ViewTube

📢 Quick Update

Hi everyone!
Our recent episode on "Either Or & Neither Nor" had an audio issue — some of you pointed it out too. Thank you so much for letting us know!
We've fixed the problem and uploaded the corrected version. It will be live in the next 2 hours.
If you skipped the previous version because of the audio, we hope you'll give the new one a watch. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and really appreciate your patience and support.
Thank you for helping us improve our content. ❤️

HOWEVER, NEVERTHELESS & NONETHELESS PUNCTUATION GUIDE


📌 A viewer asked us a great question after our However, Nevertheless & Nonetheless episode — where exactly does the punctuation go?

Here is the complete visual guide. Save this post so you always have it.



HOWEVER — 4 POSITIONS, 4 PUNCTUATION RULES


✅ Position 1 — Start of a new sentence
(Most common. Most natural.)

The plan looked perfect. However, it failed.

→ Period before however.
→ Comma after however.
→ Two complete sentences.



✅ Position 2 — After a semicolon
(More formal. Keeps the two ideas closely connected.)

The plan looked perfect; however, it failed.

→ Semicolon before however.
→ Comma after however.
→ One sentence. Two independent clauses joined.


✅ Position 3 — Mid-sentence
(Both commas required. Remove however — the sentence still works.)

The plan, however, failed in practice.

→ Comma before however.
→ Comma after however.
→ Both are required. Never just one.



✅ Position 4 — End of sentence
(Reads as an afterthought. Uncommon but correct.)

The plan failed, however.

→ Comma before however.
→ Nothing after however.
→ Though sounds more natural here in everyday English.



⚠️ THE COMMA SPLICE — THE MOST COMMON MISTAKE

This is what goes wrong in professional emails every single day.

The plan was good, however, it failed. ❌

A comma before however can never join two complete sentences — even if you add a comma after it too.

How to fix it — two options:

Option 1 → Period before. Comma after.
The plan was good. However, it failed. ✅

Option 2 → Semicolon before. Comma after.
The plan was good; however, it failed. ✅



NEVERTHELESS & NONETHELESS — THE SAME RULES APPLY

Both words follow exactly the same punctuation pattern as however.

Most natural at the start of a new sentence:

The budget was cut. Nevertheless, we delivered on time. ✅
The data was incomplete. Nonetheless, the conclusions held. ✅

After a semicolon:

The budget was cut; nevertheless, we delivered on time. ✅
The data was incomplete; nonetheless, the conclusions held. ✅

Mid-sentence — possible but heavy. Use sparingly:

The team, nevertheless, delivered on time. ✅



THE QUICK REFERENCE SUMMARY

| Position | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Start of sentence | . (period) | , (comma) |
| After semicolon | ; (semicolon) | , (comma) |
| Mid-sentence | , (comma) | , (comma) |
| End of sentence | , (comma) | nothing |

⚠️ Comma splice = comma before however + no period or semicolon = always wrong.



Thank you to [@julyannlee7142](http://www.youtube.com/@julyannlee7142) for this question. This is exactly the kind of thing that deserves its own post — not just a reply in the comments.

If you have a question about any of our episodes — ask it. We read every comment. And sometimes your question becomes the next post.

🔔 If you are not subscribed yet — subscribe to Say It so you never miss an episode or a post like this one.

👋 Welcome to the Say It community!

This is where we talk English between episodes.
Quick questions. Common mistakes. Things you heard and didn't understand. This is the place.

To start — here's a question for you:

Which one sounds right to you?
🔵 "I'll meet you in the airport."
🟢 "I'll meet you at the airport."

Drop your answer below. 👇
(Our next episode is all about In, On & At — and this is one of the most common mistakes we hear.)