DIDN’T NEED TO / NEEDN’T HAVE

Situation Correct Sentence

1. Paul thought it was going to rain. He

He didn’t need to / needn’t have
took his umbrella with him. In the
taken his umbrella with him.
end, it didn’t rain.

2. Tim the cat inherited a lot of money

from Millie, who recently died. He
sacrificed his whole life to make her He didn’t need / needn’t feel guilty.
happy. He is feeling very guilty
because now he’s rich.

3. Louise was terrified because she

He told her “You didn’t have to be /
thought Superman was angry at her
needn’t be afraid of me. I would never
and she was afraid that he would hurt
hurt you.”
her in his anger.

4. Last time I went to Disneyland, I didn’t have to wait / needn’t have

Mickey gave me a fast pass. It was a waited and I didn’t have to pay /
gift! needn’t have paid for my Fast Pass!

5. The teacher told us to read “The

Great Gatsby” for my Literature I didn’t have to read / needn’t have
exam. But then, I rented the movie read the book.
and watched it.
 DIDN’T NEED TO / NEEDN’T HAVE

6. There was a long queue to watch

I didn’t need to wait / needn’t have
Need for Speed but no lines at all to
waited in line to watch Robocop.
watch Robocop.

7. There was a long queue to watch

Need for Speed but no lines at all to
watch Robocop. After waiting 30 I didn’t need to wait / needn’t have
minutes, I saw my friend Loo at the waited in line to watch Need for Speed.
head of the queue and watched the
movie with him.
8. Marius, the giraffe, was unnecessarily They didn’t need to kill / needn’t
killed. Several zoos had offered to have killed Marius. The other zoos
shelter him but the Copenhagen zoo didn’t need to shelter / needn’t
directors killed him anyway. have sheltered Marius.
9. Mexican peasants went to a lot of
trouble to immigrate illegally to the They didn’t need to bother / needn’t
US. In the end they came back have bothered to cross the border
because the economy there was illegally.
worse than here.
10. Juliet Capulet killed herself when
She didn’t need to die / needn’t
she found Romeo in a tomb and
have died.
thought he was dead. Minutes after
she died, Romeo came back to life.

11. I was very hungry and wanted to

I didn’t need to go out / needn’t
eat pizza but I was very tired and
have gone out. Pizza Hut delivered a
didn’t want to go out, so I called Pizza
hot pizza at my door 20 minutes later.
Hut.
 DIDN’T NEED TO / NEEDN’T HAVE
12. Last Monday there were no classes I didn’t need to set / needn’t have
so I slept late. set my alarm clock.
13. When I went camping last year, I
carried tons of things in my rucksack.
It was extremely heavy and I got a I didn’t need to carry / needn’t have
bad back ache. When I got to camp, I carried so many things.
realized they had everything I
needed.
 DIDN’T NEED TO / NEEDN’T HAVE
INSTRUCTIONS AND ANSWER KEY

You can use this material as a worksheet and have students choose the correct answers.
Or you can cut up the table and give each team of four or five students a complete “puzzle” for them to reconstruct the original table.

ANSWERS
Correct Sentence
He needn’t have taken his umbrella with him.
He needn’t feel guilty.
He told her “You needn’t be afraid of me. I would never hurt you.”
I didn’t have to wait and I didn’t have to pay for my Fast Pass!
I didn’t have to read the book.
I didn’t need to wait in line to watch Robocop.
I needn’t have waited in line to watch Need for Speed.
They needn’t have killed Marius. The other zoos didn’t need to shelter Marius.
They needn’t have bothered to cross the border illegally.
She needn’t have died.

I didn’t need to go out Pizza Hut delivered a hot pizza at my door 20 minutes later.
I didn’t need to set my alarm clock.
I needn’t have carried so many things.