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Ticce Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Must + continuous infinitve

When we use must + perfect infinitve then it means a possibility

He must have been there?
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What about the continuous infinitive.

He must be watching TV?

Does it mean also that it is likely that he is watching TV now or does it mean that he is to be watching it?
  

Top answer

Ticce He must have been there? A full stop should be used instead of the question mark. The sentence refers to the past and expresses an inference.

— Cool Breeze

  • Ticce He must have been there?
  • A full stop should be used instead of the question mark.
  • The sentence refers to the past and expresses an inference.
  • Everything seems to indicate that he was there.
  • Ticce He must be watching TV?
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3 Answers
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TicceHe must have been there?
A full stop should be used instead of the question mark. The sentence refers to the past and expresses an inference. Everything seems to indicate that he was there.
TicceHe must be watching TV?
Theoretically the present infinitive (be) can refer to the pres
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Cool BreezeTheoretically the present infinitive (be) can refer to the present or to the future:
He must be there now.
He must be there tomorrow.
Well, still you didn't clarify what "must" means here.

He must be there now. = He has to be there now or He is likely to be there now.
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TicceWell, still you didn't clarify what "must" means here.

He must be there now. = He has to be there now or He is likely to be there now.
English isn't unambiguous enough for that. Most probably must indicates likelihood in your sentence but only context will make it absolutely clear.

CB
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