Academic writing is always a challenge, even for experienced researchers and scholars. One reason for this is that much academic writing is performed in English, the global language.<\/p>\n

Because English is the global language, there are variations all over the world, and conventions on what is \u201cright\u201d and what is \u201cwrong\u201d can vary depending on country, institution, journal, preferred writing or citation style, and other such factors.<\/p>\n

Like all languages, phrasing that was considered \u201cwrong\u201d in the past can become \u201cright\u201d over time if enough people use it repeatedly. At the same time, language considered \u201cright\u201d in the past can become less commonly used and eventually sound \u201cwrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

One such example of this is the use of the word \u201cthen.\u201d Is it a connecting word, or does it only tell us the order in which something happened? Is it formal enough to use \u201cthen\u201d or should we use \u201cand then\u201d in academic writing? Are there some situations where one is preferable to the other? Let\u2019s take a look.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Table of Content:<\/span><\/h4>\n
\n
What does \u201cThen\u201d Mean, Anyway?<\/a><\/li>\n
\u201cThen\u201d vs. \u201cAnd Then\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n
Quiz: Should You Use \u201cThen\u201d or \u201cAnd Then\u201d?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
<\/span>What does \u201cThen\u201d Mean, Anyway?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\nWhile this may seem like a simple question, the answer, in fact, is more complicated than you think. First of all, the word \u201cthen\u201d is an adverb<\/a>. An adverb is a word that modifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb to express the extent or degree of something. An adverb can also communicate place or time. When used as an adverb, \u201cthen\u201d can have multiple meanings, including:<\/p>\n
\n
In addition<\/li>\n
Next<\/li>\n
In that case<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Let\u2019s look at a few examples of \u201cthen\u201d with each of the meanings above.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen\u201d meaning \u201cin addition\u201d:<\/p>\n
I have to finish writing this blog tonight, then<\/u> I have to translate the article on COVID-19-related exercise intolerance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen\u201d meaning \u201cnext\u201d:<\/p>\n
First the clouds began to gather, then it started to rain.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen\u201d meaning \u201cin that case\u201d:<\/p>\n
If the cafe doesn\u2019t have soy milk, then<\/u> just get me a black coffee.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen\u201d can also be used as a noun, meaning \u201cat that time\u201d:<\/p>\n
The murder happened at 3pm on Tuesday, June 7. Where were you then<\/u>?<\/p>\n
<\/span>\u00a0\u201cThen\u201d vs. \u201cAnd Then\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Let\u2019s consider the following sentence.<\/p>\n
I dosed the rats with linagliptin, then<\/u> noted their A1-C levels in the chart.<\/p>\n
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\n
<\/li>\n
\n
<\/span>Upgrade your writing skills<\/span><\/h3>\n
Trinka helps you write confidently<\/li>\n
Write with Trinka<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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In this case, \u201cthen\u201d is used to mean \u201cnext\u201d or \u201cafter that.\u201d Instead of an adverb or noun, \u201cthen\u201d is being used as in place of a coordinating conjunction. A coordinating conjunction is a word that connects two ideas or phrases of equal status. The words \u201cand,\u201d \u201cbut,\u201d and \u201cor\u201d are all examples of coordinating conjunctions that we are familiar with.<\/p>\n
You have probably seen the word \u201cthen\u201d used in this way rather frequently. For example:<\/p>\n
\u201cPatients were given the drug ozempic for three weeks, then<\/u> weighed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst melt butter in a pan, then<\/u> add garlic and onions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe article was edited, then<\/u> published.\u201d<\/p>\n
In fact, all of these uses of \u201cthen\u201d can be considered technically incorrect<\/a>, since \u201cthen\u201d is not actually a coordinating conjunction. While its use as a coordinating conjunction has become common, \u00a0the addition of \u201cand\u201d to all of these sentences will make them clearer and sound more natural to some native English speakers.<\/p>\n
\u201cPatients were given the drug ozempic for three weeks, and then<\/u> weighed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst melt butter in a pan, and then<\/u> add garlic and onions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe article was edited, and then<\/u> published.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you are writing an academic article and would like to achieve maximum clarity and accuracy in your writing, this editor advises you to use \u201cand then\u201d instead of \u201cthen\u201d to mean \u201cnext\u201d or \u201cafter that.\u201d However, if you are using \u201cthen\u201d as an adverb or noun, there is no need to include \u201cand,\u201d although you can if you wish.<\/p>\n
One important thing to note is that there is a comma preceding the word \u201cthen\u201d in all of the examples above. While it is true that you can use \u201cthen\u201d or \u201cand then\u201d in the examples above, if you do not include the comma, you must use \u201cand<\/strong>.\u201d For example:<\/p>\n
CORRECT: \u201cThe article was edited, and then<\/u> published.\u201d<\/p>\n
CORRECT: \u201cThe article was edited, then<\/u> published.\u201d<\/p>\n
INCORRECT: \u201cThe article was edited then<\/u> published.\u201d<\/p>\n
CORRECT: \u201cThe article was edited and then<\/u> published.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/span>Quiz: Should You Use \u201cThen\u201d or \u201cAnd Then\u201d?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Still not sure when to use \u201cthen\u201d and when to use \u201cand then\u201d? Take our practice quiz below to practice identifying when to use \u201cthen\u201d and when to add \u201cand.\u201d The answers are given below.<\/p>\n
\n
The car was washed then dried and polished.<\/li>\n
If you\u2019re going to the concert later, I\u2019ll see you then.<\/li>\n
If patients are unresponsive to linagliptin, then try metformin.<\/li>\n
When writing an academic article, you need to check for typos then proofread<\/a>.<\/li>\n
The conference happened last week, but I wasn\u2019t available to attend then.<\/li>\n
If inflation increases, then central banks raise interest rates.<\/li>\n
If you fail your thesis defense then you will be expelled from university.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Did you figure it out? Check your answers below.<\/p>\n
\n
The car was washed, and <\/strong>then dried and polished.<\/li>\n
No change is needed in this sentence.<\/li>\n
No change is needed in this sentence.<\/li>\n
When writing an academic article, you need to check for typos, and <\/strong>then proofread.<\/li>\n
No change is needed in this sentence.<\/li>\n
No change is needed in this sentence.<\/li>\n
No change is needed in this sentence, although a comma can be added before \u201cthen\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Remember, the goal of all writing, especially academic writing, is to convey your ideas in a clear and concise way. It is better to err on the side of clarity and write \u201cand then\u201d when \u201cthen\u201d means \u201cnext\u201d or \u201cafter that.\u201d<\/p>\n
While you can just write \u201cthen,\u201d you must include a comma between the preceding word and \u201cthen.\u201d When in doubt, you can always consult an online spelling or grammar checker<\/a> like Trinka, which will check your academic writing to make sure it is clear and error-free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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<\/span>\u00a0\u201cThen\u201d vs. \u201cAnd Then\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\nLet\u2019s consider the following sentence.<\/p>\nI dosed the rats with linagliptin, then<\/u> noted their A1-C levels in the chart.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/li>\n