ended up staying for dinner

Question

We called on our neighbors in the afternoon and ended up staying for dinner.

I wonder if "ended in staying for dinner" and "ended up in staying for dinner" also work in the above context. If not, why not? Thanks.

Philip · Accepted Answer

AngliholicWe called on our neighbors in the afternoon and ended up staying for dinner.

I wonder if "ended in staying for dinner" and "ended up in staying for dinner" also work in the above context. If not, why not? Thanks.

I would say "ended up staying". The party "ended [up] in song". Both idiomatic, so it's difficult to apply a rule.

Angliholic · Answer

Philip
Angliholic
We called on our neighbors in the afternoon and ended up staying for dinner.

I wonder if "ended in staying for dinner" and "ended up in staying for dinner" also work in the above context. If not, why not? Thanks.

I would say "ended up staying". The party "ended [up] in song". Both idiomatic, so it's difficult to apply a rule.

Thanks, Philip.

If there are no rules, they are very difficult for us to master. But could you tell me in a few words the different meanings among them? Thanks.

Khoff · Answer

"Ended up xx-ing," suggests that the circumstance was not intended from the beginning. We intended to just visit for a few minutes, but we ended up staying for dinner. We thought we were going to buy the cheapest car on the lot, but we ended up buying a Mercedes. I thought I could fix the roof in half an hour, but it ended up taking all day.

"Ended (up) in ____" does not, to my ear, have the same suggestion of the end being contrary to expectations. The party ended in a musical recital. The meeting ended in a huge argument. It just describes the course of events. Also, it sounds odd to me to have a person be the subject, as it would be in "*We ended in staying for dinner." Sometimes, in a sentence of the form "X ended in Y", you could substitute "led to," or "became" -- this doesn't work with a person as the subject, except in such examples as "the runners all tripped over each other and ended in a big heap."

I hope this helps. This is the kind of thing that native speakers of English give very little thought to (until someone asks), so it's hard to explain the differences. For a learner, I'm sure it's very mysterious.

Angliholic · Answer

Thanks for the excellent reply, khoff.

It's crystal clear now.

Khoff · Answer

Glad I could help!

ended up staying for dinner

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