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Anonymous Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

must

A student asked me if you could use must in this context :
Melanie walked in, she was sorry, she said, to keep him waiting she had left work on time. He must give her his mobile number next time.
The student wanted to know how we could use must in a pst sentence !!
Thankyou, for your help.
  

Top answer

Melanie walked in . S he was sorry, she said, to keep him waiting . S he had left work on time.

— Fivejedjon

  • Melanie walked in .
  • S he was sorry, she said, to keep him waiting .
  • S he had left work on time.
  • He must give her his mobile number next time.
  • That's fine; 'must' works there.
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5 Answers
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Melanie walked in. She was sorry, she said, to keep him waiting. She had left work on time. He must give her his mobile number next time.

That's fine; 'must' works there.
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he insists that must cannot be used in a past context, so why is it correct to use it ?
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Anonymoushe insists that must cannot be used in a past context, so why is it correct to use it ?
It is a quote of direct speech, I suppose:

Melanie walked in. "She was sorry,' she said, to keep him waiting. "She had left work on time. He must give her his mobile number next time."
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In indirect speech, 'must' often retains its form. For the reporting of "You must go, Peter", both of these are possible:

John said that Peter must go.
John said that Peter had to go.
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