Using comma with "nevertheless"

Question

I just finished reading that thread. I have some questions in my mind now.

1- As far as I understand by looking these examples, we don't really have to use comma or semicolon to connect two sentences when "nevertheless" is used. Am I right? (The examples are a,b,c)

a) He was very tired; nevertheless he went on walking.

b) She was very tired, nevertheless she kept on working.

c) We are going nevertheless we shall return.

Isn't using "nevertheless" to combine two independent clauses without comma and semicolon considered wrong?

I think we need to rephrase it "We are going; nevertheless, we shall return.

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2- That use kind of puzzled me. (d) " Nevertheless" was used like "however". But most examples don't use comma before or after "nevertheless" unless it was used at the beginning of a sentence. For example, in the "e", there is no comma.

d) What you said was true. It was, nevertheless, a little unkind.

e) The two rivals were nevertheless united by the freemasonry of the acting profession.

So can I use this version of "d":

What you said was true. It was nevertheless a little unkind.

Answer 1

I believe that examples a, b, and c should all use a semi colon. They could, after all, be recast as separate sentences. However, you will see such forms used with a comma or no punctuation at all rather often. Note that in each case "however" could be substituted for 'nevertheless" with little or no change of meaning.

In both examples d and e I would consider 'nevertheless a parenthetical expression, and use commas before and after it. And yes, here again "however" could be substituted for 'nevertheless" with little or no change of meaning.