What's the logical relationship between these 2 sentences?

[Ali Hsn]

Dear teachers/natives/members,

What's the logical relationship between the red and the underlined part below? How come they've been included in one sentence? It seems the red part, logically, has nothing to do with the underlined part.

"The authorities had never been able to find the culprit. Little did they know that it was him, the director appointed to evaluate the long-term effects of the oil spill."

Thanks in advance.

 

[MikeNewYork]

The underlined part provides information about "him" in the red part. The director was the culprit.

 

[Ali Hsn]

Dear Mike,

Thank you for your quick reply. So does it mean that when the director appointed to evaluate the long-term effects, they thought that he could be the culprit?

 

[bhaisahab]

The authorities didn't know that the person they appointed to be the director was the culprit.

 

[Ali Hsn]

Dear bhaisahab,

Thanks for clarifying the meaning. What does that "little" in the red part refer to please? Does "little did they know that it was him" means just a few people knew that he was the culprit?

 

[Barb_D]

"Little did they know" means "They did not know."

I know it seems like it should be "They only knew a little about it" or "Only a few people knew" but it really means "They didn't know."

 

[lotus888]

Little did they know that it was him.

It also means "they did not suspect" that it was him, or "little did they suspect" that it was him.



--lotus

 

[Tdol]

They had no idea it was him.

 

[Barb_D]

You use this for situations or future events, generally that have repercussions later.

You would not use it for scientific facts, for example.

Not "little did he know the atomic weight of magnesium" but "little did he know that by choosing biology over chemistry, he would meet the love if his life and future collaborator, with whom he would one day share the Nobel Prize."