Which sentence uses "then" correctly?

Which sentence uses "then" correctly?

• A. We went to the park, then we had lunch.
• B. We went to the park; then we had lunch.
• C. We went to the park then we had lunch.
• D. We went to the park, then we had lunch, too.

Answer: (A)

When you want to show that one action happened after another, then acts as a connector that signals the sequence. Two independent clauses can be joined with a semicolon before then, or, in many everyday cases, with a comma before then to mark the transition cleanly. The sentence we’re looking at uses a natural pause with a comma before then, which clearly ties the first event to the second and shows the order: going to the park happened first, then having lunch. The alternative that uses a semicolon before then is also correct in formal writing, but the comma version is the simplest, most fluid way to express the sequence. The other options disrupt the intended flow: one lacks the proper separation between the two clauses, creating a run-on, and another inserts too, which shifts the meaning toward adding information rather than outlining the order of events.