Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[jasonlulu_2000]

She may _________ leave if she doesn't obey the rule.
A. have got to B. have to

I think both are right, aren't they?


Although they come from different backgrounds, they became close friends.

Shall I say instead as follows,
Although they came from different backgrounds, they became close friends.

[dragn]

[redset]

It's B, because then you end up with she may have to leave (it's possible that she will be required to leave). Compare that with she has got to leave (she is required to leave). She has got to leave is definite, there's no may about it! And without the may you need to inflect have to match the pronoun: she has.

As for your other sentences, either is fine. When you talk about where someone comes from you're talking about the place they were born, where they grew up, where they usually live or their family background. (You can also simply talk about where someone is from, and use came from to talk about their background in the past.) The tenses don't need to agree - they come from different backgrounds (this refers to a present state) but they became friends (at some point in the past).

EDIT: beaten by Greg! But at least I can say that shall is pretty common in British English

[jasonlulu_2000]

Thank you, both.

[dragn]

Oops, sorry. That's what invariably happens to me at usingenglish.com. You have to be fast to get in a post on that forum!

Greg

P.S. Yeah, we think using shall too much makes you sound British.