when they were told

[navi tasan]

1) It wasn't only Tom who called me when he was told that I had passed. Jane called me too.

2) Tom was not the only one who called me when they were told that I had passed. Jane called me too.

3) Tom was not the only one who called me when he was told that I had passed. Jane called me too.

The meaning is supposed to be that Jane called me when she was told that I had passed and Tom called me when he was told that I had passed. So in '2' the word 'they' is supposed to refer back to 'the only who who called me' and not refer to a group of people.

Which of the cases 1-3 work with the desired meaning?

Gratefully,
Navi

 

[Raymott]

"When they heard that I had passed, both Tom and Jane called me."
2 is the closest to being acceptable, but why make it difficult for yourself?

 

[Tdol]

It is, even by your intriguing standards, a slightly heavy weight on the truth. If Jane's learning separately was so important, why not make this clear?

 

[navi tasan]

Thank you both very much,

Well, I was just trying to explore the grammar and find out how much could be implied without being stated. But sometimes the scenarios I make up in my mind leave a lot to be desired.

Respectfully,
Navi