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Mr. Tom Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

How must I know?

Hi

Is the use of "How must I know?" is OK?

A - Is she really hurting?
B - How must I know?

Thanks,

Tom
  

Top answer

Mr. " is OK? No, sorry—I don't even know what it means.

— Mister Micawber

  • Mr.
  • " is OK?
  • No, sorry—I don't even know what it means.
  • — A - Is she really hurting?
  • B1 - How would I know?
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6 Answers
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Mr. TomIs the use of "How must I know?" is OK?
No, sorry—I don't even know what it means. Is it one of these?—

A - Is she really hurting?
B1 - How would I know?
B2 - How can I tell?
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Thanks, MM.

And that's what I wanted to ask ... all of these structures are OK except for the last one. Right?

How should I know?
How would I know?
How can I know?
How must I know?

Tom
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'Can' is not usual there, I think
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I am grateful for the effort, MM.

It just so happens that these days I am reading Sidney Sheldon's novel, The Doomsday Conspiracy. My original question about "how must" structure came from here.

"Yes. Shall we meet there?"
"Fine. I'll leave a visitors' pass for you.
"Very well. I'll see you in an hour." Robert replaced the receiver and thoug
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Mr. TomAm I to understand that although the structure "How must" does not work in "How must I know?", it is OK in "How must he feel?"
It is the pronoun that validates the meaning.

How must he feel? means 'I'll bet he feels...'.
How must I feel? cannot mean 'I'll bet I feel...'
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With 'know' you can say "Must I know that?", but that would still not fit there (or at least seems unnatural to me).
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