Which sentence best preserves the sequence: Charles was fired in December, then unemployed for four months, and will start college in June?

• A. After getting fired in December, Charles went back to college for four months.
• B. Charles was fired from his job last December; he starts college in four months in June.
• C. When Charles starts college in June, he will have been on unemployment for four months; he was fired from his job last December.
• D. Last December, Charles was fired from his job and was on unemployment for four months; he is going to college in June

Answer: (D)

The sequence is kept clear by anchoring the timeline in the past and then moving forward to a future plan, using tenses that match each part of the events. Starting with “Last December” fixes the first event in the past. The simple past verbs—“was fired” and “was on unemployment for four months”—show the actions that followed in order. Then the future plan is expressed with “is going to college in June,” which conveys what happens next after those months of unemployment.

This preserves the intended order: fired in December, four months of unemployment, then starting college in June. The other options mix up the timing or use awkward phrasing that obscures the sequence, such as implying college happened during those four months or altering how long the unemployment lasts.