Must have been
1) To talk to John, you were here.
2) To talk to John, you must have been here.
3) To have talked to John, you must have been here.
Which of the above could be used to express this idea:
If you talked to John, then one can deduce that you were here.
Top answer
navitasan Which of the above could be used ... 2) or 3), but not 1). That said, they all sound unnatural to my ear.
- navitasan Which of the above could be used ...
- 2) or 3), but not 1).
- That said, they all sound unnatural to my ear.
- The use of an infinitive clause to express a condition is not impossible, but it doesn't work very well in these sentences.
- It seems to me that the infinitive has to be more closely bound in the main clause to do that (see below).
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navitasanWhich of the above could be used ...
2) or 3), but not 1).
That said, they all sound unnatural to my ear. The use of an infinitive clause to express a condition is not impossible, but it doesn't work very well in these sentences. It seems to me that the infinitive has to be more closely bound in the main clause to do that (see below). Othe
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