The combination of must with the Perfect Continuous infinitive indicates an action begun in the past and continued into the moment of speaking.

E.g. It must have been raining all the night. There are big puddles in the garden.

However, if must is followed by a stative verb, the Perfect infinitive is used.

E.g. He must have been here since breakfast. He must have known it all along.

When must expresses supposition implying strong probability, its use is restricted in two ways:

It is not used with reference to the future. In this case we find attitudinal adverbs in the sentence.

E.g. She must really love you to distraction. He must evidently know all about it

It is not used in the interrogative or negative forms. It is found only in the affirmative form.

Must needs denotes obligation.

E.g. He must needs go there. (Он непременно должен пойти туда.)

“I think you must ask somebody else to your party instead of Henry, Jim” (B. J. Chute)

“Yes, but I must wash before dinner,” Jimmy said and added, “You're lucky. Dirt doesn't show on you.” (B.J. Chute)

I must be going and I must be off both mean - it is time for me to go (in Russian - мне пора уходить).

I must tell you that … and I must say … are stereotyped phrases in which the meaning of obligation is considerably weakened in must.

In the sentences: You must come and see me some time You must come and have a dinner with me. You must come to our party. You must come and stay with us for the weekend and the like, the meaning of obligation in must is also weakened. Must has become part of such sentences which are a common way of expressing invitations.

Must and May compared

Must and may can be compared in two meanings:

Both may and must serve to express supposition but their use is not parallel. May denotes supposition implying uncertainty whereas the supposition expressed by must implies strong probability

E.g. For all I know, he may be an actor. His face seems so familiar. He must be an actor. His voice carries so well. I saw him an hour ago. He may still be in his office now. He always comes at 10 sharp. So he must be in his office now.

They must be satisfied with going to the piers… (M. Spark)

May and must are used to express prohibition in negative sentences. But may is seldom found in this meaning. In negative answers to questions with may asking for permission we generally find must not or cannot.

E.g. `May I smoke here?” “No, you mustn't (you can't).

To have to

To have to as a modal verb is not a defective verb and can have all the necessary finite forms as well as the verbal.

E.g. He is an invalid and has to have a nurse.

She knew what she had to do.

He frightened her - I had to yield him my last date before Bill came. (F. Scott Fitzgerald0

I shall have to reconsider my position.

He is always having to exercise judgment.

My impression was that he was having to force himself to talk.

I have had to remind you of writing to her all this time.

The women at barfed had had to be told that an experiment was taking place that day. “As a matter of fact,” he said, “I've been having to spend some time with the research people.”

It wouldn't have been very nice for the David's sons to have to mix with all those people in the smoking-room.

Having to work alone, he wanted all his time for his research.

The interrogative and negative forms of the modal verb to have to are built up by means of the auxiliary verb to do.

E.g. Why do I have to do everything?

Did he have to tell them about it?

“That is all right,” she said. “I just thought I'd ask. You don't have to explain.”

There was a grim on his face. He did not have to tell me that he already knew.

The verb to have to serves to express obligation or necessity imposed by circumstances.

It is rendered is Russian as приходится, вынужден.

In this meaning it is found in all kinds of sentences - affirmative, interrogative and negative - and is combined only with the simple infinitive.

E.g. I am afraid you will have to go to the court.

They will have him back. (Они заставят его вернуться)

Did he have to do it? He did not have to do it.

If you go abroad, no matter how you are traveling, you have to go through the customs. (M. Spark)

The negotiations might fail. In that event the Government would have to decide what to do. (Morning star)

I have to revise other ideas about her. (F. Scott Fitzgerald0

In negative sentences to have to denotes absence of necessity.

E.g. You don't have to go there. (Вам нет необходимости идти туда).

You mustn't go there. (Вам нельзя идти туда).

In spoken English the meaning of obligation and necessity is also expressed by have (has) got to. Like the verb to have to it is found in all kinds of sentences and is combined with the simple infinitive.

E.g. He has got to go right now.

Has he got to go right now?

He hasn't got to go just yet.

This combination may also be found in the past tense, though it is not very common.

E.g. He had got to sell his car.

A few drops begun to fall “We'd better take shelter,' she said. (Нам лучше укрыться).

She didn't like to say that she thought they had better not play cards when the guest might come in at any moment.

Had better is followed by the infinitive without to.

We can compare the usage of this verb in American and British literature:

You've got to be kidding - American English.

You've got to be joking - British English.

To be to

To be to as a modal verb is used in the present and past tenses.

E.g. We are to meet at six.

We were to meet at six.

To be to as a modal verb has the following meanings:

a previously arranged plan or obligation resulting from the arrangement

E.g. We are to discuss it the following week.

Is he to arrive tomorrow?

Who was to speak at the meeting?

Mass struggle is vital if the elimination of the evils of racial hatred is to be guaranteed.(Daily Worker)

This meaning of to be to is found in affirmative and interrogative sentences in the present and past tenses. To be to is followed by the simple infinitive.

The past tense of the verb to be to in combination with the Perfect infinitive denotes an unfulfilled plan.

E.g. I promised to go to a club with her last Tuesday, and I really forgot all about it. We were to have played a duet together.

orders and instructions, often official (frequently in reported speech).

E.g. I just mention it because you said I was to give you all the details I could.

Norman says I am to leave you alone. All junior officers are to report to the colonel at once.

The Prime Minister is to go to Paris next week. (Daily Worker, London)

In this meaning to be to is found is affirmative and negative sentences and followed by the simple infinitive.

something that is destined to happen

E.g. He was to be my teacher and friend for many years to come.

He did not know at the time that he was never to see his native place again.

How was I to know that I was going to meet a raging beauty?

It has been a great blow to me that you haven't been able to follow me in my business as I followed by father. Three generations, that would have been. But it wasn't to be.

This meaning of to be to is rendered in Russian as суждено. It is mainly found in the past tense and its application is limited to narration. It occurs in affirmative and negative sentences and is followed by the simple infinitive.

Possibility

E.g. Her father was often to be seen in the bar of the Hotel Metropole.

Where is he to be found?

Nothing was to be done under the circumstances.

Responsibilities and obligations possessed by the Soviet trade unions are to be envied. (Morning Star)

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