use of 'on' in participal phrase

Hi Alan,

May I have the explanation on the difference between the following sentences:

On reaching there, I found the hall empty.
Reaching there, I found the hall empty.

regards,

souba73

Hi Souba,

To start with I have to say that ‘reach there’ is a little vague because ‘reach’ would usually be used with something more definite than ‘there’. Nevertheless both sentences are grammatically sound. I think your first sentence:

has a better balance. The difference between the two is mainly that the first one is more precise as ‘on’ conveys the idea of ‘when’.

Hi Alan,

Thank you very much for your early reply. Can I write ‘Having reached there…’ in place of the above sentences.

Kindly explain me.

Regards,

Souba73

Yes.

Thanks a lot.

Souba