thereafter
thereafter — adverb
1. at a later time than a moment or event that has just been referred to — used in
at a later time than a moment or event that has just been referred to — used in formal or official writing to link an earlier situation to what followed it.
Kian graduated in 2020 and worked as a lab assistant for two years thereafter.
[clause], and [clause] thereafter — linking two events in sequence
The company closed its factory in 2018, and sales fell sharply thereafter.
adverb of time following a specific event (factory closure)
Aarav moved to Tokyo for work, and his Japanese improved rapidly thereafter.
The storm damaged the roof, and the building was declared unsafe shortly thereafter.
Dahlia was promoted to manager and, six months thereafter, transferred to the London office.
- afterwards
neutral register; common in both speech and writing, while 'thereafter' is more formal
- subsequently
equally formal but emphasises logical consequence rather than just time order
- later
simpler and less specific; can refer to any time after the present or a past point
- then
the most common and neutral connector; suitable for all registers
- beforehand
means 'before that time' rather than after
- previously
refers to a time earlier than the point being discussed
文法句型
[clause], and [clause] thereafter
[clause]; thereafter [clause]
[time phrase] thereafter
用法筆記
Frequently occurs with time modifiers such as 'soon', 'shortly', 'immediately', or a specific time span ('two years', 'six months'). Unlike 'afterwards', which is neutral in register, 'thereafter' carries a formal or legal tone and is rare in everyday conversation.