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MarvinTheMartian Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
only to tell me (...)
Hi,
I'm trying to determine whether both of the following sentences are equally acceptable:
"I waited two hours only to be informed by the head nurse that the person I wanted to see had been discharged."
"The head nurse kept me waiting two hours only to inform me that the person I wanted to see had been discharged."
For some reason, I prefer the second sentence, but I'm not sure if it works as well as the first in terms of logic. What do you people think?
I'm trying to determine whether both of the following sentences are equally acceptable:
"I waited two hours only to be informed by the head nurse that the person I wanted to see had been discharged."
"The head nurse kept me waiting two hours only to inform me that the person I wanted to see had been discharged."
For some reason, I prefer the second sentence, but I'm not sure if it works as well as the first in terms of logic. What do you people think?
Top answer
In the second one, the nurse kept you waiting deliberately. In the first one, you may have had to simply wait for your chance to speak with her.
- In the second one, the nurse kept you waiting deliberately.
- In the first one, you may have had to simply wait for your chance to speak with her.
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3 Answers
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In the second one, the nurse kept you waiting deliberately. In the first one, you may have had to simply wait for your chance to speak with her.
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Thank you, I understand the distinction. I just wanted to make sure both uses of the phrase "only to tell / inform me" were correct. Sometimes, I say or write stuff only to realize later that it didn't make sense at all from a logical perspective.
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MarvinTheMartianFor some reason, I prefer the second sentenceHmmm. For some reason, I prefer the first!
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