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Mông Lung Linh Posted 13 years ago
Vocabulary

can't be or mustn't be?

The kitchen ___ dirty because she has just cleaned it.
A. may be
B. should be
C. can't be
D. mustn't be

The correct answer is C, but how's about D?
  

Top answer

D is possible. The test considers "mustn't" to be a directive (you mustn't touch that), but in AmE, at least, mustn't and can't can be synonyms in certain situations. Consider the opposite: The room must be dirty, because it hasn't been cleaned in a month.

— Vorpar

  • D is possible.
  • The test considers "mustn't" to be a directive (you mustn't touch that), but in AmE, at least, mustn't and can't can be synonyms in certain situations.
  • Consider the opposite: The room must be dirty, because it hasn't been cleaned in a month.
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5 Answers
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D is possible. The test considers "mustn't" to be a directive (you mustn't touch that), but in AmE, at least, mustn't and can't can be synonyms in certain situations. Consider the opposite: The room must be dirty, because it hasn't been cleaned in a month.
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"AmE"? What is "AmE"?
Thank you very much! ^ ^
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AmE= American english
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D is highly unlikely in BrE (= British English).
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rajesh jain& fivejedjon: Thank you very much!
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