What happens first?

Question

1 When I gave him 10 dollars, he told me the news. (First, I gave ten $, second, he told the news)

2 When I gave him 10 dollars, he had told me the news. (First, he told the news , second, I gave ten $ )

1 and 2 are clear. Now. The problem.

3 When I met him, he knew the news. (THIS IS NOT CLEAR.)

Is it: a) I met him first and then he learnt the news. OR b) Before I met him he had already known the news

4 When I met him, he had known the news. (Before I met him he had already known the news) CLEAR

5 When I met him he didn't know the news.

Is it: a) I met him first and then he got the news erased from his memory. OR b) Before I met him he had already not known the news

3 and 5 are problematic. How would you interpret them?

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Ticce1 When I gave him 10 dollars, he told me the news. (First, I gave ten $, second, he told the news)

The sequence is correct, but the meaning is not what you think. It means that he only told you the news because you gave him 10 dollars.

Ticce2 When I gave him 10 dollars, he had told me the news. (First, he told the news , second, I gave ten $ )

I can't think of a context for this one. You seem to be putting the cart before the horse. Verb tenses react to the context. They aren't to be relied on to convey meaning. If you add a word or two, it becomes natural: "When I gave him the 10 dollars, he had already told me the news."

Ticce3 When I met him, he knew the news. (THIS IS NOT CLEAR.)

Most things aren't clear at first. It's your job as the writer to see that they are in the end.

I can't tell what you want "met" to mean. In that sentence, it defaults to the first time you encountered him, but I suspect that what you mean is "had an encounter with". Let's use that. Also, "knew" doesn't work that way. You would have to use "learnt" (US "learned").

TicceIs it: a) I met him first and then he learnt the news.

Again, the sequence is right, but the meaning is wrong. The sentence "When I met him, he learnt the news" means that you told him the news when you met him.

TicceOR b) Before I met him he had already known the news

And again, use "learnt". The sentence "Before I met him, he had already learnt the news" means that you were saved the trouble of telling him yourself.

You original "When I met him, he knew the news" is unlikely in the common interpretation of "knew". It would require context to be possible.

What happens first?

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