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Ambiguous modal auxiliary: must

Ambiguous  modal auxiliaries ...

1) MUST/ MUSTN'T: OBLIGATION or INTERDICTION: In both cases, the FREEDOM OF ACTION is denied. 

- I must go now, as I still have a lot of homework to do. You mustn't prevent me from leaving...

2) But we may express a different meaning with the same modal: MUST / MUSTN'T = NEAR-CERTAINTY= I'm almost sure that...

- He must be sick because he never misses a class and hasn't arrived yet. 

3) Now, WHAT if the sentence is in the PAST?

-  Connie was obliged to open the door!  (the modal here expresses an obligation in the past) 

In the past, when MUST expresses a PAST OBLIGATION, you must use HAD TO:

In that case, the sentence would be: => - Connie had to open the door because the dog was barking to come in! 

OR: This sentence may mean: Most certainly, Connie opened the door => NEAR-CERTAINTY in the PAST:

- In this case, the near-certainty in the past will be expressed with: MUST + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE 

=> - Connie must have opened the door, because she was the only one to have the key. (no obligation, here.)

Only the context will enable you to make a good choice of the modal auxiliary.

Here we are !  I hope you'll never mistake those two different nuances of the same modal!  I hope you'll do well! 

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1. When she was little, playing with her sister Anna, Elsa had to usehas to usemust usedI don't know her magic powers to create Olaf, the magical snowman.
Elsa had to feelmust feltmust have feltI don't know guilty when she unwillingly hurt her young sister's head.
- Elsa must had beenmust to behad to be lockedhad being lockedI don't know up in her parents' castle not to be able to use her powers against her sister Anna and against other people.
- Anna's sacrifice to save Elsa from evil Hans must representedmust have representedhad to representI don't know the necessary act of true love in order to warm up and thaw Elsa' s heart.
Elsa had to feel relievedmust feel relievemust have felt relievedmust had feel relievedI don't know when, knowing that Anna was happy, she decided to let go and be the Frozen Queen openly.

2. Really, Ratchet had to be disappointedhad being disappointedmust had been disappointedmust have been disappointedI don't know when he thought he couldn't become a Ranger to defend the galaxy.
Ratchet then had to trainmust has trainedhad being trainedmust had trainedI don't know a lot to realize his dream and become a space Ranger.
Clank, (the robot) had to repairhad to be repairedmust have repairedmust have being repairI don't know by Ratchet because he had been damaged when his spaceship had crashed.
- Ratchet had to be feltmust have fallenhad to feelmust have feltI don't know very proud when he became a Space Ranger.
- Clank and Ratchet must foughtmust have fightedhad to fightmust had foughtI don't know a lot to prevent the destruction of a Planet and save its inhabitants.
Ratchet and Clank had to decidemust have decidedhad to been decidedhad been decidedI don't know that friendship mattered most and came back to work together as expert space mechanics.

 

 Olaf, the magical snowman.Characters de FROZENRatchet, a Space Ranger or mechanics?Clank