surprised to

Question

CAn I say,(a) We were surprised to see the children waiting us at the entrance when we reached the orphanage.(b) We were surprised to see the children waiting outside when we reached there.(c) When we reached, we were surprised to see them waiting for us outside the orphanage.

Hoa Thai · Accepted Answer

Vincent TeoCAn I say,

(a) When we reached the orphanage, we were surprised to see the children (already) waiting for us at the entrance. ~~when we reached the~~

~~orphanage.~~

(b) We were surprised to see the children (already) waiting outside when we reached there. 1) Shift the 'when' clause to the starting position as shown earlier. 2) You need to qualify the word 'there' with extra context before you can use it.

(c) When we reached reached what?, we were surprised to see them waiting for us outside the orphanage. No good!

Vincent Teo · Answer

Why should we put the "when" clause in front? Can I put "when" clause like sentence (a)? IS there any rules to follow?

Hoa Thai · Answer

Vincent TeoWhy should we put the "when" clause in front? Can I put "when" clause like sentence (a)? IS there any rules to follow?

Hi,

There is no rule. It is more about flow.
With a well formed main clause, when we reach its end, we often mentally stop. If we put a ‘when’ clause there, we must read on to grab the full context of the entire sentence. With the ‘when’ clause in the starting position, we form a mental boundary for the main clause. Therefore, when we reach the end of the main clause, we have no dangling feeling.

surprised to

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