I finally arrived home after having driven all day.
Should a comma come before "after"?
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The comma isn't required but may be inserted to imply a pause.– Hot LicksCommented Jun 21, 2020 at 1:26
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It depends on whether you want after to refer to “driving all day” or to some unspecified event.– LawrenceCommented Jun 21, 2020 at 5:30
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2 Answers
I finally arrived home, after having driven all day.
A comma before after does seem to put more emphasis on I finally arrived home as the main message of the sentence. Placed after the comma, after having driven all day becomes an aside, a detail to the main emphasis.
I finally arrived home after having driven all day.
Without the comma, after having driven all day is integrated in the main message of the sentence, it has the same importance as I finally arrived home.
The example you have supplied is grammatically correct as you have written it. Your question is somewhat vague because the word after could be used in numerous contexts. The grammatical context is what will determine if a comma is necessary rather than the word itself. The most likely usage of 'after,' in a prepositional phrase, would not require a comma. However, I imagine there are scenarios where a grammatically correct sentence can be constructed with a comma preceding the word.
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2And sometimes you insert a comma just to indicate that you would likely pause briefly when speaking the sentence.– BarmarCommented May 21, 2020 at 22:17