0

Two Oxford dictionaries contradict each other (see below).

In your opinion, is it necessary to use a comma before though when it ends a sentence?

Oxford Dictionary of English

I was hunting for work. Jobs were scarce though.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary

He was able to write, though.

Laurel
  • 66,382
whippoorwill
  • 2,401

2 Answers2

1

When I started studying English, more years ago than I care to count, I was taught that, as an adverb at the end of a sentence, "though" should be preceded by a comma. That's the way I have always written it. A current search in mainstream dictionaries, however, shows that my teacher was only partially right. Most sources give examples of this adverb preceded or not by a comma.

From Merriam-Webster we have the following examples, with and without a comma.

  • "I know we didn't win, but I was happy with how we played, though."
  • "It's hard work. I enjoy it though."

I've tried to find what n-gram shows, but the moment you add a comma you make it impossible to find such data.

Centaurus
  • 50,047
  • There's no way to escape a comma, I suppose? Or perhaps ", though"? – Matt Gutting Jan 23 '15 at 15:57
  • @MattGutting In this particular case, you can escape the "comma" and it won't be wrong. I will continue using it, though. – Centaurus Jan 23 '15 at 16:07
  • The first M-W is rather iffy, pairing 'but' and 'though' tautologically. I'd say that the longer the independent clause before the final 'though', the nearer the inclusion of the comma approaches to being a requirement. With short independent clauses, it can merely be used if one prefers the sentence to be read with a pause there. You may want a pause for reflection on Thursday (I enjoy it, though), but prefer a brisker, uninterrupted reading on Monday. – Edwin Ashworth Jan 23 '15 at 16:38
1

Both ways are correct but isn't providing clarity of what is meant the main purpose of using commas? (See Adding Commas for Clarity) Omitting one before "though" at the end of a sentence does not change the meaning. That's one less character to type. So leave it out!

abajan
  • 11