"He asked me why I did it and was dumbstruck for a second."
What I am trying to say is that he was dumbstruck for a second after asking me why I did this. But I see that there is a possibility of people interpreting this sentence as saying that why I did this and was dumbstruck for a second was the question he asked. So, is this a correct sentence and contains the meaning I am intending to have, or is it somehow just inevitably interpreted as the second meaning?
P.S.
Searching around, I found a possible solution to this. Putting a comma seemed to be a good idea.
"He asked me why I did it, and was dumbstruck for a second."
Now, does it mean what I make it mean?
Best Answer
The sentence might mean what you intended, but the usage is very strange. Ordinarily, a person is dumbstruck by a specific event, such as a revelation of information, and the reason for being dumbstruck is considered important enough to be mentioned immediately - probably in the same sentence.
Having asked you a question, one would expect that he would not speak until you answered his question, so silence on his part is expected. He might be dumbstruck by your answer, but not before you gave it. So I don't think that "dumbstruck" is an appropriate word under the circumstances.