a sentence with the underlined language from the prompt, expressing past or present obligation, lack of obligation or prohibition. For example, if the square read 'Three things you mustn't do in class', the student might say 'You mustn't eat snacks, talk loudly or use your mobile phone in class'. The other group members listen to the student's sentence and judge whether it's correct or not. If the sentence is correct, the student stays on the square. If the sentence is grammatically incorrect or doesn't make sense, the student goes back two squares. The first student to reach the finish wins the game.

In this have to and should activity, students decide and discuss how strongly they agree or disagree with statements containing modal verbs and expressions of obligation. In pairs, students begin by deciding how strongly they agree or disagree with ten statements by circling numbers on the worksheet. Students then guess their partner's opinion about each statement. Students then compare and justify their answers with their partner and see how many guesses they got right.

In this modals of obligation and prohibition activity, students play a guessing game where they describe places and situations using modal verbs and expressions of obligation and prohibition. In pairs, students describe the place or situation on their card by writing five sentences with modals of obligation and prohibition, e.g. must, should, have to, etc. Finally, pairs take it in turns to read their sentences to the class who tries to guess the place or situation described by each pair.