How do I negate this sentence?

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Viceidol  #487725  Wed, 12 Mar 08 02:55 AM

.He thought that it had to be Bob. (=He thought that it must have been Bob.)

How do I negate this sentence? Can I say it this way:

.He thought that it didn't have to be Bob. (=He thought that it couldn't have been Bob.)

Thank you very much for your help!!

  
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CalifJim  #487747  Wed, 12 Mar 08 03:47 AM
I think you're getting a little messed up here.  The first equality is OK, but not the second.  Note these:

--------------------------- 

She has to stay. = She must stay. = She cannot leave.

She has to leave. = She must leave. = She cannot stay. 

She had to stay. = She could not leave.

She had to leave. = She could not stay.

_______

She does not have to stay. = She need not stay.  =  She can leave.

She does not have to leave. = She need not leave. =  She can stay.

She did not have to stay. = She need not have stayed. = She could have left.

She did not have to leave. = She need not have left. = She could have stayed.

______

It has to be Bob. = It must be Bob. = It cannot be anyone but Bob. = It can only be Bob.

It doesn't have to be Bob. = It isn't necessarily Bob. = It need not be Bob. = It [may / might / can / could] be someone other than Bob. = It [may / might] not be Bob.

It had to be Bob. = It must have been Bob. = It could not have been anyone but Bob. = It could only have been Bob.

It didn't have to be Bob. = It wasn't necessarily Bob. = It needn't have been Bob. = It [may / might / could] have been someone other than Bob.= It [may / might] not have been Bob.

____________ 

It [may / might / could] be Bob. = It is possible that it is Bob.

It [may / might] not be Bob. = It is possible that it is not Bob. = It [may / might / could] be someone other than Bob. = It is not necessarily Bob.

It [can't / couldn't] be Bob. = It is not possible that it is Bob. = It has to be someone other than Bob. = It must be someone other than Bob. = It [can / could] only be someone other than Bob.

It [may / might / could] have been Bob. = It is possible that it was Bob.

It [may / might] not have been Bob. = It is possible that it was not Bob. = It [may / might / could] have been someone other than Bob. = It was not necessarily Bob.

It [can't / couldn't] have been Bob. = It is not possible that it was Bob. = It had to be someone other than Bob. = It must have been someone other than Bob. = It [can / could] only have been someone other than Bob.

 _____

Be careful about where the not's are!  There are often two possible negations to a sentence!  And note that all those with stay and leave have to do with obligations and permissions; all those with Bob have to do with logical relationships.

CJ 

  
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Viceidol  #488631  Thu, 13 Mar 08 11:59 PM

Thank you very much, Jim, and I'm sorry to let you write so much for me.Smile

  
CalifJim  #488655  Fri, 14 Mar 08 01:12 AM
Well, at the rate you're going these days with all those have to's, can's, could's, and must's, you would have eventually asked a question about every one of those expressions anyway, so you might as well have all of them together in one place!  Smile

Make a copy and refer to it as needed!

CJ 

  
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