ATTENZIONE
VERSIONE CORRETTA QUI SOTTO
They mustn’t have left it on the table.
Quiz Time in inglese: intermediate exercise 30
Do you know the right answer?
ATTENZIONE
Do you know the right answer?
They mustn’t have left it on the table.
2 hypotheses : they shouldn’t have left it on the table ( reproach)
they can’t have left it on the table : negative supposition in the past
Carla, the exercise is to say which of the four sentences is incorrect.
Three of them are fine.
B
Dear Tony, thanks . Sometimes, just to be concise, I am not clear in my questions to you. I knew the only wrong sentence was MUST NOT (B) , because must not is an order.. Supposition is expressed by must, while can’t express supposition in the negative. Could I explain the difference in this way ?
“Must have + past part.” is only used in the affirmative for “positive logical deduction in the past”
“Can’t have + past part.” is only used in the negative for “negative logical deduction in the past”
Deduzione logica al passato(in negativo)giusto?
Exactly! So what would the correct form be?
B
Ooops D
I was feeling a bit confused for a moment there! 😂