Verb + Verb or Verb + Ving?? I don't know if the second sentence is right. Could you please check for me? Thank you so much! 1. She told him that she was going to get married, and would like to invite him to her wedding. 2. She told him that she was going to get married, wanting to invite him to her wedding. The first one is from a language book. My friend offered the second one and raised a question about whether it's right or wrong. We think number two sounds a little strange, but according to the grammar we learned, it seems OK... So, is it a sentence okay to say?? Please help!

Past simple or past perfect??? 1. The boy told me that he "had lost" his train ticket and didn't know how he would get home. 2. At the conference, scientists reported that they "had found" a cure for malaria. I was studying English grammar, and was on the chapter teaching about when to use past simple or past perfect, but I am still very confused with the two sentences....Why can't I use "lost" and "found" instead of "had lost" and "had found"?? Please help me! > < Thank you so much!!

A White Snake I like to ride my scooter around the near city. I especially like to find a cafe to sit and have a quiet time to put my mind at ease. Last Sunday, I entered a new cafe. The first floor was full of customers, so I was asked to go up on the second floor. There was a big table with a bunch of people talking so loud. "They must be having a classmate reunion." I thought. "How old are they? 40? 45?" I wondered during the whole time before they left. I took out my scribble book thinking to be going to draw something. They did not stay long. At least, I had only taken two or three sips of my coffee. Then, the coffee shop owner lady came up to clean up the dishes. She said sorry about the loudness. As she was cleaning, she started to chat with me. We had a long conversation together. Until now, I still don't know why she would talk to me that much. She said she saw a beautiful white snake in her age of five. Later, I decided to make the white snake stay in my scribble book. Maybe it was just because my mind was totally blank. And the white snake just gave me a beautiful imagination.