I didn't know which one

[navi tasan]

Are these correct:

1) Among the sportspeople invited to the dinner, there was a tennis player who had won a major tournament recently, but I didn't know which one. He started speaking to me.

2) Among the sportspeople invited to the dinner, there was a tennis player who I knew had won a major tournament recently, but I didn't know which one. He started speaking to me.

Would they be used in formal English?

Gratefully,
Navi

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Yes.

 

[emsr2d2]

I just want to check something with you - did you intend for "I didn't know which one" to refer to the recent tournament or to the tennis player?

 

[probus]

To me, the second is crystal clear in meaning and sufficiently formal for any context. The first is a bit murky. It leaves open the possibilities that a victorious tennis player is present but you are uncertain which tournament they won or which tennis player is which. As a practical matter the first is unlikely to be misunderstood in such ways but the logical possibilty is there. (Cross-posted with Charlie and ems.)

 

[jutfrank]

I don't quite see what it is you want to know. All sentences are grammatical. Is that what you mean by 'correct'?

The only difference between the two passages is that the second includes the reduced clause I know. I suppose your question must relate to that.

Also, what do you mean by 'formal'? Both passages certainly sound as if someone is talking about a personal experience. Is that right? In what way do you consider that to be formal?

 

[navi tasan]

Thank you all very much,

I intended 'which one' to mean 'which prize' and definitely not 'which tennis player'. I don't think it could really have the latter meaning. Of course, in speech people might use that sentence meaning 'which tennis player', but the more I think about the sentences, the more I come to the conclusion that 'which one' means 'which prize'. I might be wrong of course. If I am, please correct me.

For that meaning I would use

3) Among the sportspeople invited to the dinner, there was a tennis player who had won a major tournament recently, but I didn't know which one he was. He started speaking to me.


Gratefully,
Navi

 

[navi tasan]

Thank you very much, Jutfrank,

Yes, by 'correct' I mean 'grammatical'.

There are certain sentences that you encounter in speech, but would not read in a newspaper article. I consider the first 'informal'. Anything that you could read in a proper newspaper article, or a book, and which isn't a direction quotation of a sentence that has been spoken is formal.

Respectfully,
Navi

 

[emsr2d2]

Compared to what you would hear in casual everyday speech, I suppose you could call your versions "formal". I can't imagine starting a sentence with "Among the sportspeople invited to the dinner" in everyday speech.

If I was chatting to a friend, it would sound something like this:

"I went to a dinner the other night and a load of [famous] sportspeople were there. One was a tennis player who'd apparently just won a big tournament. No idea which one. Then he started talking to me!"

(It's a poor example for me, though! I'm a massive tennis fan. If I was at a dinner and a tennis player was there, I'd know who they were and which tournament they'd just won!)