Conjunctive Adverb - Punctuation

Punctuation

The following rules are considered to be correct punctuation for conjunctive adverbs:

• Use a semicolon or period before the conjunctive adverb to separate two independent clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb. A conjunctive adverb is not strong enough to join two independent clauses without the aid of a semicolon. A comma may alternatively be used if a conjunction ("and", "but", etc.) appears between the first clause and the conjunctive adverb.
• Use a comma following the conjunctive adverb when it appears at the beginning of the second clause unless the adverb is one syllable.

Like other adverbs, conjunctive adverbs may move around in the clause (or sentence) in which they appear. When they appear at the end of the clause, they are preceded by a comma. If they appear in the middle of the clause, they are normally enclosed in commas, though this rule is not absolute and is not always applied to very short clauses.