come directly after

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "come directly after" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that something follows immediately in sequence or order. Example: "In the list of tasks, the next item will come directly after the current one."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

It's made pretty clear that these events come directly after that final, 24-year dinner at the Singing Towers – and that's what makes him sad.

The Guardian - TV & Radio

The next showdown — assuming Congress passes the deal on Monday — will come directly after the 2012 election, but with the current Congress.

The New York Times

Remember that when a participle construction, appositive or other modifying phrase starts a sentence, the person or thing being described should generally come directly after the modifying phrase.

The New York Times

Thanks to the accidental survival in Lucretius' book 4 of two alternative programmatic passages for the book, we can work out that what we call book 4 was initially planned to come directly after book 2, a sequence of topics which would have exactly reproduced Epicurus' own in On nature, and that it was only in a later phase that he reorganised his material so that our book 3 came to intervene.

SEP

Gordon claimed that the episode suffered conceptually having come directly after a trilogy of mythology episodes.

Wikipedia

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

His decision to branch out into more challenging material in the early 2000s came directly after a stretch of ingratiating parts.

The Guardian - Film

Someone, perhaps, should tell John Terry that after the avalanche of criticism for his abuse of Anton Ferdinand, coming directly after Suárez's own racial-abuse case.

The Guardian - Sport

I know the experience that came directly after Australia [so] I think right now I'm a little bit more relaxed than there".

The Guardian - Sport

Merkel's gloom was all the more striking for coming directly after she spent four hours in private with Putin at the G20 summit in Brisbane.

The Guardian

(I did too: my longest stretch of reading James in the past two years came directly after the punishing experience of "The Goldfinch").

The New Yorker

The lesson came directly after the superintendents' monthly meeting with Mr. Levy, at which they started off the day hashing out plans for summer school.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "come directly after" to clearly indicate that one event or item immediately follows another in a sequence, avoiding ambiguity.

Common error

Avoid using "come directly after" when there is a considerable time gap between events. This phrase implies immediate succession, so a different expression should be used if there's a delay.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "come directly after" functions as a verb phrase indicating temporal or sequential succession. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's a valid and usable expression. This implies that something immediately follows another event, item, or step in a process.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

68%

Wiki

16%

Science

16%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "come directly after" effectively signifies immediate succession, applicable across various contexts like news, science, and general writing. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's grammatically sound. While less frequent than alternatives like "follow immediately after", it provides clarity in establishing sequence. Best practice dictates its use when emphasizing the immediate nature of succession, while avoiding it when a time gap exists between events. Frequent in News & Media, with a neutral register, its role in creating logical and clear connections is essential in writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

follow immediately after

Replaces "come" with "follow" and "directly" with "immediately", emphasizing the immediate succession.

occur right after

Substitutes "come" with "occur" and "directly" with "right", offering a slightly more informal tone.

succeed immediately

Uses "succeed" in place of "come directly after", highlighting the concept of one thing following another in order.

immediately ensue

Employs "ensue" to denote what follows, adding a slightly more formal or literary feel.

arise immediately following

Replaces "come" with "arise" and restructures the phrase to emphasize the occurrence after something else.

be the immediate successor

Focuses on the concept of succession, making it clear that one thing directly follows another.

happen straight after

Uses "happen" for "come" and "straight" for "directly", resulting in a more casual tone.

take place immediately afterwards

Expresses a similar meaning but emphasizes the event taking place shortly after another.

directly result from

Shifts the focus to causation, implying the second event is a direct consequence of the first.

spring directly from

Similar to "directly result from" but uses a more figurative expression.

FAQs

What does "come directly after" mean?

The phrase "come directly after" means to follow immediately in sequence or time. It indicates that one thing happens or is positioned right after another without any intervening elements.

How can I use "come directly after" in a sentence?

You can use "come directly after" to describe the order of events, steps in a process, or items in a list. For example: "The conclusion should "follow directly after" the analysis."

What are some alternatives to "come directly after"?

Alternatives include "follow immediately after", "occur right after", or "succeed immediately". The best choice depends on the specific context and desired tone.

Is it correct to say "come directly after to"?

While grammatically possible in some contexts, "come directly after to" is generally awkward and less common. Rephrasing the sentence is usually preferable. For example, instead of saying "This rule will come directly after to ensure compliance", consider "This rule will "follow to ensure compliance"".