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andrew_gz · Joined: 15 Feb 2005 Posts: 502 Location: Reborn in the PRC

He likes eating apples?
or
He liked eating apples?

And this was added, "he told me he likes eating apples before I told anyone else"

Which is correct and why, please explain?

Thank you to anyone of you who decides to help!

Cheers,
Andrew

Billy Chaka · Joined: 20 Oct 2003 Posts: 77

If I understand correctly, you're asking which of the following is correct:

He told me he likes eating apples before I told anyone else.
He told me he liked eating apples before I told anyone else.

The answer is both are correct. They have a very small difference in meaning. The first sentence implies that he still likes eating apples now, while the second sentence only covers the time period up to the point that he "told you." However, it's such a small difference that I wouldn't even bother bringing it up. I would just say that both are correct.

fluffyhamster · Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 4:51 pm Post subject:

What bearing does somebody liking or having liked eating apples have on the mysterious (and potentially much more interesting) thing that 'I' told anyone else? (It might sound a bit better with things reversed: Before I told anyone else, he told me that he likes/liked eating apples). Wierd examples like that aren't really worth worrying about, IMHO. Even if they were actually teaching you something about "grammar", they are hardly functional, useful phrases.

Phil_K · Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 2041 Location: A World of my Own

I agree. This is something we spend a lot of time teaching but are very free in it's use ourselves! I would recommend teaching basic students the standard version of moving a tense backwards...so that they can "unlearn" it all at upper-intermediate and advanced. I always say it is OK to do something badly, as long you know you are doing it badly!

fluffyhamster · Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 5:08 pm Post subject:

There seems to always be overkill with reported speech. Students struggle to recall the exact words said, then are asked to perform what is often an unnecessary backshift in tense. The main thing is to just use a reporting verb (X said..., this can even substitute for 'asked': X said (can you) meet him at 4pm at McDonalds).

That 'before I told anyone else' just seems like padding, to establish beyond any doubt that you indeed were told something in the past.

If the past nature of the apple eating (as opposed to the present) needed to be stressed, we could simply use 'used to' and/or expand the context (He said he liked eating apples (before), but now he doesn't).

Basically tense can only convey so much.

fluffyhamster · Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 5:12 pm Post subject:

One more point:
He told me (he ?likes/liked eating apples) before HE told anyone else.

The present breaks the past narrative a little, but I wouldn't say it's quite wrong.

andrew_gz · Joined: 15 Feb 2005 Posts: 502 Location: Reborn in the PRC

Thank you one and all.

This came from a Chinese colleague and I just wanted to check with you.(to see if I was missing something)

Thanks again!

mdk · Joined: 09 Jun 2007 Posts: 425

If somebody really was into the music of George Gershwin he might pause to consider the semantic ramifications of "he loves and she loves".