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"I opened the door. Then, there was a friend standing outside."

I know how to make the sentence more natural but I was wondering if this particular sentence is grammatically alright.

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  • More usual and colloquial would be "When I opened the door a friend of mine was standing outside. This avoids the problem of the time mismatch indicated in jmrpink's answer because there is no indication of a sequence of occurrances. Using "then" introduces a sequence.
    – BoldBen
    Commented Jun 20, 2019 at 19:31

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Yes, it is grammatically correct because, technically, the tenses used in this sentence are correct. However, using "then" implies that the friend was standing outside only after you opened the door. Instead of using "then," try using "and."

See this already answered question relating to starting sentences with "then": Can I start a sentence with Then?

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