Indicating obligation and willingness

Using adjectives to indicate obligation

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Indicating strong obligation

With strong obligation, the person referred to (often the hearer) has little or no choice. This can be glossed as necessity.

Here is a list of adjectives which are typically used to indicate necessity:

It is imperative that departments should have greater depth of understanding of the problems that are their concern  .

If the cry for help is ignored, the child may resort to suicide so it is vital that teachers catch warning signals and refer the child to the social worker. (SCMP 03/06/92.)

It is essential that there be good study facilities in a student's lodgings.
(Bank of English)

Note that when adjectives are used to express different levels of obligation, they are sometimes used in a special pattern:

It is vital that teachers [^] catch warning signals.

It is essential that there [^] be good study facilities.

In this pattern, called the subjunctive , the modal should can be omitted, creating a rather formal effect.

For further information about the subjunctive, see Indicating obligation and willingness: Using the subjunctive with adjectives of obligation.

For further information about omitting words, see Developing cohesion: Ellipsis.

Introduction
Degrees of obligation
Indicating strong obligation
Indicating suggested obligation
Indicating low obligation
Structures associated with adjectives