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I just had them doing stretch routines, and after, they got really good at it.

We usually see "after" being preceeded or followed by something. For instance "2 hours after something".

This is the first time I see it being used on its own and it seems to have the meaning "some time later".

Is it correct to use "after" like this without putting any duration before or after it?

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  • 2
    Use afterwards instead.
    – Billy Kerr
    Feb 4 at 21:48
  • 2
    after that OR afterwards
    – Lambie
    Feb 4 at 23:26

2 Answers 2

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"After" implies a sequence in time, space, or an abstract space such as priority, but not necessarily a particular duration of time.

It can be an adverb, a preposition, or a conjunction, but there is an implied sequence. See the definition, with examples:

Merriam-Webster after

After all, it has a lot of different uses, but usually the same sense.

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"After" can also be used as an adverb not adding a noun after it in a phrase.

For example, "Dan came to work at 10 o'clock. I came one hour after."

or

"He died on June 3rd and was buried the day after."

https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/after_1#:~:text=After%20is%20used%20in%20the,a%20phone%20call%20from%20Stuart.

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    The question is whether we can use "after" without any time/duration next to it, and both your examples include a time/duration.
    – yunus
    Feb 4 at 21:33

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