I got up at 4:30 a.m. so that I caught the earliest bus to go to work.
a) I got up at 4:30 a.m. so that I caught the earliest bus to go to work.
b) I got up at 4:30 a.m. so that I could catch the earliest bus to go to work.
c) I got up at 4:30 a.m. ( in order ) to catch the earliest bus to go to work.
Question: Which one is natural / correct to native speakers?
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Answers · 3
2
a. is wrong. b. and c. are both correct.
The structure with "so that" is:
[clause which expresses action] so that [clause which expresses purpose]
The achievement of the purpose comes later in time than the action. The tenses have to reflect this time sequence and so when the action is in the past, the purpose clause comes with the modals "would" or "could/would be able to".
The infinitive of purpose is an equally good way of expressing purpose, whatever the tense of the action clause.
1
c. a is definitely wrong
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