"must" does NOT change its form when indicating PAST??????

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ryan79k  #444204  Mon, 19 Nov 07 11:38 PM

Hi, everyone. Below is one sentence from "Chicago manual of style."

Can anyone tell me what this implies? Can someone tell me how "must" is used to indicate the past without changing its form? (Such as, "had to")

Thanks in advance!

"This verb[must] does not vary its form in either the present or past indicative. "

  
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CalifJim  #444257  Tue, 20 Nov 07 03:25 AM
Can anyone tell me what this implies?
It means that there is no past form of must, such as *musted.

So if you wish to report "I must go" as indirect speech, you say "I said that I must go", and not "*I said that I musted go."

On the other hand, "I have to go" becomes "I said that I had to go" because have does change to create the past form.

CJ

  
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