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Which of the following sentences is more acceptable in the meaning "fortunately someone get into or was able to catch the next bus"?
- Fortunately I could get into the next bus.
- Fortunately I managed the next bus.
Are both sentences correct? If someone is asked to choose one between the two, which one should they choose?
A native speaker of English would be unlikely to say either. You might hear instead:
Fortunately, I was able to [or managed to] catch [or get] the next bus.
Both are grammatically correct, but as previously noted, neither is likely to be heard from native speakers of English. While sentence (1) is particularly unlikely, it certainly could occur in the conversation of some large person talking about a bus too small for them to fit into. A conscientiously-brief speaker might say (2), but either of “Fortunately I managed to catch the next bus” or “Fortunately I caught the next bus” is more likely.
The first is more correct. "Managed" is an odd usage in this situation. It might make a nice turn of phrase if it is prefaced by something like "I wasn't able to make the 830 bus because I overslept. Fortunately, I managed the next bus." Without context, "managed" could mean many things, most of which do not mean being a passenger on the bus.
In either case, it should be "Fortunately," since the word fortunately is the introduction to the sentence.
