need obligation

Let's talk about obligation with need. In the speaker's authority in present

or future we should use only the form " need not ", but not other forms.

Example,

Mother to her child: You need not go there.

Obligation is only present in the positive form; "you need to go there". When we use the negative form,

"You don't need to/need not go there.",

the sense of obligation is lost and it becomes a choice for the listener to make.


But, not you don't have to go there or you don't need to go there or other

forms. Is this correct ?


Not really, Nav. In this case, "need not do sth" is virtually equal to "don't have to do sth". Both allow that the choice is the listeners. But for speech, the "need not do sth" is not all that common for NaE.

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On the other hand a child would say speaking about his mom: Mother

always tell me that I don't need to go there , or I don't have to go there .

But, not I need not to go there.

So, what do you think?

The likelihood of a child using the "need not do sth" form is quite small to nonexistent in NaE. It's not a very common collocation at all. I believe it is different for BrE.

The preferred forms are "don't need to do sth" or don't have to do sth", and again, it has no sense of obligation.

Thanks everybody

When I tell my child, "You needn't use that kind of language" I most certainly mean it as an obligation.