Healthy Living
Primary 5 · English
Healthy Living
Lesson 2 of 3
14 min
Let's begin
Gatete coughed all night. At break he picks up the football anyway, because his team is one player short.
Ishimwe takes the ball from him and says six words. Gatete sits down.
What were the six words? By the end of this lesson you will be able to say them — and a lot more.
Here is what Ishimwe said:
You should rest today, my friend.
Let us take that sentence apart, piece by piece.
So the shape is: person + should + plain verb.
Build another one yourself. Keza has a headache and the sun is hot. The doing word you want is drink.
Person: You. Advice word: should. Plain verb: drink. Put them in a line:
You should drink water.
That is it. should is advice, not an order. Gatete could still play football if he wanted to — but he would be foolish, and he knows it.
shouldn’t is short for should not. It marks something that is a bad idea:
The verb stays plain here too: play, eat.
The nurse hands Gatete a small packet of tablets and says:
You must finish all the tablets, even when you feel better.
That is not advice. That is a rule. must means: you have no choice. Use it for rules, and for things that will really harm you if you ignore them.
mustn’t is short for must not. It is a hard stop:
| Word | What it means | Who says it |
|---|---|---|
| should | a good idea — you may still choose | a friend, a brother, you |
| shouldn’t | a bad idea — please don’t | a friend, a brother, you |
| must | a rule — no choice | a nurse, a teacher, a parent |
| mustn’t | forbidden or dangerous — stop | a nurse, a teacher, a parent |
Ask yourself one question: can the person still choose? If yes → should. If no → must.
After should and must, the doing word never changes. No to. No -s. No -ing.
And should and must themselves never change either — they take no -s, ever. Not “she musts”, not “he shoulds”. It is She must go and He should go.
Uwase has had a fever for two days. Her friend Mutesi wants to help. Watch Mutesi think.
Step 1 — what do I want her to do? Go to the health centre.
Step 2 — is it advice or a rule? Mutesi is a friend, not a nurse. Uwase can still choose. So: should.
Step 3 — person + should + plain verb.
“You should go to the health centre and ask for a malaria test.”
Step 4 — what should she NOT do? Play in the sun. Use shouldn’t:
“You shouldn’t play football until the fever has gone.”
Step 5 — now the nurse speaks. The nurse gives tablets. That is a rule, so must:
“You must take one tablet every morning, and you must finish the packet.”
Step 6 — the dangerous one. Use mustn’t:
“You mustn’t give your tablets to your little brother.”
And if you are the one who needs help, there is a question for that: “What should I do?”
Tip
Two questions, every time
1. Can they still choose? Yes → should. No → must.
2. Is my verb naked? After should and must, the doing word wears nothing — no to, no -s, no -ing. “You should rest.”
Answer first. Then tap Show answer to check.
Your friend has a toothache. Give advice using should and the verb see.
Answer: “You should see a dentist.” (Plain verb — not “should to see”.)
Fix this: You must to sleep under a mosquito net.
Answer: You must sleep under a mosquito net. (After must, the verb never takes “to”.)
Fix this: She should drinks a lot of water.
Answer: She should drink a lot of water. (After should, no -s — even for “she”.)
Your teacher tells the whole class: “Wash your hands before you eat. It is a school rule.” Now put it in one sentence with the right word: You ___ wash your hands before you eat.
Answer: You must wash your hands before you eat. It is a rule from the teacher, so nobody gets to choose.
Your little sister is about to drink water from the ditch. Warn her with mustn’t.
Answer: “You mustn’t drink water from the ditch. It will make you sick.”
What you learned today
Quick check
Your friend has a cold. Which advice is correct?
