Using "must".

Tommie   Sat Jul 29, 2006 4:50 pm GMT
Can we use "must not have (done) below? If not, what are the alternatives?

"What would you have said verbals are if you had been allowed to say only one sentence and this sentence must not have contained the words: participle, gerund, infinitive?"

Thanks in advance
Johnathan Mark   Sat Jul 29, 2006 4:56 pm GMT
What would you say verbals are if you can say only one sentence, which cannot contain the words: participle, gerund, infinitive.
Johnathan Mark   Sat Jul 29, 2006 5:33 pm GMT
Correction:

What would you say verbals are if you could say only one sentence, which cannot contain the words: participle, gerund, infinitive.
Tommie   Sat Jul 29, 2006 5:51 pm GMT
Yes, I know there are alternatives, but can one use "must not have" there? That's my question.
Glikeria   Mon Jul 31, 2006 6:45 am GMT
No, you can't, Tommie. "must have+Participle II" is used as a guess, eg
She must have forgotten about the date.
In prohibitions we only use "must not+Infinitive". I suppose your question is connected with the sequence of tenses, but it doesn't work with MUST.
Tommie   Mon Jul 31, 2006 8:08 am GMT
Brennus

< 'must not have contained' which is grammatically correct but which sounds wordy and awkward in most cases.>

Most replies have stated that it is grammatically incorrect. Why do you say it is correct?
Brennus *   Mon Jul 31, 2006 8:13 am GMT
I mustn't have parsed it correctly.
Uriel   Mon Jul 31, 2006 8:16 am GMT
Even simpler:

"What would you have said verbals are if you had been allowed to say only one sentence, not using the words participle, gerund, infinitive?"
Uriel   Mon Jul 31, 2006 8:43 am GMT
Tommie, I don't see anything ungrammatical about the original sentence. It's just a bit unwieldy.
M56   Mon Jul 31, 2006 10:30 am GMT
<I mustn't have parsed it correctly.>

Indeed not. The one you've just offered is present deduction and not at all the same as that "must not have contained" (obligation) in the original post.
M56   Mon Jul 31, 2006 10:35 am GMT
Even even simpler:

What would you say verbals are? The sentence, must not use the words participle, gerund, or infinitive?