haveto/must

Pashka   Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:35 pm GMT
Which one should I use and why?

Europe has therefore to assume a positive role to be master of its future.

Europe must therefore assume a positive role to be master of its future.
JW   Mon Sep 18, 2006 11:25 pm GMT
I would use the second becaues it sounds much more natural. Although you could get away with the first sentence so long as you were writing in a fairly elevated style.
j   Tue Sep 19, 2006 3:23 am GMT
2JW
so you assume that in present-day English 'have to' sounds a bit less colloquial than 'must' does? It's strange. I have always thought the opposite.
Benjamin   Tue Sep 19, 2006 4:14 am GMT
It's more the splitting of 'have to' with 'therefore' which makes it seem elevated. You could say:

Europe therefore has to assume a positive role to be master of its future.
Guest   Tue Sep 19, 2006 5:26 am GMT
Yes. "Have to" is never split in normal speech, so doing it makes you sound really formal...
M56   Tue Sep 19, 2006 7:57 am GMT
<Yes. "Have to" is never split in normal speech, so doing it makes you sound really formal...>

As would be expected in certain comments about European politics. Use formality where necessary.