- In a sentence, “though” can be a conjunction or an adverb. Let’s brush up on their functions in a sentence.
A conjunction is a word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause (e.g. and, but, if ).
An adverb is a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb or a word group, expressing a relation of place, time, circumstance, manner, cause, degree, etc. (e.g., gently, quite, then, there)
There are sentence adverbs as well. When an adverb modifies a clause or a complete sentence and not only a single word, we refer to it as a sentence adverb. The sentence adverb isn’t attached to a single adverb, adjective, or verb—it doesn’t need to be physically close to only one particular word—so it usually comes at the beginning of a sentence and is set off by a comma. That comma is a signal that the adverb modifies not the word that follows but the sentence or clause that follows.
Sentence adverbs are different from typical adverbs. They reflect the attitude, opinion, or judgment of the speaker—the author in nonfiction or the viewpoint character in fiction—toward the sentiment expressed in the sentence. This is the writer, speaker, or thinker revealing himself through a word choice. Consider these adverbs to be a single-word commentary.
The following adverbs aren’t modifying the verb or another modifier; they apply to the sentence as a whole:
- Incidentally, your father dropped by earlier.
- Frankly, I didn’t think he could do it.
- Sadly, Cinderella didn’t make it to the ball that year.
The adverbs below are modifying a single word. They reflect the certainty or official context.
- The father didn’t incidentally drop by.
- The first-person narrator didn’t think frankly.
- Cinderella didn’t make it to the ball sadly.
Sentence adverbs can go at the end of a sentence or clause rather than at the beginning. In the end position, they may come across as an afterthought or parenthetical. This use at the end of a clause may create a more informal feel to the sentence. In this case, we don’t separate them with commas.
- As an adverb “though” is used after adding a fact, opinion, or question which seems surprising after what you have just said, or which makes what you have just said seem less true.
Watch the video for more details about the adverb “though”.
Her words are happy. Look at her face though.
English is tough. (But) learning with Vanessa is easy though.
I hate onions, but this onion snack is pretty good though.
Learning online is great. My time is limited though.
I like my job. Waking up (early) is hard though.
I am going to marry him. I feel hesitant though.
That cake looks good, but its taste though.
I like Vanessa’s videos, but her facial expressions though.
That smile though.
- Exercise 1: Let’s try to explain why though is separated or not separated with a comma in the following sentences? Ask these questions for more clarity and then decide:
- Does “though” qualifies the whole sentence or a verb, an adjective, or another adverb?
- Is the situation official or not official?
- Does “though” reflect the attitude, opinion, or judgment of the speaker? Is the author sure or rather hesitant?
- Does “though” come across as an afterthought or parenthetical?
We DON’t separate though with a comma when the situation is casual (not official), reflects the attitude, opinion, or judgment of the speaker, and comes as an afterthought or parenthetical.
Two heart attacks in a year. It hasn’t stopped him smoking, though.
It sounds like a lot of fun. Isn’t it rather risky though?
George did say one nice thing, though.
I think she’s Swiss. I’m not sure though.
I knew it was a variety of good news, though.
She wasn’t in the least bit hungry though.
There is this terrible guilt, though.
I didn’t think he could do it, frankly.