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Rex Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
I know OR I knew
I told a friend of mine about another perosn's death. This dead person was a former teacher.
This man said ' I know him'.
As the person was not alive, I think it would be incorrect to say ' I know him'.
Irrespective of the date of his demise, it should be ' I knew him'.
I mean the death may have occured within last 48 hours; still it is incorrect to say ' I know him'.
Would you agree with me?
This man said ' I know him'.
As the person was not alive, I think it would be incorrect to say ' I know him'.
Irrespective of the date of his demise, it should be ' I knew him'.
I mean the death may have occured within last 48 hours; still it is incorrect to say ' I know him'.
Would you agree with me?
Top answer
There are many levels of interpretation to consider here. From the viewpoint of the human emotions, it is difficult for people to face the death of someone they know/knew. Using the present tense may be interpreted psychologically as a refusal to accept the death.
- There are many levels of interpretation to consider here.
- From the viewpoint of the human emotions, it is difficult for people to face the death of someone they know/knew.
- Using the present tense may be interpreted psychologically as a refusal to accept the death.
- Strict accuracy in word choice can certainly be overlooked in such situations.
- On the other hand, from the viewpoint of language, "I know him" (present tense) can be thought of as simply "I know who you are referring to".
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4 Answers
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There are many levels of interpretation to consider here.
From the viewpoint of the human emotions, it is difficult for people to face the death of someone they know/knew. Using the present tense may be interpreted psychologically as a refusal to accept the death. Strict accuracy in word choice can certainly be overlooked in such situations.
On the other hand, from the viewpoint
From the viewpoint of the human emotions, it is difficult for people to face the death of someone they know/knew. Using the present tense may be interpreted psychologically as a refusal to accept the death. Strict accuracy in word choice can certainly be overlooked in such situations.
On the other hand, from the viewpoint
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Thanks for the explanatory answer, CalifJim. I am eager to hear the comments from the others too.
If you have heard through someone about the demise of a person who was known to you, would you say 'I know him' ?
If I say ' I know him'; the person is alive.
If you have heard through someone about the demise of a person who was known to you, would you say 'I know him' ?
If I say ' I know him'; the person is alive.
00
I too thought about the issue of whether you actually personally 'knew' the person, or were just acknowledging that you recognised who was being talked about, even if you did not actually 'know' them. In that case, knew would be incorrect, because you are still aware of who the person was! Is that confusing?
Example.
A; 'My old headmaster, Mr. Newson, died last week.'
B;
Example.
A; 'My old headmaster, Mr. Newson, died last week.'
B;
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would you say 'I know him'Probably not. I might say "Oh, I know who you're talking about" or "I know who that is".
CJ
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