{"id":5756,"date":"2022-01-24T06:00:20","date_gmt":"2022-01-24T12:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/?p=5756"},"modified":"2022-01-19T10:14:37","modified_gmt":"2022-01-19T16:14:37","slug":"comma-after-hello","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/commas\/comma-after-hello\/","title":{"rendered":"Should You Use a Comma After Hello<\/em>?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Suppose you\u2019re writing an email or a letter. Should you use a comma after the word Hello<\/em>, or is another treatment more fitting? We\u2019ll help you arrive at the answer.<\/p>\n

Why or Why Not to Use a Comma After Hello<\/em><\/h2>\n

Confusion can surround this matter of style, and guiding answers might not always be clear. That\u2019s because proper usage depends on your perspective and your philosophy of grammar (there really is such a thing).<\/p>\n

To elaborate, let\u2019s begin with the fact that a greeting such as Hi<\/em> or Hello<\/em> is technically considered a direct address. A direct address would normally be followed by a comma, just as if you were to use the other person\u2019s first name or title (e.g., Mr. Clinkenshire, please pass the gravy.<\/em>).<\/p>\n

On that note, each of the following would technically be correct as the opening to a letter:<\/p>\n

Hello,<\/em><\/p>\n

Hi,<\/em><\/p>\n

Janice,<\/em><\/p>\n

President Snow,<\/em><\/p>\n

Mr. Clinkenshire,<\/em><\/p>\n

Dr. Duvalier,<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That would seem to clarify things, if not for two caveats. The first is that many people will use the word Hello<\/em> followed by the name itself:<\/p>\n

Hello, Janice,<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Although this compound form of address would technically be correct, some may find it awkward.<\/p>\n

The second issue is that greetings such as Hi<\/em> and Hello<\/em> are informal, so you don\u2019t necessarily need to follow strict grammatical rules. You shouldn\u2019t fully disregard the rules, of course, but certain fine points can occasionally be secondary as long as you are clear and understood.<\/p>\n

So Where Does That Leave Us With a Comma After Hello<\/em>?<\/h2>\n

The best way to treat an opening such as Hi <\/em>or Hello<\/em> is to either:<\/p>\n

1. use a comma if the word is on its own, or<\/p>\n

2. add a comma after<\/em> the name or title if you are including that.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Any of the following would therefore be acceptable:<\/p>\n

Hello,<\/em><\/p>\n

Hello Dr. Duvalier,<\/em><\/p>\n

Hi,<\/em><\/p>\n

Hi Janice,<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While some editors and other arbiters of style might debate whether these are optimal applications, the treatments correspond with current conventions and expectations. More important, they are easy to read and understand.<\/p>\n

One might even argue that the informal Hi <\/em>doesn\u2019t need a comma at all, particularly if the salutation isn\u2019t being used in a letter. If you\u2019re simply sending a quick text message, for example, feel free to omit the punctuation.<\/p>\n

Need More Grammar Answers?<\/h2>\n

Learning grammar can be useful, fun, and interesting if you have the right mindset and the right content. We\u2019re always adding new articles and updates, so continue to visit us as you maintain your mission to be a precise and eloquent writer and speaker. You can also leave us a comment about the current topic below. We always welcome hearing from you!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Suppose you\u2019re writing an email or a letter. Should you use a comma after the word Hello, or is another treatment more fitting? We\u2019ll help you arrive at the answer. Why or Why Not to Use a Comma After Hello Confusion can surround this matter of style, and guiding answers might not always be clear. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commas"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5756"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5756"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5756\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5759,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5756\/revisions\/5759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}