Grammar, please

[butterflydreaming]

Which is correct when one person is alive and the other is deceased?

1."They both knew how to... ."
2."They both know how to... ."

Awkward no matter which.

Comments

[the-sybil.livejournal.com]

difficult. I think, on balance, I'd go with (1), but to be honest I'd probably try and re-word the whole thing to avoid the problem. Sorry not to be more help!

[adventurat.livejournal.com]

ditto.

[mimerki.livejournal.com]

Casually, I'd probably go for #1 or say something like "Jane knew and Deety knows how to..." So: What she said, with example.

[shadow-and-veil.livejournal.com]

If I were writing, I'd throw it all out and start more cleanly, because a quick fix is still clunky.

[mysticalforest.livejournal.com]

Can you make one of them a zombie? Because that would solve it and be cool. :)

Barring that, what the_sybil said.

[shadow-and-veil.livejournal.com]

Especially because it would be a zombie Freddie Mercury.

[shadow-and-veil.livejournal.com]

No, no -- just the right amount of help. :)