Food, Market and Health
Primary 3 · English
Food, Market and Health
Lesson 3 of 3
12 min
Let's begin
Ishimwe runs in from the football pitch. His hands are brown with dust and his shirt is wet. He sits down and reaches straight for his bread.
His big sister Mutesi stops him. “Ishimwe! You must wash your hands first,” she says.
Today you will learn the two words we use when we give good advice in English: should and must.
Ishimwe is tired and it is late. Mutesi says:
You should go to bed early.
She is not shouting. She is being kind. She is telling him what is GOOD for him. That is should: friendly advice, a good idea.
Now the water in the jerrycan is dirty. Mutesi does not say “you should not drink it”. This is serious, so she says:
You must not drink dirty water.
Must is stronger than should. We use must when something is very important, or when it is a rule — from your teacher, from your parents, or from your own body.
So now you can see the difference. Should is a friend saying “this is good for you”. Must is a teacher saying “do not skip this one”.
Read these three sentences very slowly:
Notice something? The verb never changed. It is wash every single time — not washes, not to wash, not washing.
So the rule is: after should and must, the verb stays plain and bare. No to. No s. No ing.
These are wrong: You should to brush. She must brushes. You should brushing. Only You should brush is right.
Put not after the word, and you have the opposite:
Here is Mutesi’s advice to her little brother. Every sentence uses your two new words:
You must wash your hands with soap before you eat.
You must brush your teeth in the morning and before you sleep.
You should eat vegetables and fruit, not only rice.
You should drink clean, boiled water when you are thirsty.
You shouldn’t eat sweets every day, because they hurt your teeth.
You should run and play every day. That makes your heart strong.
You must cover your mouth when you cough.
You should sleep about ten hours, so you are not tired at school.
Tip
Remember it like this: should is a friend’s advice — it is a good idea. Must is a teacher’s rule — you have no choice. And after both of them, the verb wears no clothes: no to, no s, no ing. Just wash, brush, eat, sleep.
Try first, then tap Show answer to check.
Fix this sentence: You should to eat fruit.
Answer: You should eat fruit. (Throw away the to. After should, the verb is bare.)
Fix this sentence: Keza must washes her hands.
Answer: Keza must wash her hands. (After must, no s on the verb.)
The water in the pond is dirty. Choose should or must: You ______ not drink it.
Answer: must. (Dirty water can make you very sick, so this is not just advice — it is serious.)
Habimana eats sweets every single day and now his tooth hurts. Give him advice with shouldn’t.
Answer: You shouldn’t eat so many sweets. (You can also add: You should brush your teeth twice a day.)
Your friend never plays outside. Give her advice with should.
Answer: You should play outside every day. (Or: You should run and play, because it makes your body strong.)
What you learned today
Quick check
Which sentence is right?
