Question

Fill in the blank with a suitable verb form:
You ____________ hurry if you want to catch that bus.
a) would rather
b) has got to
c) had better
d) had to

Answer 1

Hint: The options all show modal auxiliaries being used. There is a specific meaning to all of them, and only one fits into the given sentence.

Complete answer:
Verbs are words that show action (sing), occurrence (develop), or state of being (exist). Almost every sentence requires a verb. The basic form of a verb is known as its infinitive.
A modal auxiliary is a type of verb that is used to indicate modality – that is: likelihood, ability, permission, request, capacity, suggestions, order, obligation, or advice. Modal verbs always accompany the base form of another verb having semantic content.
In the given sentence, the narrator is telling the subject to hurry to catch the bus. It indicates necessity and advice. We need to find the option that indicates necessity as well as advice.
Now, we know what we are looking for. Let’s look at the given options-
a) would rather - This modal phrase indicates a preference of one thing over the other. This does not fit into the context of the given sentence as it does not indicate necessity. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b) has got to - This modal phrase indicates necessity and advice, however, it does not match the given subject. This is grammatically incorrect for the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
c) had better - This modal phrase indicates necessity and advice, and it matches the given subject. This is grammatically correct for the given sentence. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
d) had to - This modal phrase also indicates necessity, but it does not match the tense of the rest of the sentence. This is grammatically incorrect for the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note:
Understand the meaning of the given sentence, and then go through the given options. Make sure it is grammatically correct. Then, choose the correct option.