Learn English – How to give two reasons in two sentences

phrase-requestword-choice

I would like to give reasons for a choice I made in two sentences. I want to have two sentences, because in my case the reasons are quite complicated to explain and it does not make sense to explain them in one sentence. Is "One the one hand … . On the other hand … ." a proper way to do this? Are there alternatives?

I think "One the one hand … . On the other hand … ." sounds as if those two would give something that contradicts.

Example

I went to the party for two reasons. On the one hand, I wanted to find new friends. On the other hand I did not want to stay at home.

Best Answer

Generally, the idiom on the other hand is used to mean two contradictory things or the facts that are opposite to each other. TheFreeDictionary mentions it.

something that you say when you are speaking about two different facts or two opposite ways of thinking about a situation

The example follows -

On the one hand, I'd like more money, but on the other hand, I'm not prepared to work the extra hours in order to get it.

You see -you want money but are not ready to work extra hours.

The two reasons you give here for your going to party are not quite opposite but they are two different (valid?) reasons. And thus, there are many ways to say that. One of them is -

"I went to the party for two reasons. First, I wanted to make new friends and second, I did not want to stay home."

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