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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

After all

Hi,

Do we need a comma before after all: He did not come. He had many things to do after all.

I know a comma is required when starting the sentence with after all, but do we need it when ending it?

kindly,
  

Top answer

Hi, He had many things to do after all. A comma just represents a place where you would pause if you spoke the sentence. So, the question is whether you would pause before saying 'after all' in this example.

— Clive

  • Hi, He had many things to do after all.
  • A comma just represents a place where you would pause if you spoke the sentence.
  • So, the question is whether you would pause before saying 'after all' in this example.
  • 'After all' commonly invites the speaker to think about what has been said, and then consider all the other aspects of the situation.
  • For this reason, I would say 'He had many things to do'.
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3 Answers
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Hi,

He had many things to do after all.

A comma just represents a place where you would pause if you spoke the sentence. So, the question is whether you would pause before saying 'after all' in this example.



'After all' commonly invites the speaker to think about what has been said, and then consider all the other aspects of the situation.

For this
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Thanks, Clive, I get what you're saying. But would a comma before after all look weird in very short sentences like mine? That's what I am wondering about. In longer sentences, a pause would be fine, even preferable, but I am quite unsure about very short lines.
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Hi,



No, it wouldn't look weird.

But if you omitted it, I wouldn't try to argue that is is essential.



Clive
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