when he's finished

Question

HiIs it OK to write: I want you to listen to him and when he's finished you will answer two questions.

Avangi · Accepted Answer

A comma after "him" would help.

I have a problem with "parallel construction," or the lack thereof. You give two instructions: one is "I want you to ---," the other is "you will ---."

I'm not sure what the solution is. It can't be "and when he's finished I want you to answer two questions," because the wanting is now, not when he's finished. (However, many people would say it this way.)

You could put them both in the other form: "You will listen to him, and when he's finished you will answer two questions."

Others may feel it's perfectly okay to use the two different types of instructions together. The problem as I see it is that if you say you want someone to do something, they may or may not comply. But when you say someone will do something, there's no wiggle room.

There's no problem with the he's finished. - A.

Newguest · Answer

Thanks

when he's finished

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