He returned home!

[blacknomi]

1- He returned home to find his house on fire.
2- He returned home, finding his house on fire.

Given more context, I think #2 is also possible. It seems like he doesn't care for the house a lot.

What's your opinion?

[Tdol]

I wouldn't use the second. You might be able to create the context, but I can't think of one, not without changing the verb 'finding'.

[blacknomi]

He returned home, finding a neighbor's house on fire but still remained calm. Then he fixed dinner and turned on the TV. He soon forgot the fire incident.



How's that?

[Tdol]

Why not 'found'. Maybe 'and finding'.

[blacknomi]

Why not finding? I'm trying to give more context not using found.

Give me a minute!

[blacknomi]

Minute's up!

What about this,

1- I returned home, finding everything in peace.
2- I returned home, and I found everything in peace.

Do you still not appreciate No. 1?

[Tdol]

1- This suggests that the peace you found was not at home and prior to returning- everything was OK after the fight at work, say. Also, I'd put the 'finding' part at the beginning.

[Casiopea]

Given more context, I think #2 is also possible. It seems like he doesn't care for the house a lot.

What's your opinion?

Try looking at it this way,

? Finding his house on fire, he returned home.
? He, finding his house on fire, returned home.

'to find' is to be at the location of the find or the new awareness. If he found his house on fire, he's there at his house, watching the blaze. Why the need to return home if he's already home?

He returned home, and found the house on fire.

But that's not the meaning we want, now is it? We're looking for,

He returned home (only) to find the house on fire.

[blacknomi]

1- This suggests that the peace you found was not at home and prior to returning- everything was OK after the fight at work, say. Also, I'd put the 'finding' part at the beginning.

It's present participle functioning as background. Would you think so?

[blacknomi]

Try looking at it this way,

? Finding his house on fire, he returned home.
? He, finding his house on fire, returned home.

'to find' is to be at the location of the find or the new awareness. If he found his house on fire, he's there at his house, watching the blaze. Why the need to return home if he's already home?

He returned home, and found the house on fire.

But that's not the meaning we want, now is it? We're looking for,

He returned home (only) to find the house on fire.

Cassi, thanks for dropping by. How are you doing?

I understand what you said. "He returned home, finding his neighbor's house on fire." In this sentence, he did go back home but his house was just fine. Instead, he found his neighbor's house was on fire.

Does that sound fine?