afterwards 的音标为英 /ˈɑːftəwədz/、美 /ˈæftərwərdz/，作为副词表示“后来；之后”，强调事件发生的时间顺序，多用于书面语或正式场合[4][5]。它与 "after" 的主要区别在于："after" 可作介词或连词，而 "afterwards" 仅为副词，不能单独引导时间状语从句。

常见用法

句尾或句中使用：通常置于句尾，描述后续动作。

We had tea, and afterwards we sat in the garden for a while.（我们喝了茶，之后在花园里坐了一会儿。）

She arrived late and afterwards called me.（她迟到了，后来给我打了电话。）

句首强调：偶尔置于句首以突出时间顺序。

Afterwards, we had dinner together.（之后，我们一起吃了晚饭。）

与 "shortly/soon afterwards" 搭配：表示“不久之后”，是高频固定用法。

Shortly afterwards, the police stopped the car.（不久之后，警察拦下了那辆车。）

Soon afterwards, he began his researches into electricity.（不久后，他开始了电学研究。）

短语搭配

shortly afterwards 不久以后[2]

soon afterwards 很快之后

ever afterwards 从此以后

例句

We had a good laugh about it afterwards.（后来我们对此笑了个痛快。）

Afterwards she was sorry for what she'd said.（后来她后悔说了那些话。）[4]

Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterwards.（咱们先去看戏，然后吃饭。）

Suffice it to say that afterwards we never met again.（不必多言，后来我们再也没见过面。）

They separated, and soon afterwards Jane left the country.（他们分开后不久，简离开了这个国家。）

A little forethought would have saved you much trouble afterwards.（如果事先稍微考虑一下，就会省掉你以后的许多麻烦。）

He left the room and afterwards went to the library.（他离开了房间，之后去了图书馆。）

Weddings are so much hassle that you need a good break afterwards.（婚礼很折腾，办完后得好好休息。）

Afterwards, he became the first Westerner to open a martial arts school in Japan.（后来他成了在日本开办武术学校的首位西方人。）

What happened afterwards?（后来怎么样了？）

使用时需注意：口语中更常用 "then" 或 "after that"，而 "afterwards" 更适用于书面语。例如，避免说 "She arrived late and after called me"，应改为 "She arrived late and afterwards called me"。