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The Earth Defense Force is translating an alien broadcast. Select ALL the grammatically correct ways to report the alien's threat regarding a future obligation.
Direct speech: "You must evacuate the planet tomorrow!"
The correct answers are: The alien commander stated that we had to evacuate the planet the following day. The alien commander stated that we would have to evacuate the planet the following day. The alien commander stated that we must evacuate the planet the next day.
When reporting "must" used for a future obligation, there are three acceptable options in advanced English:
- It can change to "had to" (the standard past equivalent of must).
- It can change to "would have to" (which neatly captures the future aspect from a past perspective).
- It can remain "must" (especially common in formal or written contexts).
"Must have evacuated" incorrectly turns the sentence into a deduction about the past, and "had had to" is the past perfect form, which implies an obligation completed before another past event.