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English 1b3 Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Only to--conjunction

Do we class only to as a conjunction here?

Would you say the below is grammatical?

I started eating rapidly only to start coughing and choking on a nut, attracting enough attention and making enough noise to see it as suitable to leave the room and clear my throat, only to re-enter the room, bright red in the face, and be reminded of the no-eating policy.

Thanks
  

Top answer

It's hard to decide on its grammaticality because it is so awkward. It is not a sentence that would be written. On the other matter, 'only/merely/simply/just to' seem to me to be as they appear: adverbs introducing adverbial infinitive clauses.

— Mister Micawber

  • It's hard to decide on its grammaticality because it is so awkward.
  • It is not a sentence that would be written.
  • On the other matter, 'only/merely/simply/just to' seem to me to be as they appear: adverbs introducing adverbial infinitive clauses.
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4 Answers
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It's hard to decide on its grammaticality because it is so awkward. It is not a sentence that would be written. On the other matter, 'only/merely/simply/just to' seem to me to be as they appear: adverbs introducing adverbial infinitive clauses.
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Mister Micawber because it is so awkward. It is not a sentence that would be written

Please tell me why? I often read 'only to' being used thus, so I assume it is something else that is putting you off the sentence... It's length? The fact that I have used only to twice?
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Yes, both of those, but mainly the second 'only to'. Is the sentence structure intended to be like this: [...][...] – or like this: [ [...] ] ? It is inherently ambiguous, I think.
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Thanks, MM. Clever, you are. Emotion: smile

I hope you don't mind my continual and insatiable need to learn absolutely everything you kno
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