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Vladislav Yurchenko Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
Sequence of tense
"She said we must hurry" is it written correctly?
I thought according to the sequence of tense we would write "She said we had to hurry" Is this so?
And this one "I said he needn’t talk to you" maybe "I said he didn't need to talk to you"?
Help if you please
I thought according to the sequence of tense we would write "She said we had to hurry" Is this so?
And this one "I said he needn’t talk to you" maybe "I said he didn't need to talk to you"?
Help if you please
Top answer
In indirect speech we often don't back shift must, mustn't or needn't.
- In indirect speech we often don't back shift must, mustn't or needn't.
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4 Answers
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In indirect speech we often don't back shift must, mustn't or needn't.
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And what about my first sentence? She said we had to hurry and She said we must hurry are they both correct?
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Vladislav YurchenkoAnd what about my first sentence? She said we had to hurry and She said we must hurry are they both correct?Yes.
To add: must is an auxiliary verb. There is no past form, so back-shifting it is quite impossible.
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