You need to focus on comma rules when you want to master your writing skills. Knowing how to correctly write commas before or after “now” is a great skill to have, and this article will explore how to do it with you.
Should I Place A Comma Before Or After “Now”?
You should place a comma before now when it’s the first word of a new clause, but it doesn’t start a new sentence. You should place a comma after “now” when it’s the first word of a new clause, but it doesn’t refer to a time frame (in this way, it acts as a conjunction).
Punctuation rules are similar throughout English. Once you know a few, you’ll typically be able to tackle them all. While the rules to punctuate “now” seem confusing at first, when you give them enough time and practice, you’ll realize that it’s not all that bad.
When Should I Place A Comma After “Now”?
Let’s start with the much more common way to use punctuation with “now.”
When used as a conjunction, “now” doesn’t typically refer to a moment in time. You don’t expect something to happen immediately. Instead, it’s used as a way for someone to steal your attention and make you aware that the current talking point is very important.
You should place a comma after now when it acts as a conjunction. It should relate to the rest of the written piece in some way or have a direct connection to the previous sentence.
We use it mostly to grab attention. “Now” is a call-to-action, and it keeps many people engaged with your writing when they’re reading it.
Here’s what we mean:
- Now, we have seen everything we need to discuss.
- Now, you must understand that there’s more to this than you realize.
- Historically, there was a lot of danger and damage done to international affairs. Now, it’s much easier for countries to get along.
- We haven’t had much luck in the past. Now, we’re more than ready to tackle anything that comes our way.
- You haven’t been there for me much. Now, you seem to want to come back into my life.
“Now” works well as a conjunctive word. We use it to connect two sentences or to draw attention to a new subject that might be related to the overall piece of writing.
In any case, we include a comma after “now.” A simple test you can do to see whether “now” needs a comma after it is to remove it from the sentence. If it still makes sense, then you know that “now” should have a comma after it.
When Should I Place A Comma Before “Now”?
It’s less common to see a comma before “now,” but that doesn’t mean we don’t see it.
You should place a comma before “now” when it’s part of a secondary clause in a sentence. Generally, it starts a new clause, but that clause is still part of the previous sentence, meaning that “now” comes somewhere in the middle of the sentence.
As we’ve stated, this isn’t a common occurrence. Most people prefer to place a period before “now” over a comma to turn it into a new sentence. Still, the objective is the same, and we can write it in a very similar vein.
- I don’t have anything more to show you, now that I’ve covered everything in the tour.
- This isn’t the time for games, now is the time for action.
- We can’t figure out what’s wrong with the motor, now it’s just whirring and making horrible noises.
- You shouldn’t have come here, now that I’ve got everything I need to take you down.
- We needed all of this, now that we have a job to attend to.
These sentences are grammatically correct, but that doesn’t mean they’re common practice. In fact, if we take example 1, it’s more common to write it the other way around:
- Now that I’ve covered everything in the tour, I don’t have anything more to show you.
You can write it in whichever way you think suits you best, but we recommend starting the sentence with “now” in most cases.
When Can You Use “Now” Without A Comma?
There are also plenty of times where “now” requires no commas. It’s probably more likely that we need no commas than it is that we do need them, so you might want to pay attention here!
“Now” doesn’t need a comma when it’s talking about the specific present time period or when it introduces a new sentence that relates to the present. Typical sentence starters like “now it” and “now that” require no punctuation because they’re time-related.
To show you what we mean by this, we can demonstrate the times where “now” is commaless.
- Now that I’ve seen everything I need to see, you are free to go and do what you want.
- I don’t have anywhere to go now.
- Now is not the time for fun or games, you bumbling idiot!
- You should have been there then, but I’m glad you’re here now.
- What can I do for you now?
We can use “now” without commas only when talking about a time period. It’s most common to use “now” in this way, which is why you’re more likely not to have to worry about “now” and the comma rules.
It’s only when “now” is a conjunction that it requires any punctuation.
What Does “Now” Mean?
Now that we’ve covered everything you need to know about “now,” it’s time to check out its meaning. Also, we thought it would be good to start the last sentence with “now,” just as a bonus example to all the avid readers out there!
“Now” means that something is happening currently or immediately. We use it to refer to present happenings and to show people that it might be relevant to capture their attention right away if something is happening in the present.
The definition of “now,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “at the present time, not in the past or future” or “immediately.”
The present is the only time where “now” works. The past and future are irrelevant here, which shows the urgency of the word and how we might choose to use it.
Can You Start A Sentence With “Now”?
Starting a sentence with now is something that we can do. We have also mentioned it previously, as it’s one of the most common times to place a comma after “now.” You don’t always need a comma for it, though.
You may start a sentence with “now” when you want to introduce a new idea. Generally, the idea relates in some way to something mentioned previously, but “now” emphasizes that it’s the most important thing to talk about at this current time.
The comma comes after “now” at the start of a sentence when it introduces a new idea or concept.
- Now, it’s time to talk about our arrangement a little more.
- Now, you came here looking for a promise, and I’m ready to give it to you.
- Now, what would you like to talk about?
We don’t always need a comma, though. If “now” simply sets up a time frame that means “immediately” or “at present,” we can avoid using the comma entirely. It’s most common for words like “is” or “that” to follow “now” in this case.
- Now is the time to panic because you’re not getting any younger.
- Now is when you should start to wonder why I’m here.
- Now that I’ve got your attention, it’s time to discuss matters.
Can You End A Sentence With “Now”?
You may end a sentence with “now” when you want to ask about something that’s happening at present. There are no rules that tell you where you should or should not place “now” in a sentence. Therefore, it works as well at the end as it does at the beginning.
Generally, you’ll only see “now” at the end of a sentence in question form. It’s not a common word to place at the end of a statement, as we usually include it at the beginning or in the middle.
- What could this be now?
- What do you want to talk about now?
Certain sentences and statements might work with “now” at the end if you want to talk about tasks that might need doing.
- There isn’t anything to do now.
- I have so much to do now.
Can You Use “Now” In The Middle Of A Sentence?
You may also use “now” in the middle of a sentence. Generally, we use it as a conjunction in the middle of a sentence or as a way to end the first clause in the sentence (provided that a comma follows it after).
These are the most common ways we might see “now” in the middle of a sentence.
- What can we do now that we’ve seen it all?
- I have to say, now that you’re my friend, I wouldn’t want to lose you for anything.
- We haven’t got time now, so make sure you pack up quickly.