whereupon / what prompted
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whereupon
As a consequence of or immediate reaction to something mentioned previously; afterward and as a result.
Er verlor den Schlüssel, woraufhin er die Tür aufbrechen musste.
He lost the key, whereupon he had to break down the door.
what prompted
In response to which thing, reason, or occasion; asks what caused or prompted an action.
Woraufhin hast du deine Meinung geändert?
What prompted you to change your mind?
'Woraufhin' (whereupon) normally refers to the entire event described previously. You therefore do not have to look for a single noun that the word refers to.
Die Kundin beschwerte sich über die lange Wartezeit, woraufhin der Mitarbeiter eine zweite Kasse öffnete.
The customer complained about the long wait, whereupon the employee opened a second checkout.
When 'woraufhin' (whereupon) connects a consequence to the previous sentence, it introduces a subordinate clause. A comma comes before it, and the conjugated verb comes at the end of this subordinate clause.
Plötzlich fiel der Strom aus, woraufhin wir die Arbeit unterbrechen mussten.
Suddenly the power went out, whereupon we had to stop working.
As a question word, 'woraufhin' (what prompted this) comes before the conjugated verb in direct questions. In indirect questions, it introduces a subordinate clause in which the conjugated verb comes at the end.
Woraufhin wurde die Untersuchung eingeleitet?
What prompted the investigation?
Ich möchte wissen, woraufhin die Untersuchung eingeleitet wurde.
I would like to know what prompted the investigation.
