Unit 19: Rules and Responsibilities in the Community

Welcome to the neighbourhood

Jamie has just moved into a rented house with two other university students. They are pleased to have a place of their own, but they have a lot to learn. They need to look after the house, keep the neighbours happy, deal with rubbish and recycling, and protect themselves against crime.

Mr Khan is the housing adviser.
He explains the rules clearly, but he doesn't expect students to know everything already. He wants them to be safe, to respect their neighbours and to ask for help when they need it.

In this unit, you will read about the students' problems, learn the language of obligation and necessity, and practise deciding what people must do — and what they don't have to do.

Step 1

Four problems in one house

Read the message Jamie sends to Mr Khan.

Dear Mr Khan,

We've been in our new house for a week, and I'm not sure we're doing everything properly. Last night, my housemate had some friends round. They left empty beer cans in the garden and made a lot of noise after midnight. This morning, I found rubbish bags piling up beside the back door.

We also missed the food-waste collection. I don't know which bins go out on which days, and I didn't realise that glass had to be kept separate from other recycling.

One more thing: our back-door lock is difficult to use. Do we have to tell the landlord, or can we just leave it unlocked when we're at home?

Best wishes,
Jamie

Check your understanding

1. What did Jamie's housemate's friends leave in the garden?

2. What is wrong with the back-door lock?

3. What does Jamie not understand?

Talk about it

Which of Jamie's problems could cause trouble for the household? What should the students do first?

Step 2

Must and have to: obligations

Mr Khan explains that some things are important responsibilities and some are requirements in a tenancy agreement or university rules.

You must lock the doors when you go out.
This expresses a strong obligation.

Students have to follow the conditions of their tenancy agreement.
This describes a requirement or rule.

In many everyday situations, must and have to express similar obligations. Have to changes with the subject and tense: I have to, she has to, we had to.

Use must or have to + the base form of the verb: must lock, have to follow, has to report. Don't use to after must.

Complete the sentences

Type the missing words. The verb in brackets tells you what to use.

1. You ______ (lock) the front door when you go out. Use must.

2. Jamie ______ (tell) the landlord about the broken lock. Use has to.

3. Students ______ (follow) the rules in their tenancy agreement. Use have to.

4. We ______ (keep) the shared kitchen clean. Use must.

Ask and answer

Work with a partner. Ask: “What do we have to do before we leave the house?” Give at least three answers.

Step 3

Mustn't and don't have to: not the same!

These two forms have very different meanings. Read the examples carefully.

You mustn't put food waste in black bags.
PROHIBITED
It is not allowed.

You don't have to subscribe to garden-waste collection.
OPTIONAL
You can subscribe, but it is not necessary.

Remember: mustn't means “don't do it”. don't have to means “it isn't necessary”. They are not interchangeable.

Choose the correct meaning

1. “You mustn't leave rubbish in the street.”

2. “You don't have to attend every community event.”

3. “You mustn't overfill your brown garden-waste bin.”

4. “You don't have to buy a garden-waste subscription.”

Complete the rules

1. You ______ leave rubbish beside the front gate. (not allowed)

2. You ______ join a neighbourhood volunteering group. (optional)

3. You ______ put food waste in a black bag. (not allowed)

Step 4

Need to and needn't: what is necessary?

Mr Khan explains the local collection arrangements. The days below are the arrangements used in our fictional lesson context, based on the Brighton example.

Collection	When?	What do you need to remember?
Food waste	Monday	You need to put food waste out separately.
Recycling	Fortnightly on Tuesday	You need to separate glass from other recyclables.
Black-bag rubbish	Every Tuesday	You mustn't put food waste in black bags.
Garden waste	Wednesday	You needn't subscribe. If you do subscribe, you mustn't overfill the brown bin.

You need to report a broken lock.
Something is necessary.

You needn't buy a brown bin if the service provides one.
Something is not necessary.

Need to is followed by the base form: need to check, needs to report. Needn't is followed directly by the base form: needn't subscribe, not needn't to subscribe.

In everyday English, don't need to and needn't often have the same meaning: something is not necessary. Needn't can sound a little more formal in some contexts.

Check the collection rules

1. When is food waste collected in this lesson?

2. How often is recycling collected?

3. What must be kept separate from other recyclables?

4. What mustn't you put in black bags?

Complete the sentences

1. You ______ (check) that the doors are locked before you go out.

2. You ______ (not / subscribe) to the garden-waste service if you don't need it.

3. Jamie ______ (report) the faulty back-door lock.

Step 5

The Student Community Charter

Mr Khan gives the students a fictional community charter. They read it before signing to show that they understand their responsibilities. Discuss which rules protect the students, which protect their neighbours and which protect the property.

Student Community Charter

As residents, we agree to act responsibly and considerately.

We must respect the people who live near us.
We mustn't make excessive noise late at night.
We have to dispose of rubbish and recycling correctly.
We need to lock doors and windows when we go out.
We must report a broken lock or another serious security problem.
We don't have to attend optional community events, but we are welcome to join them.

I have read these undertakings and agree to act responsibly in my community.

Name: ____________________ Signature: ____________________

This is a fictional teaching charter, not an official university document. In real life, the precise obligations depend on the relevant tenancy agreement, university rules and local arrangements.

Which expression fits?

1. A broken lock creates a security risk. You ______ report it.

2. You are not allowed to make excessive noise late at night. You ______ make excessive noise.

3. A community event is optional. You ______ attend it.

Discuss

Which three rules would you include in a charter for people sharing a house? Explain why each rule matters.

Step 6

Mr Khan has a busy evening

Read the story. Then answer the questions and act out the final conversation with a partner.

On Friday evening, Mr Khan received three messages from students in the same street.

The first was from Jamie. “We've put the food waste in the black bags because we missed Monday's collection. Is that all right?” Mr Khan replied, “No. You mustn't put food waste in black bags. It is collected separately. You'll need to check the collection arrangements and put it out on the correct day next time.”

The second message was from Priya. Her housemate had invited several friends round. They were playing loud music, and empty beer cans were scattered across the garden. Priya wrote, “Do I have to ask them to leave?” Mr Khan advised her to speak calmly to her housemate first, if she felt safe doing so. The residents must respect their neighbours, and they mustn't allow a party to disturb the street late at night.

The third message came from Luca. He had noticed that the back-door lock was faulty, but he thought he didn't have to tell anyone because the door still closed. Mr Khan explained that Luca needed to report the problem to the landlord or accommodation provider. The students mustn't leave the door unlocked as a substitute for repairing the lock.

By Saturday morning, the students had made a plan. They would put the right bins out on the right days, clear away the cans, speak to their neighbours and report the faulty lock. Jamie admitted that they didn't have to know every rule on their first day — but they did need to ask questions and take responsibility once they knew what to do.

Mr Khan smiled when he read the final message: “We've written the collection days on the fridge. We must remember them now!”

Comprehension

1. Why was putting food waste in black bags a problem?

2. What was the problem with the party?

3. What did Luca need to do about the lock?

4. What did Jamie learn?

Role-play: a conversation with Mr Khan

Student A is a tenant with a problem. Student B is Mr Khan. Choose one situation and have a conversation. Use at least three expressions from this unit.

Your housemates are making noise late at night.
The rubbish has accumulated and you are not sure which bin to use.
You have found that a window or door lock is broken.
Your housemate thinks they have to attend an optional community event.

Write two rules or pieces of advice for your chosen situation.

Review

What have we learned?

Expression	Meaning	Example
must	Strong obligation	You must lock the door.
have to / has to	Requirement or obligation	She has to report the broken lock.
mustn't	Prohibition	You mustn't put food waste in black bags.
don't have to	No obligation; optional	You don't have to attend every event.
need to	Necessity	You need to separate glass.
needn't	No necessity	You needn't subscribe to garden-waste collection.

The key distinction: mustn't means “it is not allowed”; don't have to and needn't mean “it is not necessary”.

One last question

What is one responsibility you think everyone should take seriously when living in a community? Explain your answer to a partner.

Teacher note

Using this unit

This lesson uses a fictional story to practise the language of obligation and necessity in realistic adult contexts: home security, noise, rubbish and recycling, tenancy responsibilities and community behaviour. Encourage learners to distinguish between prohibitions, requirements, necessities and optional activities.

The collection timetable is the Brighton example supplied for this lesson: food waste on Monday; recycling fortnightly on Tuesday, with glass separated; black-bag rubbish weekly on Tuesday; garden waste on Wednesday. Check current local arrangements before using this as practical local advice. The Student Community Charter and characters are fictional.