Advanced C1 Grammar

only to, with + noun + -ing / -ed, noun + -ed at the start

Four short patterns for a surprise, a scene, a step that is finished first, and how or where things are.

⏱️ Target Time: 12 minutes

You do something, but then a surprise happens, often a sad one. Write a comma, then only to and a short verb. Say "only to find", not "in order to find" or "only for finding". It is not for something you wanted on purpose.

This tells what was going on at that moment. Use -ing when the thing is doing the action: "with the museum refusing". Use -ed when something was done to the thing: "with the relic damaged". Do not add was or is: say "with the custodian resisting", not "with the custodian was resisting".

Start the sentence with a thing and a done word, like "the paperwork signed". It means that step was finished first. Then the next part tells what happened after. There is no "with" here, and no was: say "the excavation finished", not "the excavation was finished".

This shows how something is or where it is while something else happens. After the noun, put a describing word, like safe or clear, or a place, like back in the village. Do not add an action word: say "with the shrine safe", not "with the shrine was safe".

Item 1 (surprise) Rule 1

____ The curator opened the vault in order to find that the colonial plunder had vanished ____ The curator opened the vault only for finding that the colonial plunder had vanished ____ The curator opened the vault only to find that the colonial plunder had vanished

Item 2 (doing) Rule 2

____ With the custodian was resisting repatriation the ministry intervened ____ With the custodian resisting repatriation the ministry intervened ____ With the custodian resisted repatriation the ministry intervened

Item 3 (done) Rule 3

____ The excavation finished the team examined each ancient relic ____ The excavation completing the team examined each ancient relic ____ The excavation was finished the team examined each ancient relic

Item 4 (state) Rule 4

____ was safe ____ safe ____ be safe

Item 5 (before) Rule 3

____ The provenance confirmed ____ The provenance confirming ____ Had the provenance confirmed

Item 6 (surprise) Rule 1

____ with discovering that ____ for discovering that ____ only to discover that

Item 7 (surprise) Rule 1

"The minister flew to London and then discovered the artefact was missing from the vault."

Type the complete rewritten sentence: ____ (Type your rewrite...)

Item 8 (doing) Rule 2

"The ancestral community demanded repatriation, so the directors held an urgent vote."

Type the complete rewritten sentence: ____ (Type your rewrite...)

Item 9 (before) Rule 3

"The provenance was fully verified, and then the museum arranged the restitution."

Type the complete rewritten sentence: ____ (Type your rewrite...)

Item 10 (surprise) Rule 1

"We queued three hours for the relic exhibit, only for finding that the gallery was locked!"

Type the correct replacement for the 3-word phrase "only for finding": ____ (Type your answer...)

Item 11 (doing) Rule 2

"With the board refused restitution of the bronze head, the legal team filed an appeal."

Type the single word that should replace "refused": ____ (Type your answer...)

Item 12 (state) Rule 4

"With the colonial plunder now in display in capital museums, few scholars asked about origins."

Type the correct 2-word phrase to replace "in display": ____ (Type your answer...)