However, nevertheless, and therefore are extremely useful words for criminal justice writing. A few simple rules will help you write sophisticated sentences correctly.

1. Using “However,” “Therefore,”
and “Nevertheless” Correctly
by Jean Reynolds, Ph.D.

2. Most criminal
justice careers
require a great
deal of writing.

3. Reports, emails, correspondence and
other writing tasks need to be
sophisticated…

4. …and grammatical.

5. The words
however,
nevertheless,
and therefore
are extremely
useful...

6. …if you know how to
use them correctly.

7. There are four
basic rules for
using however,
nevertheless,
and therefore
correctly.

8. 1. You can’t use these words to glue
sentences together.

9. English teachers call this error a
“comma splice,” “run-on,” or “fused
sentence.”

10. Now it’s correct. A period and capital
letter save the day!

11. Here are the sentences again. The first one is
wrong, and the second one is correct.

13. Reminder: Use a period (NOT A COMMA)
and a capital letter with however,
nevertheless, and therefore.

15. 2. Always put a
comma after
however,
nevertheless,
and therefore.
(Don’t put the
comma before
these words.)

16. Here are some examples. Notice the
commas.

17. 3. You can use a semicolon and lower-
case letter instead of a period and a
capital letter.

18. But you don’t have to use a semicolon! A
period is ALWAYS correct.

19. Here are two more sentences for you to
compare.

20. We’re almost
finished!
Let’s look at one
more way to use
however,
therefore, and
nevertheless.

21. You can “drop”
one of these words
into a sentence.
Use two commas
when you do this.

23. When you read the sentences aloud,
you can hear where the commas go.

24. Try it yourself!

25. You can learn more about criminal
justice writing at
www.YourPoliceWrite.com.

26. Everything there is free, and no
registration is needed:
www.YourPoliceWrite.com.

27. And if you’re
looking for a
low-cost,
practical book…

28. Criminal Justice
Report Writing is
available from
www.Amazon.com for
just $19.95.
View a free sample
online.

29. A discount price is
available for class sets
(minimum five books).
Send your request to
jreynoldswrite @
aol.com

30. An e-book edition is
available from
www.Smashwords.com
for only $9.99.

31. A free Instructor’s
Manual is available on
request: Send an e-
mail to jreynoldswrite
at aol.com.