How to write a first-day guide in English (B1 pre-intermediate): have to, don’t have to, mustn’t and tips with reasons

What a good first-day guide does

A nervous first-timer needs tips in time order, a reason for each, rules kept apart from choices and some reassurance. These openers do most of the work:

• “Before you go, …” for preparation
• “Remember to …” for things people forget
• “To avoid …” for the problem a tip prevents
• “You have to …” / “You don’t have to …” for rules and choices
• “Avoid doing …” for mistakes

Action first, reason second: to + verb for purpose

Start a tip with the imperative (the base verb, no subject) and answer “Why?” with to + verb. For a negative reason, “to avoid + -ing” sounds natural.

• “Arrive ten minutes early to put away your coat.”
• Negative reason: “I checked the route to avoid arriving late.”
• At the start, with a comma: “To avoid a long queue, sign in before seven.”

Verb + to or verb + -ing?

The first verb decides the form of the second, so learn verbs in groups:

• to + verb after need, plan, decide, hope, offer, promise, remember, forget and want: “Remember to bring your access card.”
• -ing after enjoy, finish, avoid, mind, spend time and feel like: “Avoid moving hot trays when the floor is busy.”
• Question word + to: “I didn’t know where to sit or who to ask.”
• -ing after a preposition: “Don’t worry about working slowly.”
• stop changes meaning: “I stopped working at six.” (I finished) but “I stopped to answer the phone.” (I paused to do it).

Have to, don’t have to, mustn’t: rules and choices

Show how strong each instruction is. Don’t have to and mustn’t look like a pair but mean very different things:

• have to: required, often by an outside rule: “Visitors have to show photo ID at reception.”
• must: a strong rule or instruction from the writer: “You must keep the emergency exit clear.”
• don’t have to: optional, not necessary: “You don’t have to print the form; a digital copy is fine.”
• mustn’t: not allowed: “You mustn’t photograph confidential documents.”
• Past: had to, because must has no past form: “Did you have to book?” “Yes, I had to reserve a place.”

Listen: the rules at a language café

A newcomer describes his first evening at a language café, where he helped another guest find a night bus. Listen for three kinds of rule, then planned to and promised to.

Write a 130–160 word first-day guide

Choose a real first time, such as a gym or a volunteer shift, add a How to… title and follow this order:

• Before you go: one preparation tip with a reason.
• On arrival: what people have to do.
• People: who to ask and what to offer.
• Choices and limits, each with a reason: “You don’t have to bring knives; the kitchen provides them.”
• One common problem and the fix: “If you don’t know how to use a machine, ask for a demonstration.”
• Reassurance: “Most teams enjoy helping a careful newcomer.”

Common mistakes

Each has an easy fix:

• “You mustn’t bring food.” If food is optional, say “You don’t have to bring food.”
• “I enjoy to cook.” Enjoy takes -ing: “I enjoy cooking.”
• “I came here for learning English.” Purpose needs to: “I came here to learn English.”
• “I didn’t know where should I sit.” Say “I didn’t know where to sit.”
• Tips with no reasons: the reader can’t tell which rules matter most.

A 10-minute daily practice routine

Imagine a friend going somewhere you know well for the first time.

• 2 minutes: play the conversation and repeat each line.
• 3 minutes: say three rules about the place with have to, don’t have to and mustn’t.
• 3 minutes: write five tips in order, each with a reason.
• 2 minutes: read them aloud with a weak to (/tə/). Which rule there would you change, and why?

What comes next

Next, move from rules to advice: help someone caught between two pressures, using if-sentences (“If you …, you’ll …”). After that, write about a living person’s two turning points.