How to Use Therefore in a Sentence

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22-02-2021, 04:10
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“Therefore” is a conjunctive adverb that you can use as a transition word in sentences and paragraphs. It shows cause and effect between independent clauses, so it cannot be used to start a paragraph or included as part of a standalone sentence. If you would like to use “therefore” in your writing, there are several things to remember to ensure that you are using it correctly. There are also some common misuses of “therefore” that you will want to avoid.

Finding Common Uses for “Therefore”

  1. Use “therefore” to show cause and effect. “Therefore” will not work in all sentences. It has a very specific meaning and is only appropriate to use in certain situations. The best way to remember when it is appropriate to use "therefore" in a sentence is to consider if you are using it to show cause and effect. In other words, does the first statement lead to or cause the other statement? If not, then “therefore” is probably not appropriate for that sentence.
    • For example, use “therefore” to show the cause and effect relationship between these two statements: “John studied hard for the math exam. He got an A+.” Your revised sentence would read: "John studied hard for the math exam. Therefore, he got an A+.”
    • Another example might be, "People who exercise regularly enjoy better health. You should exercise." Adding "therefore" will improve the flow between these two ideas as well. "People who exercise regularly enjoy better health. Therefore, you should exercise."
  2. Replace parallel meaning transition words and phrases with “therefore.” “Therefore” may be used to replace some other words and phrases, but it is important to check the meaning first. Not all transition words and phrases can stand in for "therefore."
    • For example, "Sally passed her drive test. As a result, she received her driver's license." You can replace "as a result" with "therefore" because it has the same meaning as this phrase.
    • Don’t use “therefore” in place of a coordinating conjunction in most cases. Coordinating conjunctions include the words for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. Each of these terms has a specific meaning and they are not interchangeable with each other or with “therefore.” Always check the meaning of a word or phrase before you use it in a sentence.
  3. Include “therefore” to improve sentence flow. Including the word “therefore” in your writing is a great way to improve the flow of your writing. A sentence or paragraph may sound choppy without transitions, but adding a transition word like "therefore" can help to eliminate that choppiness. Try reading your work out loud to find places where you might need a transition, and then check to see if “therefore” could work in that instance.
    • For example, these sentences sound choppy as is: “The weather was hot. He wore shorts and a T-shirt to school.” However, adding a transition word like “therefore” improves the flow: “The weather was hot. Therefore, he wore shorts and a T-shirt to school.”

Using Proper Punctuation and Capitalization for “Therefore”

  1. Follow “therefore” with a comma. “Therefore” should always be followed up with a comma. This is because there is a natural pause after “therefore” when it is included in a sentence. Without the comma the sentence may sound rushed to readers.
    • For example, “I love spending time in nature. Therefore I go camping every summer.” Without the comma, there is no pause after “therefore.” However, if you add the comma, then this will tell readers to pause after they read the word “therefore.”
    • The revised sentence reads like this: “I love spending time in nature. Therefore, (pause here) I go camping every summer.”
  2. Place a semicolon (;) before “therefore” when separating independent clauses. If you are using “therefore” in the middle of a sentence to separate 2 independent clauses, then you will need to use a semicolon. In other words, if each part of the sentence could stand alone as a sentence, then place a semicolon at the end of the first independent clause, follow that with “therefore,” and then place a comma after therefore before continuing the sentence.
    • For example, “Marcus loves to travel with his family; therefore, he is constantly on the lookout for low-cost airfares.”
  3. Capitalize “therefore” when it is at the beginning of a sentence. As with any sentence, “therefore” should be capitalized if it is at the beginning of a sentence, but it does not need to be capitalized in any other instance.

Avoiding Common Errors

  1. Separate independent clauses using “therefore.” You can use “therefore” in the middle of a sentence that includes 2 independent clauses, but not a sentence that contains dependent clauses. An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence, or you can separate independent clauses using a semicolon.
    • For example, “therefore” can be used to separate 2 clauses like, “California is a coastal state. It has many beaches.” You would rewrite it to say, “California is a coastal state; therefore, it has many beaches.”
    • In some cases, you can also use “therefore” to start a sentence. For example, “June’s car broke down on her way to work. Therefore, she was late for the meeting.”
    • Remember that “therefore” needs to be ‘’between’’ 2 independent clauses, not after them.
  2. Use “therefore” sparingly. “Therefore” is not a word that should be used too often in writing. It will sound best if you use it sparingly, so take care not to overuse it. Use other transition words to vary your sentences, such as “so,” “then,” “accordingly,” “consequently,” “thus,” or “since.”
    • For instance, you could replace “therefore” with “thus” in the previous example. You would say, "California is a coastal state; thus, it has many beaches."
    • Remember to always make sure that the alternative word or phrase you use will work the same way as “therefore” for the sentence. If you aren’t sure, look it up on a site like https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/574/.
  3. Write “therefore” rather than saying it. “Therefore” is not used as often in speech as it is in writing because it can sound a bit too formal for everyday conversations. For this reason, you may want to avoid using “therefore” when you are speaking in most cases and opt for more casual transitions, such as “so” and “then.”
    • For example, it might sound a little odd to people if you said, “It was raining when I left for work this morning, therefore I needed my raincoat.”
    • An exception to this rule might be if you are giving a speech or presentation.

Example Sentences

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