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Primary English: Can and Must Tutor Prep Guide | Four Cells, Three Bans and the Mustn’t Trap
A pupil who writes she cans swim or I can to swim is not being careless: can is being treated as an ordinary verb. This chapter sorts can and must into one four-cell table, ability, permission, obligation and prohibition, with one formula per cell, and every later question is derived from that table.
Objectives — Students can: (1) name the word that belongs to each of the four cells and give one example of each; (2) keep the verb after can in the base form and say what is wrong with can to swim and she cans swim; (3) tell mustn’t (not allowed) from don’t have to (not necessary) and sort five school rules correctly.
01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)
If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.
| Skill | Quick check | Pass mark |
|---|---|---|
| Action verbs | Name three action verbs | swim, run, read |
| Verb be | I ___ happy today. | am, first person takes am |
| Negatives | Make I like fish negative | I don’t like fish |
02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)
| Time | Stage | Tutor does | Student does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-5 min | Four cells | One picture per cell: can do, may do, must do, must not do | Say which word each cell takes |
| 5-15 min | Model sentences | Two sentences each for can, can’t, must, mustn’t | Copy four sentences and underline the verb |
| 15-25 min | Three bans | No to, no s, no do | Correct six sentences |
| 25-33 min | Mustn’t vs need not | Four contrasting rule sentences | Sort four sentences |
| 33-42 min | Twelve mixed items | Four traps, eight ordinary | Work through twelve alone |
| 42-45 min | Exit check | Three questions collected and marked | Work independently |
03 Teaching script (read it out)
Scene 1: The four cells: ability, permission, obligation, prohibition
Each cell has one fixed word: ability takes can (I can swim), permission takes can (you can go now), obligation takes must (you must wear the school uniform), prohibition takes mustn’t (you mustn’t run in the corridor). Both can and must are modals, so the verb after them stays in the base form and the modal never changes for person. Questions move can to the front: can you swim, answered yes I can or no I can’t, with no do. Must questions are deliberately left out at P2 because the answers (no you mustn’t, needn’t) are beyond the syllabus; only statements and negatives are taught. Five school rules to sort: Wear the school uniform., Run in the corridor., Do the homework., Eat in the classroom., Bring a pencil case..
Students do: put the five rules into the four-cell table, at least one per cell, circling the verb that follows. Students say: how can differs from must, and why mustn’t sits in the prohibition cell.
Scene 2: Three bans for can: no to, no s, no do
Write three bans on the board. Ban one: the verb after can stays in the base form (wrong: I can to swim). Ban two: can never takes s (wrong: she cans swim). Ban three: negatives and questions take no do (wrong: do you can swim). All three bans come from one fact: can is already a complete modal, so the verb after it does not change and the sentence needs no do. Model three corrections, asking which ban each one broke. Pair this act with practice: six corrections, two for each ban.
Students do: correct six sentences and write which ban was broken beside each. Students say: why can needs no to, and what is wrong with she can swims.
Scene 3: Mustn’t and don’t have to: not allowed is not the same as not necessary
Mustn’t forbids: doing it is a fault. Don’t have to releases: not doing it is fine, and doing it is also fine. Contrast: you mustn’t eat in class against you don’t have to wear a tie. One question decides it: will the pupil be punished? If yes, mustn’t; if no, don’t have to. At P2 pupils only need to recognise mustn’t, with don’t have to taught as one contrast sentence and no exercises. Of the twelve practice items, 4 are this trap, 33.3 per cent, because reading mustn’t as not necessary is where marks disappear.
Students do: sort four school rules and say whether each forbids or merely releases. Students say: why the two forms cannot be swapped.
04 Question types and worked steps
| Type | Example | Steps | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gap fill | Choose can, can’t, must or mustn’t | Decide the cell first, then write its word | Filling can wherever a verb appears |
| Error correction | Fix she cans swim, I can to swim | Delete to, delete s, delete do | Only adding not at the end |
| Sorting | Place five school rules in four cells | Ask whether it is punished and whether it is required | Putting must and mustn’t in one cell |
| Picture prompt | Write one can sentence about a picture | Subject plus can plus base verb plus place | Dropping the subject or adding to |
Sanity check (teach this): Sanity check: only can and must are taught, with no may, should or could, because P2 asks for these two only; must questions are left out as the answers go beyond P2; the four-cell table is the single sorting tool, so pupils carry no extra list; 4 of 12 practice items are mustn’t traps at 33.3 per cent, deliberately high; the six corrections split evenly across the three bans so the causes stay countable.
05 Independent practice (3 questions)
| Question | Answer | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Four cells | Sort five school rules | Check must and mustn’t are not swapped |
| Three bans | Correct six sentences | Check the verb after can is in the base form |
| Traps | Sort four allowed and not-necessary sentences | Check mustn’t is not read as not necessary |
06 Common mistakes and what to say
| Mistake | Student writes | Say this |
|---|---|---|
| Can plus to | I can to swim. | Can takes the base verb straight away: I can swim, so drop the to. |
| Can plus s | She cans swim. | Can never changes for person: she can swim; the verb after it changes instead. |
| Do with can | She doesn’t can swim. | The negative lives in can itself: she can’t swim, with no does. |
| Mustn’t as not necessary | You mustn’t come if you are busy (meaning it is optional) | Mustn’t forbids; for optional write you don’t have to come. |
07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)
- Primary English chapter index — Every chapter in the subject
- Tutor prep master index — Similar chapters in other subjects
- Redo this chapter — Practice questions 1, 2 and 3: gap fill, correction, sorting
08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)
| Question | Answer | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Four cells | One correct sentence per cell | Any cell wrong: reteach act one |
| Three bans | Five of six corrections right | More than one wrong: redo practice question 2 |
| Traps | All four sorted correctly | Two wrong: back to act three |
09 Tutor FAQ
Do P2 pupils need may as well as can?
No. At P2 can covers permission and may waits for secondary school; adding may only muddles the table.
Are must questions really left out?
Not at P2. If a pupil asks, answer must I go with you must, but do not set items, because the answer needn’t has not been met.
Is must not acceptable for mustn’t?
Yes in writing, though mustn’t is far more common in speech; teach the contraction first and accept both.
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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.