Modal Verbs of Obligation and Prohibition ESL Activities, Games and Worksheets

Do you have to...?

Elementary (A1-A2) 20 minutes
ESL Have to Activity - Speaking: Forming, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled Practice - Group Work

In this free have to speaking activity, students conduct a survey where they ask and answer yes/no questions to find out what people have to and don't have to do. First, in groups, students create the Do you... read more

Modal Madness

Elementary (A1-A2) 25 minutes
ESL Should and Shouldn't Game - Grammar and Vocabulary: Matching, Binary Choice - Group Work

Here is a productive should and shouldn't game to help students practice the modal verbs should and shouldn't for obligation and prohibition. In groups, students take turns turning over one situation... read more

Those Are the Rules

Elementary (A1-A2) 20 minutes
ESL Must and Mustn't Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Information Gap, Asking and Answering Questions - Pair Work

In this useful must and mustn't information gap activity, students ask and answer questions with must and mustn't to complete a set of rules for different situations. In pairs, students take turns asking... read more

Class Contracts

Pre-intermediate (A2) 30 minutes
ESL Modal Verbs of Obligation and Prohibition Activity - Vocabulary and Writing Exercise: Writing Sentences - Group Work

In this light-hearted modal verbs of obligation and prohibition activity, students write an imaginary classroom contract for their teacher. In groups, students read the student contract on the worksheet... read more

David's Day

Pre-intermediate (A2) 20 minutes
ESL Have to Worksheet - Grammar, Vocabulary and Writing Exercises: Writing Sentences, Paragraph Writing

This free modal verbs 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... read more

How to...

Pre-intermediate (A2) 30 minutes
ESL Modal Verbs of Obligation Game - Vocabulary and Writing: Writing and Reading Sentences, Guessing - Pair Work

In this engaging modal verbs 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... read more

It's Prohibited

Pre-intermediate (A2) 30 minutes
ESL Modal Verbs of Prohibition Worksheet - Grammar and Vocabulary Exercises: Matching, True or False, Gap-fill, Sentence Completion

In this useful modal verbs of prohibition worksheet, students practice can't, mustn't and may not to communicate prohibited actions in a variety of situations... read more

It's the Law

Pre-intermediate (A2) 25 minutes
ESL Can and Can't Activity - Speaking: Guided Discussion, True or False, Guessing - Pair and Group Work

Here is an insightful can and can't activity to help students practice can for permission and can't for prohibition by discussing international laws and guessing which ones are true and false. First... read more

Obligation Game

Pre-intermediate (A2) 25 minutes
ESL Modal Verbs of Obligation Game - Vocabulary and Writing: Writing Sentences - Group Work

In this creative modal verbs 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... read more

Perfect People

Pre-intermediate (A2) 25 minutes
ESL Must and Mustn't Activity - Speaking: Sentence Completion, Discussion, Freer Practice - Group Work

In this free must and mustn't speaking 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... read more

Running Rules

Pre-intermediate (A2) 30 minutes
ESL Modal Verbs of Obligation Activity - Speaking: Running Dictation, Freer Practice - Pair Work - Grammar Exercises: Gap-fill, Matching, Writing Sentences

In this enjoyable modal verbs of obligation running dictation activity, students practice completing and writing rules for various places. One student is the... read more

Ten Rules for English Class

Pre-intermediate (A2) 35 minutes
ESL Modal Verbs of Obligation and Prohibition Activity - Vocabulary and Writing: Writing Sentences, Presenting - Pair Work

In this handy modal verbs of obligation and prohibition activity, students write ten rules for studying in English class using must, should and have to. In pairs... read more

The Modal Hotel

Pre-intermediate (A2) 35 minutes
ESL Modal Verbs of Obligation and Prohibition Activity - Vocabulary, Writing and Speaking: Writing Sentences, Discussion, Freer Practice - Group Work

In this imaginative modal verbs of obligation and prohibition activity, students use modal verbs to make rules for guests and staff in a hotel using must, mustn't, have... read more

Who has to do what?

Pre-intermediate (A2) 25 minutes
ESL Have to Activity - Vocabulary, Speaking and Writing: Information Gap, Asking and Answering Questions, Gap-fill, Identifying, Writing Sentences - Pair Work

This rewarding modal verbs 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... read more

Job Descriptions

Intermediate (B1) 30 minutes
ESL Have to and Must Game - Speaking and Vocabulary: Reading and Writing Clues, Guessing - Pair Work

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... read more

School Rules

Intermediate (B1) 25 minutes
ESL Modal Verbs of Obligation and Prohibition Worksheet - Grammar and Writing Exercise: Matching, Forming Sentences

In this productive modal verbs of obligation and prohibition worksheet, students practice expressing obligation and prohibition with can't, have to and don't have... read more

Should Survey

Intermediate (B1) 30 minutes
ESL Should Activity - Speaking: Forming, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice

In this interesting should and shouldn't speaking activity, students practice asking and answering yes/no questions with should. This activity can be used to practice the modal verbs should and... read more

Three Things

Intermediate (B1) 25 minutes
ESL Modal Verbs of Obligation and Prohibition Board Game - Speaking: Forming Sentences, Freer Practice - Group Work

In this fun modal verbs 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... read more

What do you think?

Intermediate (B1) 25 minutes
ESL Have to and Should Activity - Speaking: Guessing, Guided Discussion, Freer Practice - Pair Work

In this thought-provoking have to and should speaking activity, students decide and discuss how strongly they agree or disagree with statements containing modal verbs and expressions of obligation... read more

When you were young...

Intermediate (B1) 30 minutes
ESL Had To and Didn't Have To Activity - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled and Freer Practice

This memorable past obligation speaking 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... read more

Where is it?

Intermediate (B1) 30 minutes
ESL Modal Verbs of Obligation and Prohibition Game - Grammar: Writing Sentences, Guessing - Pair Work

In this entertaining modal verbs of obligation and prohibition activity, students play a guessing game where they describe places and situations using modal verbs and expressions of obligation... read more

When you were a child

Upper-intermediate (B2) 25 minutes
ESL Had To Activity - Speaking: Survey, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Group Work

In this free past modal verbs of obligation and prohibition speaking activity, students ask and answer questions about what they were and weren’t allowed to do and had to do when they were a child. This activity... read more