I have this sentence:
Attended ABC college where I topped the English subject in 10th grade (only to later realize that my love for the language couldn’t end there).
Now after 15 years I realize the truth of the parenthesized statement, so how exactly should I state this? "Only to later realize" OR "Only later did I realize". I want to emphasize that period of time and hence prefer retaining the first usage of the phrase. Please correct me if I am grammatically incorrect.
"Only to later realize" is an instance of split infinitive.
It's grammatically correct, even though some folks will frown on that construction, which they consider as inelegant.
And so, a more largely accepted phrasing would be to say "only to realize later" instead.
That being said, an equally correct construction pushing more emphasis on the period of time is:
Attended ABC college where I topped the English subject in 10th grade, and realized only later that my love for the language couldn’t end there.
