The “Although” Problem

Fewer and fewer people seem to know how to use “although” correctly. I see writing like this all the time:

We’re making good progress on the new addition to our house. Although, the flooring is taking longer than we expected. WRONG

Although always introduces an extra idea. It’s not a substitute for however. If you write an although idea, make sure there’s a sentence to go with it:

Although the flooring is taking longer than we expected, we’re making good progress on the new addition to our house. CORRECT

Here are two other correct ways to do it:

We’re making good progress on the new addition to our house. However, the flooring is taking longer than we expected. CORRECT

We’re making good progress on the new addition to our house although the flooring is taking longer than we expected. CORRECT

And here are a few more examples. I’ve made these shorter and simpler, but they work the same way:

Although I enjoyed the movie, I don’t want to see it again. CORRECT

Barry still has plenty of energy although he worked the late shift last night. CORRECT

Notice:

  • It’s NEVER correct to put a comma after although.
  • An although idea is incomplete and always needs to be attached to a complete sentence.

Simple enough, right?

One more reminder: Don’t use although as a synonym for however. Take a look at this sentence:

The job offer is tempting. Although, I don’t want to leave New York. WRONG

Here are two ways to fix it:

The job offer is tempting although I don’t want to leave New York. CORRECT

The job offer is tempting. However, I don’t want to leave New York. CORRECT

Although many people make mistakes with although, you won’t have any problems from now on!

To learn more, click here and read about Comma Rule 1.

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