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Rommel Posted 8 years ago
Grammar

Should I really put a comma after 'afterward,' 'nevertheless,' and the like, which begin a sentence? But I must NOT use a comma after 'then, 'next,' and the like, mustn't I?

Should I really put a comma after 'afterward,' 'nevertheless,' and the like, which begin a sentence? But I must NOT use a comma after 'then, 'next,' and the like, mustn't I? Does it make any difference whether or not I use a comma after these words?

Shiela sang Russian songs on stage. Afterward, she performed a pole dance at the quadrangle.
Shiela sang Russian songs on stage. Then/next she performed a pole dance at the quadrangle.

  

Top answer

Here's how I see it. Very broadly speaking, you can put a comma after such words if you want to give them a bit more emphasis. The comma in effect tells the reader to pause very briefly and think about what he has just read.

— Clive

  • Here's how I see it.
  • Very broadly speaking, you can put a comma after such words if you want to give them a bit more emphasis.
  • The comma in effect tells the reader to pause very briefly and think about what he has just read.
  • It also depends somewhat on the sentence, eg its length, eg its complexity, and I think also on the context, ie the other sentences.
  • The overall trend in modern English writing is to try to avoid having a lot of commas.
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2 Answers
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Here's how I see it.

Very broadly speaking, you can put a comma after such words if you want to give them a bit more emphasis. The comma in effect tells the reader to pause very briefly and think about what he has just read.

It also depends somewhat on the sentence, eg its length, eg its complexity, and I think also on the context, ie the other sentences.

The overall trend in

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RommelShould I really put a comma after 'afterward,' 'nevertheless,' and the like, which begin a sentence? But I must NOT use a comma after 'then, 'next,' and the like, mustn't I? Does it make any difference whether or not I use a comma after these words?

I'd say that those are good guidelines, but nobody's going to put you in "comma jail" if you don't foll

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