Return to Question

I am quite puzzled over this usage of the word "must":

"Members of his team said that he must forget everything he knew about swimming"

(This sentence is taken from English grammar textbook "Perspectives":

I've seen this somewhere and was told that it was okay to say that, but this Wikipedia table on modal verbs says that the modal verb "must" doesn't have its past-tense form (unlike such modal verbs like, for example, "will" and "can" that have their clear past-tense forms "would" and "could"):

If so, then, as far as I understand, such past-tense sentense like "They told him 10 years ago that he must forget everything" must be grammatically incorrect (unlike some present-tense sentence like "Today I am telling you that you must forget it!").

What am I getting wrong here?

I am quite puzzled over this usage of the word "must":

"Members of his team said that he must forget everything he knew about swimming"

(This sentence is taken from English grammar textbook "Perspectives":

I was told that it was okay to say that, but this Wikipedia table on modal verbs says that the modal verb "must" doesn't have its past-tense form (unlike such modal verbs like, for example, "will" and "can" that have their clear past-tense forms "would" and "could"):

If so, then, as far as I understand, such past-tense sentense like "They told him 10 years ago that he must forget everything" must be grammatically incorrect (unlike some present-tense sentence like "Today I am telling you that you must forget it!").

What am I getting wrong here?

I am quite puzzled over this usage of the word "must":

"Members of his team said to him ten years ago that he must forget everything he had learned in school."

I've seen this somewhere and was told that it was okay to say that, but this Wikipedia table on modal verbs says that the modal verb "must" doesn't have its past-tense form (unlike such modal verbs like, for example, "will" and "can" that have their clear past-tense forms "would" and "could"):

If so, then, as far as I understand, such past-tense sentense like "They told him 10 years ago that he must forget everything" must be grammatically incorrect (unlike some present-tense sentence like "Today I am telling you that you must forget it!").

What am I getting wrong here?

I am quite puzzled over this usage of the word "must":

"Members of his team said that he must forget everything he knew about swimming"

(This sentence is taken from English grammar textbook "Perspectives":

I've seen this somewhere and was told that it was okay to say that, but this Wikipedia table on modal verbs says that the modal verb "must" doesn't have its past-tense form (unlike such modal verbs like, for example, "will" and "can" that have their clear past-tense forms "would" and "could"):

If so, then, as far as I understand, such past-tense sentense like "They told him 10 years ago that he must forget everything" must be grammatically incorrect (unlike some present-tense sentence like "Today I am telling you that you must forget it!").

What am I getting wrong here?

Is this one okay:

"Members of his team said to him then that he must forget everything he had learned in school."

or is this one better:

"Members of his team said to him then that he had to forget everything he had learned in school."

?

I am quite puzzled over this usage of the word "must":

"Members of his team said to him ten years ago that he must forget everything he had learned in school."

I've seen this somewhere and was told that it was okay to say that, but this Wikipedia table on modal verbs says that the modal verb "must" doesn't have its past-tense form (unlike such modal verbs like, for example, "will" and "can" that have their clear past-tense forms "would" and "could"):

If so, then, as far as I understand, such past-tense sentense like "They told him 10 years ago that he must forget everything" must be grammatically incorrect (unlike some present-tense sentence like "Today I am telling you that you must forget it!").

What am I getting wrong here?