𝔸 man entered the emergency room with his two ears smouldering.
"What happened?" asked the doctor.
"Well," the man explained, "my wife was ironing some clothes, just behind my armchair while I was watching the telly. She put down the iron next to the phone and when the phone rang I answered the iron."
"Wow, that's terrible," responded the doctor; what happened to your other ear?"
"Well," the guy with the smouldering ears responded, "Immediately afterwards, the phone rang again!"
"After" and "afterward" (also "afterwards") are used differently. Tell yourself that after "after," you usually need something, to satisfy the hanging question "after what?" Do not say "I went to the movies and after I went home." Say, instead, "I went to the movies and afterward I went home." In French the word "après" can be used in both situations.
"After" can also be an adverb, which is a word or phrase that provides greater description to a verb, an adjective or to another adverb, as in this example: She can't go next week, but can go the week after. Here there's no need to follow it with something. We know "after when."
And the word can also be used as a conjunction, which simply means that it joins together two ideas into one sentence. For example: The children went to bed immediately after you started watching the telly. There are two clear ideas: The children went to bed + You started watching the telly. Collins offers the same explanation in a slightly different way.
- I went to the movies and afterward I went home.
- After the film I went home.
- She was very happy afterwards.
- After her business degree she was very happy.
- I went to the movies and afterward I went home.
- After the film I went home.
- We had a big laugh about it afterwards.
- After his joke we had a big laugh.
- Please stay afterward, so we may talk.
- Please stay after the party, so we may talk.
"After" can also be an adverb, which is a word or phrase that provides greater description to a verb, an adjective or to another adverb, as in this example: She can't go next week, but can go the week after. Here there's no need to follow it with something. We know "after when."
And the word can also be used as a conjunction, which simply means that it joins together two ideas into one sentence. For example: The children went to bed immediately after you started watching the telly. There are two clear ideas: The children went to bed + You started watching the telly. Collins offers the same explanation in a slightly different way.
| After | Afterward(s) | French |
|---|---|---|
| We have basketball practice after school. | We go to school. Afterward, we can practise. | Nous avons un entraînement de cricket après l'école. Nous allons à l'école. Après, on a un entrainement de cricket. |
| He got here at 6 am, and you arrived soon after. | He got here at 6 am, and afterward you arrived. | Il est arrivé à 6 heures du matin, et vous êtes arrivé peu après. Il est arrivé à 6 heures du matin, et ensuite, vous êtes arrivé. |
| Don’t tell them until after they have lunched. | Let them lunch; afterward, tell them | Ne leur dites pas avant qu'ils aient déjeuné. Laissez-les déjeuner; ensuite, dites-leur |
| I left the office after making a few calls. | I made a few calls, then left the office. | J'ai quitté le bureau après avoir passé quelques appels. J'ai passé quelques appels. Puis j'ai quitté le bureau. |
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