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Stop for the yellow bus! Must, mustn't and don't have to for rules

This A2 ESL lesson plan teaches must and mustn't for rules and laws, set against don't have to, around school buses on American roads.

Grammar
Must and mustn't + the base verb for every person (Drivers must stop. You mustn't pass the bus.), don't have to for no need, and Do I have to…? questions.
Topic
School bus safety on American roads, from flashing red lights and the stop arm to why buses are yellow, with words such as buckle up, median and law.
Activities
A safety notice, a talk with a bus driver, a viewer's voice message, self-checking drills, a parent's chat with the driver and open boxes of rules.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1All aboard the yellow bus!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: on the school busVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: stop for the bus!

    • Look at the photo: a school bus stopsPictureUnlock
    • Read the safety noticeReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: Zack's big yellow bus

    • Listen to Maya and ZackListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the Viewer's QuestionListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: Drivers must stop!

    • Study the scheme: must, mustn't, don't have toGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct option: must, mustn't or don't have toChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: make sentencesFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: must, mustn't, don't have toFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: rules, rules, rules!

    • Choose the right replies: questions for the bus driverChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: rules, rules, rulesOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the lesson's wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Choose the correct wordChoose the optionUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: ✅ do it, ⛔ don't do it, 🆗 no needFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: Maya's postChoose the optionUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: Jasmine's replyDrag and dropUnlock

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Vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • stop arm
  • seat belt
  • mirror
  • signal
  • median
  • law
  • conference

Grammar: must, mustn't and don't have to

Must is one of the modal verbs of obligation, and it's the one most often written on signs and in rules: Drivers must stop. Mustn't forbids something, while don't have to only says there's no rule. Around an American school bus, learners keep the three meanings apart, use must with no to and no -s, and ask about rules with Do I have to…?

Drivers must stop! You don't have to run.

must: a rule, do it! · mustn't: a rule, don't do it! · don't have to: no rule, no need

Must, mustn't, don't have to: three meanings

Must means a rule or a law says do it: Drivers must stop for the bus. Mustn't means it says don't: You mustn't pass on the right. Don't have to means no rule at all, so it isn't necessary, but you can: You don't have to run. Zack waits.

WordsIt means…Example
must ✅a rule or a law: do it!Drivers must stop for the bus.
mustn't ⛔a rule or a law: don't do it!You mustn't pass on the right.
don't have to 🆗no rule: it isn't necessary, but you canYou don't have to run. Zack waits.

One form of must for every person

Must never changes: I must stop, he must stop, they must stop, never he musts. The verb after it has no to, and must never takes do, does or did. Only don't have to changes, to doesn't have to after he, she and it.

Every person

Whomustmustn'tdon't have to
II must stop.I mustn't pass.I don't have to hurry.
youYou must stop.You mustn't pass.You don't have to hurry.
heHe must stop.He mustn't pass.He doesn't have to hurry.
sheShe must stop.She mustn't pass.She doesn't have to hurry.
it (the truck)It must stop.It mustn't pass.It doesn't have to hurry.
weWe must stop.We mustn't pass.We don't have to hurry.
theyThey must stop.They mustn't pass.They don't have to hurry.

must: no to, no -s, no do

After must, use the verb without to: must stop (not must to stop). must is the same for every person: he must (not he musts). Never use do, does or did with must: not “Do I must…?”, “He doesn't must…” or “didn't must”. To ask, say Do I have to…?

Mustn't and don't have to are not the same

The two negatives mean different things, and the reason tells them apart. Kids mustn't stand up on the bus: it's dangerous, so don't. Kids don't have to sit at the front: it's their choice, so either is fine.

mustn't ⛔ = Don't do it!

  • You mustn't pass on the right. (It's against the law.)
  • Kids mustn't stand up on the bus. (It's dangerous.)

don't have to 🆗 = No need

  • You don't have to run. (The bus waits.)
  • Kids don't have to sit at the front. (It's their choice.)

Asking about rules: Do I have to…?

Questions about rules use have to: Do I have to buckle up? – Yes, you do. Does he have to run? – No, he doesn't. For rules, must and have to mean almost the same, but signs and written rules often say must, while people talking often say have to.

Questions and short answers

QuestionShort answer
Do I have to buckle up?Yes, you do. / No, you don't.
Does he have to run?Yes, he does. / No, he doesn't.
Do we have to wait?Yes, you do. / No, you don't.

must or have to?

For rules and laws, must and have to mean almost the same: Drivers must stop = Drivers have to stop. We often write must on signs and in rules. When we talk, we often say have to. But the negatives are different: mustn't = don't do it! don't have to = no need.

On Zack's bus

  • Everyone must buckle up.
  • The red lights flash, so drivers must stop.
  • Kids mustn't stand up when the bus is moving.
  • Biscuit mustn't get on. Dogs can't ride!
  • Maya doesn't have to run. Zack waits for her.
  • Do I have to sit at the front? – No, you don't.

Common mistakes

  • Drivers must to stop.

    Drivers must stop.

    must + verb, no to

  • He musts wait.

    He must wait.

    must: the same for every person

  • Do I must buckle up?

    Do I have to buckle up?

    questions: Do I have to…?

  • You mustn't run. The bus waits for you.

    You don't have to run. The bus waits for you.

    no rule, no need: don't have to

More lessons on this grammar: Modal verbs lessons and exercises

Try the must and mustn't exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 17 auto-checked exercises
  • 4 games
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • state rules and laws with must: Drivers must stop for the bus. Everyone must buckle up.
  • say what a rule forbids with mustn't: You mustn't pass on the right. Kids mustn't stand up on the bus.
  • tell mustn't (don't do it) from don't have to (no need): You don't have to run. The bus waits.
  • ask about rules with Do I have to…? and answer briefly: Does he have to sit at the front? – No, he doesn't.

School in America, unit 6 of English A2.2 · Curious Minds, continues with lesson 22. It builds on lesson 21, which taught have to and don't have to, and on A2.1 lesson 26, where should and shouldn't gave advice: must is the step from advice to rules. Lesson 23 moves on to permission with be allowed to and can. A safety notice is a list of rules, so must and mustn't belong in it.

Students spin a wheel of questions about buses and the way to school, then learn ten words with pictures and audio, from flash and buckle up to stop arm and median. They read a school bus safety notice, then hear Maya talk to Zack, a school bus driver, and a voice message from a viewer in Oklahoma; both listenings are AI-voiced.

After the scheme come four exercises that check themselves, from choosing must, mustn't or don't have to by a reason such as It's the law to a table for every person. The speaking chapter casts students as a parent whose son starts riding the bus: they ask the driver about his rules in a chat, then open boxes asking for rules at school, at work and at home.

The homework, nine self-checking tasks, runs from matching and unscrambling the bus words to gaps with signs for do it, don't do it or no need, word order, a quiz, and a post with five bus rules and a reply to complete.

Grammar:
must · mustn't · don't have to · must vs have to · Do I have to…?
Topic:
school buses · school bus safety · bus rules · school bus yellow · Frank Cyr · Curious Minds

Teaching tips

  • Draw three signs on the board: a check mark for must, a no-entry sign for mustn't and OK for don't have to. Read out rules such as You don't have to run, and students point to the right sign.
  • Before the notice, ask what drivers do when a school bus stops where students live. The notice then explains the red lights, the stop arm and one way the rules differ from state to state.
  • Pause at each of the driver's rules in the dialogue, such as Everyone must buckle up, and let students say whether it means do it, don't do it or no need.
  • Turn the chat into a role-play: one student is a parent, the other the bus driver. The parent asks three questions such as Does he have to sit at the front?, and the driver answers each with a rule.

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The whole course: English A2.2 · Curious Minds

32 lessons that pick up where English A2.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present perfect to used to, have to and relative clauses. Eight units cover nature, tech at home, heroes, healthy habits, fashion, school, animals and traditions. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Wonders of nature

    the present perfect with ever and never, been to, superlatives with I've ever, articles with place names

    1. Lesson 1Have you ever seen the sky dance?The present perfect for experiences
    2. Lesson 2Have you been to the Grand Canyon?Present perfect vs past simple
    3. Lesson 3The longest cave in the worldSuperlatives with the present perfect
    4. Lesson 4The first national parkArticles with place names

  2. Unit 2 Clever tech at home

    the present perfect with just, already and yet, phrasal verbs, subject and object questions

    1. Lesson 5The chocolate bar that meltedThe present perfect with just
    2. Lesson 6Has my lunch arrived yet?Already and yet with the present perfect
    3. Lesson 7Turn it on, turn it offPhrasal verbs with it and them
    4. Lesson 8The girl who tests waterSubject and object questions

  3. Unit 3 Everyday heroes

    the past continuous, when and while, adjective order, story linkers

    1. Lesson 9When the pager beepsThe past continuous with was and were
    2. Lesson 10The man who planted apple treesPast continuous and past simple with when and while
    3. Lesson 11What's in the lost and found?The order of adjectives
    4. Lesson 12The dogs who saved NomeStory linkers

  4. Unit 4 Healthy and happy habits

    will for predictions, the zero and first conditionals, so do I and neither do I

    1. Lesson 13Why does school start later in California?Will and won't for predictions, decisions and offers
    2. Lesson 14Brain freeze!The zero conditional for facts
    3. Lesson 15Doctor's orders: go to the park!The first conditional with if and will
    4. Lesson 16Walking in the mall at 7 a.m.Agreeing with So do I and Neither do I

  5. Unit 5 Style through time

    used to, didn't use to, made of and made from, still and not anymore

    1. Lesson 17Why did everyone use to wear a hat?Used to for past habits and states
    2. Lesson 18Jeans used to be work clothesUsed to in negatives and questions
    3. Lesson 19Quilts made from old clothesMade of, made from and made by
    4. Lesson 20Cowboy boots, still made by handStill, not anymore and no longer

  6. Unit 6 School in America

    have to, must and mustn't, be allowed to, had to

    1. Lesson 21Do you have to wear a uniform?Have to and don't have to for rules
    2. Lesson 22 · you're hereStop for the yellow bus!Must, mustn't and don't have to
    3. Lesson 23A class trip to the SmithsonianBe allowed to and can for permission
    4. Lesson 24One room, one teacher, every gradeHad to and didn't have to for past duties

  7. Unit 7 Amazing animals

    relative clauses with which, that, who and where, look and sound + adjective, adjectives with prepositions

    1. Lesson 25The bird that copies car alarmsRelative clauses with which and that
    2. Lesson 26Alligators and crocodiles togetherWho, which, that and where in relative clauses
    3. Lesson 27Sailors thought it was a mermaidLook, sound and feel as linking verbs
    4. Lesson 28Beagles at the airportAdjectives with prepositions

  8. Unit 8 Traditions we love

    invitations, will vs going to, so and such, one and ones

    1. Lesson 29Come to our cookout!Making, accepting and refusing invitations
    2. Lesson 30Is spring going to come early?Will vs going to for the future
    3. Lesson 31From turnips to pumpkinsSo and such for emphasis
    4. Lesson 32Giant balloons over ManhattanOne and ones in place of a noun

Questions about this lesson

What does "mustn't" mean?
Mustn't means don't do it, because a rule forbids it: You mustn't pass a stopped school bus on the right. Kids mustn't stand up when the bus is moving. It's the short form of must not, it's the same for every person, and the verb after it has no to. Don't mix it up with don't have to, which only means there's no need.
What's the difference between must and have to?
For rules and laws, must and have to mean almost the same: Drivers must stop and Drivers have to stop give one rule. Must is common on signs, notices and written rules, while people usually say have to when they talk. Questions take have to (Do I have to buckle up?), and the negatives part ways: mustn't forbids, but don't have to means no need.
How do you use must and mustn't?
Put must or mustn't straight before the base verb: Everyone must buckle up. You mustn't pass on the right. Neither changes for the person, so it's he must wait, not he musts wait, and there's no to: must stop, not must to stop. A gap-fill in the A2 lesson Stop for the yellow bus! on edio.ai builds such sentences from bus rules, with don't have to mixed in.
What are the modal verbs of obligation?
The main modal verbs of obligation are must and have to, with mustn't and don't have to. Must and have to say something is necessary (Drivers must stop.), mustn't says it's forbidden (You mustn't pass the bus.), and don't have to says it isn't necessary (You don't have to run.). Should is softer, for advice. Strictly, have to isn't a true modal, since it takes do: Do I have to wait?
What's the difference between mustn't and don't have to?
Mustn't forbids something; don't have to only removes the need. You mustn't pass the bus means don't do it, because it's against the law. You don't have to run means running isn't necessary, because the bus waits, though you can run if you like. The scheme in Stop for the yellow bus!, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, gives each example its reason, from It's dangerous to It's their choice.
Can you say "Do I must…?"
No: questions about rules take have to, not do plus must. Say Do I have to buckle up? or Does he have to sit at the front?, and answer Yes, you do or No, he doesn't. Negatives follow the same rule: He doesn't must… and didn't must are wrong too. In the A2 lesson Stop for the yellow bus! on edio.ai, a parent asks a school bus driver questions like these in a chat.
How do you write school bus rules in English?
Write each rule as one short sentence with must, mustn't or an imperative: Everyone must buckle up. You mustn't stand up when the bus is moving. Wait away from the road. Don't reach for things near the bus. Ask the driver for help. Add don't have to for what riders are free to choose: You don't have to run. The driver waits.
What is the red sign on the side of a school bus called?
It's called the stop arm: a red sign that comes out from the side of a school bus when it stops for children. At the same time, the bus's red lights flash, and drivers must stop: When the stop arm comes out, drivers must stop. Other bus words worth knowing are buckle up (fasten your seat belt), mirror and signal, the driver's hand sign to say go.
How do I teach must, mustn't and don't have to?
Teach the meanings before the forms, with three signs: do it, don't do it and no need. Give each rule a reason (It's the law. It's dangerous! It's your choice.), and students pick must, mustn't or don't have to from it. Then drill the form: no to, no -s and no do. In Stop for the yellow bus! on edio.ai, a safety notice and a talk with a bus driver come before the scheme.
What's a good game for practicing must and mustn't?
A rules memory challenge works well: pairs collect five rules for a bus, a classroom or a home (Everyone must buckle up. You mustn't eat on the bus.), then say them without notes while the others check each one. Open boxes add variety with prompts such as Make a rule for your home: In my home, you mustn't…, and this lesson's boxes include the five-rule challenge itself.
What's good homework for practicing must and mustn't?
Short self-checking tasks that ask for meaning work well: choosing must, mustn't or don't have to for places like a library, a pool or a test, filling gaps with signs for do it, don't do it or no need, and putting words in order to make rules. The homework of Stop for the yellow bus! on edio.ai adds a post with five bus rules and a reply to complete, and all nine tasks check themselves.
Are there interactive exercises for must and mustn't?
Yes: drills that check each choice at once help learners tell must, mustn't and don't have to apart. Anyone can try four parts of the A2 lesson Stop for the yellow bus! on edio.ai on this page, no account needed: the school bus safety notice, Maya's talk with Zack the driver, a gap-fill that builds sentences with must, mustn't and don't have to, and a parent's chat with the driver. Everything else needs an account.
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