Then And The Sentence

Question

I've been struggling with an independent clause question:

I always run at night, and then I go see my nephew.

Would a comma go before "and"? I wasn't sure if "then I go see my nephew" would be considered an independent clause. I know "then" is an adverb, but I'm not sure if I can start a sentence with it.

You don't need the comma. – Edwin Ashworth Oct 06 '15 at 23:09 — Edwin Ashworth, Oct 06 '15 at 23:09

Grault · Answer 1 · 2015-10-06T23:13:13.190

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Yes, or you can omit the subject in the second clause:

I always run at night and then go see my nephew.

Also, the rule of thumb is that a comma is a pause is a comma, so if you pause there you should probably put a comma to indicate it.

Looking then up in Merriam-Webster, I didn't see anything I could cite, but their Learner's Dictionary gives some example sentences starting with it.

edited Oct 06 '15 at 23:13

answered Oct 06 '15 at 21:28

Grault

181

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You've changed the sentence by omitting the 'then'. – Edwin Ashworth Oct 06 '15 at 23:07
@EdwinAshworth Yes, I wasn't sure how to write that while staying on-topic. A second look reveals a flaw in my thinking, however; edited. – Grault Oct 06 '15 at 23:12

Then And The Sentence

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