{"id":6140,"date":"2022-08-01T06:00:13","date_gmt":"2022-08-01T11:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/?p=6140"},"modified":"2022-07-29T13:47:11","modified_gmt":"2022-07-29T18:47:11","slug":"however-comma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/commas\/however-comma\/","title":{"rendered":"However<\/em> Comma: The Truth When It Comes to Punctuation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever found yourself wondering whether you need a comma before or after the word however<\/em>? If so, you aren’t alone. This is a minor point of grammar that is often questioned, debated, and searched. It can sometimes even be difficult to find a good answer online.<\/p>\n

We are going to fix that in this post. Let’s get to the bottom of whether however<\/em> and a comma go together always, never, or sometimes.<\/p>\n

When to Use a Comma With However<\/em><\/h2>\n

The word however<\/em> is a conjunction and a conjunctive adverb. This means that it signals a connection between two independent clauses in a sentence. It also can connect the ideas in two or more sentences or show relationships between ideas within a main clause. Similar examples would be the words consequently<\/em> and furthermore<\/em>.<\/p>\n

We would not use however <\/em>as a coordinating conjunction<\/a> separating two independent clauses. For example, the following would be incorrect:<\/p>\n

I generally dislike vegetables, however<\/u> I sometimes eat carrots.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Compare that with this correct usage of a coordinating conjunction:<\/p>\n

I generally dislike vegetables, but<\/u> I sometimes eat carrots.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Because however <\/em>is a conjunctive adverb, it can separate these same two independent clauses if it is preceded by a semicolon:<\/p>\n

I generally dislike vegetables; however,<\/u> I sometimes eat carrots.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We could also choose to separate the two independent clauses with a period. The word however<\/em> and a comma would then begin the second independent clause:<\/p>\n

I generally dislike vegetables. However<\/u>, I sometimes eat carrots.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In each instance, you can see how the word however <\/em>joins or bridges related thoughts or ideas.<\/p>\n

When However<\/em> Is Used to Insert a Break in Thought<\/h2>\n

Occasionally writers will use the word however<\/em> not to bridge ideas but to interrupt their own thoughts.<\/p>\n

Example<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I don’t think schools should encourage blind obedience to authority. My professor, however<\/u>, feels strongly that I should arrive at his class on time every week.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In this application, however <\/em>is still functioning as an adverb, but rather than join related thoughts or ideas, it acts as a parenthetical thought similar to on the other hand<\/em> and nevertheless<\/em>. In this case we would use a comma both before and after however<\/em>. When however <\/em>is used this way, you’ll note that it typically supports a thought or statement of contrast.<\/p>\n

So How Should I Use Commas With However<\/em>?<\/h2>\n

You can use a comma or commas with however<\/em> when:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • it bridges related thoughts separated by either a period or a semicolon.<\/li>\n
  • you are inserting however<\/em> in a parenthetical or contrasting context.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    While these guidelines might not address every instance or occasion of however <\/em>you encounter, they will certainly help you navigate common daily usage.<\/p>\n

    Did You Enjoy Our Post on However<\/em> and Commas?<\/h2>\n

    Visit us again soon for more great articles and tips (we post new content weekly). You can also ask a question about this topic or suggest a future one below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Have you ever found yourself wondering whether you need a comma before or after the word however? If so, you aren’t alone. This is a minor point of grammar that is often questioned, debated, and searched. It can sometimes even be difficult to find a good answer online. We are going to fix that in […]<\/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":[24,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adjectives-adverbs","category-commas"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6140"}],"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=6140"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6142,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6140\/revisions\/6142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}