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Behnam A Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

musn't have done/must not have done

He musn't have gone out.
He must not have gone out.
Is there any difference between hese two ?
Generally, is ''musn't have+p.p.'' different from ''must not have+p.p.'' ?
Thank you
  

Top answer

The correct spelling is mus t n't, though it's pronounced musn't . In terms of meaning, no, there's no difference, but the contracted form is seldom used in normal conversation and is rather passé.

— RandomGuy

  • The correct spelling is mus t n't, though it's pronounced musn't .
  • In terms of meaning, no, there's no difference, but the contracted form is seldom used in normal conversation and is rather passé.
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7 Answers
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The correct spelling is mustn't, though it's pronounced musn't.

In terms of meaning, no, there's no difference, but the contracted form is seldom used in normal conversation and is rather passé.
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I think that "musn't " is not the proper spelling... "Mustn't " means the same as "must not", it is just the contracted (short) form of it (the short forms are used in spoken language and in informal situations, in written text it is more appropriate to use "must not")
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Does it imply an obligation in the past or does it have the same meaning as "he can't have gone out'' ?
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Behnam ADoes it imply an obligation in the past or does it have the same meaning as "he can't have gone out'' ?
He can't have gone out.

Obligation:

He must go out.
He must not go out.
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I found a definition, because I wasn't completely sure about the difference between these two sentences, and they say that:
"He mustn't have gone" = it is highly improbable that he has gone (you have a very good reason to think that) and
"He can't have gone" = it is simply impossible that he has gone
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