Question

Fill suitable modal auxiliary to complete the sentence:
You haven’t had a holiday for a very long time. You need one now.
You say: It’s time I _____ have a holiday now.
a. shall
b. will
c. should
d. must

Answer 1

Hint: Modal auxiliary is a verb used with another verb to indicate a mood or a tense. For example, she was happy with her result. Here, ‘was’ is modal auxiliary. It indicates the past tense.

Complete answer:
From the hint given to us, we understand the meaning of modal auxiliary. Let us analyse the given options to find the correct answer.
Shall is used to indicate future tense. It is used while making an offer or a suggestion, in future. For example, I shall leave the class. We observe that it does not correctly fit the context of the given sentence. Hence, we can say that option ‘a’ is not the correct answer.
Will indicates future tense. It is used for affirmative and negative sentences in future. For example, I will go to the office tomorrow. We observe that it does not correctly fit the context of the given sentence. Hence, we can say that option ‘b’ is not the correct answer.
Should is used to indicate duty or an obligation. For example, I should go back home. We observe that it does not correctly fit the context of the given sentence. Hence, we can say that option ‘c’ is not the correct answer.
Must is used to indicate an obligation or a requirement. For example, you must be punctual to the office. We observe that it correctly fits the context of the given sentence. Hence, we can say that option ‘d’ is the correct answer.
Thus, we can conclude that the correct answer is option ‘d’ - must.

Note: It is to be noted that often ‘should’ and ‘must’ are used interchangeably. However, should is used for expressing a desirable goal or a recommendation. Must is used for expressing an unavoidable requirement or a need.