Lesson 48: Unit 188 - Need
In this lesson we study the verb NEED – how it is used as an ordinary verb and as a modal verb, including its past forms "didn't need to" and "needn't have done".
About this lesson
In this lesson you will learn how to use the verb NEED in English – both as an ordinary verb and as a modal verb. You will understand the difference between "need to", "don't need to", "needn't" and the two past forms "didn't need to" (it was not necessary and it was not done) and "needn't have done" (it was not necessary, but it was done). The lesson includes a rich text about breakfast with many real examples of how NEED is used, followed by practical exercises. You will master the cases in which NEED is used as a modal verb – mainly in negative sentences, in questions and after words with a negative idea such as "only" and "hardly".
40 minutes
What you'll learn
- Distinguish between the use of NEED as an ordinary verb and as a modal verb.
- Form the question and negative forms of NEED correctly.
- Tell apart the meanings of 'didn't need to' and 'needn't have done'.
- Use NEED in the context of everyday situations, including topics related to healthy eating.
- Recognise when NEED as a modal verb is appropriate (negative sentences, questions, after 'only'/'hardly').
Lesson vocabulary
- need (ordinary verb) Children need good breakfast in the morning.
- need to (+ infinitive) I need to have a rest from all that noise and stress.
- doesn't need to She doesn't need to work – her husband earns enough money.
- needn't No, you needn't come.
- needn't have done I needn't have gone to the office yesterday, but I didn't know that and I went.
- didn't need to I didn't need to go to the office yesterday, and I stayed at home.
- indispensable Is breakfast your indispensable first meal of the day?
- trump card Breakfast is truly your trump card in the well-being game.
- brimming with energy The guarantee of a day brimming with energy.
- skip breakfast People who skip breakfast have more problems keeping their weight.
- snack non-stop Breakfast skippers cannot help but being hungry and snack non-stop along the morning.
- willpower Those with enough willpower not to snack in excess during the morning overeat at lunch time.
- nourishment You can get all the nourishment you need without cooking.
- fiber Cereals also deliver fiber, vitamins of the B group and minerals.
- dehydrate Your body dehydrates while you sleep and needs to restock on fluids.
In other languages: Български