{"id":12178,"date":"2021-04-19T15:40:38","date_gmt":"2021-04-19T15:40:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/?p=12178"},"modified":"2023-04-11T00:18:06","modified_gmt":"2023-04-11T00:18:06","slug":"comma-after-perhaps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-after-perhaps\/","title":{"rendered":"Comma after &#8220;perhaps&#8221;: The Ultimate Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>img#mv-trellis-img-1::before{padding-top:150%; }img#mv-trellis-img-1{display:block;}<\/style><p>One tricky part of learning about <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-rules\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">comma rules<\/a> <\/strong>in English is that there are some situations in which a sentence looks like it should follow a regular rule that you have learned, but for some reason, there is an exception.&lt;<\/p>\n<p>Other times, it is because there is not a strict rule and the comma is optional.<\/p>\n<p>Both of these things are often true with the word &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; and commas.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"text-content\"><strong>Do you need a comma after &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo;?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"text-content\"><strong>You rarely need a comma after &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; in a sentence. At the beginning of a sentence, you only need a comma if &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; is the answer to a yes or no question and you are going on to explain your reply in the rest of the sentence. Otherwise, you do not need a comma unless you want to emphasize a pause. In the middle of a sentence, you usually do not need a comma after &ldquo;perhaps.&rdquo; The only exceptions are if you want to set it apart for emphasis. You would also use it in situations that would require a comma after most words: when it comes at the end of a nonessential element or part of a list.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-content\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>&ldquo;Perhaps&rdquo; at the beginning of a sentence<\/h2>\n<p>You might assume that &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; should have a comma after it at the beginning of a sentence because it is an introductory word. However, &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; is an exception to this rule.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-content\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/indigenous-in-a-sentence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Let&rsquo;s take a look at a sentence<\/a><\/strong> that starts with &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo;:<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-content\"><\/p><div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#e5e54c;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#FFFF66;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\">Perhaps Emma is not feeling well today.<\/div><\/div>\n<p>You don&rsquo;t need a comma after &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; in this sentence unless you want to indicate that there is a slight pause for some reason after saying the word.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-content\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-or-after-in-fact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">In fact<\/a><\/strong>, a comma after &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; could change the meaning of the sentence.<\/p>\n<p>Here&rsquo;s an example:<br>\n<\/p><div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#e5e54c;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#FFFF66;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\">\n<p>&ldquo;Will Emma be joining us on the tour?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Perhaps, she is not feeling well today.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-content\">Notice that in the first use of &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; with no comma, the speaker is wondering how Emma is feeling and thinking that maybe she does not feel well, but the speaker does not know.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-or-after-however\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">However<\/a><\/strong>, when it is a response to a yes\/no question, separating &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; with a comma means that the speaker knows that Emma is definitely not feeling well today.<\/p>\n<p>In the first sentence using &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; with no comma, the &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; refers to not knowing how Emma is feeling. In the second sentence, &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; refers to not knowing whether Emma will be joining them.<\/p>\n<p>One other thing you should make note of is that the comma after &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; in the second example is <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/see-you-then\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an informal way of writing<\/a><\/strong> this sentence.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/thank-you-business\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">In more formal writing<\/a><\/strong>, in order to avoid a comma splice or sentence fragment, that reply should really be two separate sentences: &ldquo;Perhaps she won&rsquo;t. She is not feeling well today.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>However, it is important to be familiar with the common and informal way of writing and speaking!<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-12185 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin.jpeg\" alt=\"Comma after perhaps Pin\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-200x300.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-683x1024.jpeg 683w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-735x1103.jpeg 735w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-223x335.jpeg 223w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-231x347.jpeg 231w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-347x520.jpeg 347w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-427x640.jpeg 427w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-512x768.jpeg 512w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-640x960.jpeg 640w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-720x1080.jpeg 720w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin.jpeg\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-12185 size-full eager-load\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201000%201500'%3E%3Crect%20width='1000'%20height='1500'%20style='fill:%23e3e3e3'\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"Comma after perhaps Pin\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1500\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin.jpeg\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-1\" data-src=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin.jpeg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-200x300.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-683x1024.jpeg 683w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-735x1103.jpeg 735w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-223x335.jpeg 223w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-231x347.jpeg 231w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-347x520.jpeg 347w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-427x640.jpeg 427w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-512x768.jpeg 512w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-640x960.jpeg 640w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comma-after-perhaps-Pin-720x1080.jpeg 720w\" data-svg=\"1\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"text-content\"><strong>&ldquo;Perhaps&rdquo; in the middle of a sentence<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"text-content\">Usually, you would not use a comma after &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; in the middle of a sentence.<\/p>\n<p>Here&rsquo;s an example:<\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#e5e54c;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#FFFF66;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\">They are perhaps a little too eager to convince us that they won&rsquo;t damage the car.<\/div><\/div>\n<p>As is the case with &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; at the beginning of a sentence, you would only use a comma around &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; in the middle of a sentence if you needed to emphasize it for some reason.<\/p>\n<p>Here&rsquo;s an example:<\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#e5e54c;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#FFFF66;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\">\nMany people have suggested that, perhaps, you are lying to us. <\/div><\/div>\n<p>In this sentence, setting &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; apart with the commas makes it sound a little more sinister and serious.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Perhaps&rdquo; might also be <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-or-after-yet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">set apart with commas<\/a><\/strong> in the middle of a sentence for humorous effect.<\/p>\n<p>Here&rsquo;s an example:<\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#e5e54c;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#FFFF66;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\">\nWe have a cooler full of food, a GPS tracking device, several towels, extra chargers for our phones, four beach chairs, a football and six <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/20-things-that-come-in-pairs\/\" title=\"pairs\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">pairs<\/a> of sandals. We are, perhaps, overprepared for an afternoon on the beach. <\/div><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-content\">In this passage, it is clear that they are <i>definitely<\/i> overprepared for an afternoon on the beach!<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-content\">Both the word &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; and the extra emphasis of a pause around it indicates that the speaker is well aware that they are ridiculously overprepared.<\/p>\n<h2>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h2>Comma after &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; at the end of a nonessential clause<\/h2>\n<p>In other sentence structures, the same rule for a comma after &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; applies as it would for any other word.<\/p>\n<p>If &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; comes at the end of a nonessential element in a sentence, it should be followed by a comma.<\/p>\n<p>A nonessential element is a part of the sentence that could be removed without changing its meaning.<\/p>\n<p>Here&rsquo;s an example:<\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#e5e54c;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#FFFF66;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\">She was talking to some people, her neighbors perhaps, when we drove up.<\/div><\/div>\n<p>If &ldquo;perhaps&rdquo; is part of a list, it should be followed by a comma:<\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#e5e54c;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#FFFF66;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\">Whether they said perhaps, definitely or maybe, I&rsquo;m not letting you go with them.<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One tricky part of learning about comma rules in English is that there are some situations in which a sentence looks like it should follow a regular rule that you have learned, but for some reason, there is an exception.&lt; Other times, it is because there is not a strict rule and the comma is &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12184,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable-in-feed":false,"article-schema-type":"Article","disable-critical-css":false,"_convertkit_action_broadcast_export":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,1119,1116],"tags":[80,513],"class_list":["post-12178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english","category-comma-rules","category-grammar","tag-comma","tag-comma-after-perhaps"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12178"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24774,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12178\/revisions\/24774"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}