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I'm sure that I've heard (not read) someone use the word immediately in a sentence in the same way that we would use "when" or "as soon as", and I would like to know if this is correct?

Here's an example:

I will send that email immediately I get into the office.

You can see that this usage is a direct replacement for something such as "as soon as", which would also work:

I will send that email as soon as I get into the office.

Is this correct usage of the word? Not many people use it like that and I didn't have any success Googling for it...

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  • I think it looks like someone just left out a when
    – Håkan Lindqvist
    May 14, 2015 at 11:12
  • It might be technically legal, but is not common usage in the US. You might use "immediately" as an adverb between two sentences, though: "Frank, got out and went into the house. Immediately, Joe drove off."
    – Hot Licks
    May 14, 2015 at 12:13
  • Please see a good dictionary.
    – Kris
    May 14, 2015 at 13:30
  • Could someone educate me why/how "as soon as" is a "conjunction"?
    – Blessed Geek
    May 14, 2015 at 13:30
  • In the sentence "I will send that email immediately." the word immediately makes more sense since you are conveying the immediate action of sending the email. But in your sentence "as soon as" sounds better because it links better with "I get into the office"...What do you think about this angle?
    – acearch
    May 14, 2015 at 13:44

1 Answer 1

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According to the oxford dictionary, it's an acceptable use of the word:

immediately [conjunction] (chiefly British) As soon as: let me know immediately she arrives

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  • The operative words here are "chiefly British"
    – Tushar Raj
    May 14, 2015 at 12:21
  • Thanks Sylverdrag, I should probably have mentioned in the question that it would have been a British person that said it!
    – Richiban
    May 14, 2015 at 12:25

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