Multiple choice softskills communication Like any top sportsman, he ____ practice long and hard had to must to can to should to Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself A Correct answer Explanation The correct answer is 'had to' because the sentence refers to past obligation. Modal verbs like 'must', 'can', and 'should' are never followed by 'to' in English - this is a common grammatical error. The past form of 'must' is 'had to'.