How to Use Therefore in Sentences

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This article was co-written by Alexander Peterman, MA. Alexander Peterman is a tutor in Florida. He received his Master of Education degree from the University of Florida in 2017.

This article has been viewed 21,913 times.

“Therefore” is a conjunction you can use as a connection between sentences and paragraphs. This word shows a cause-and-effect relationship between independent clauses, so you don’t use it to start a paragraph or add to an independent sentence. If you want to use “therefore” in your text, there are a few things to keep in mind to make sure you use it correctly. In addition, you need to avoid some of the common misuses of “therefore”.

Table of Contents

Learn common usages of the word “Therefore”

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Use “therefore” to express cause-and-effect relationships. “Therefore” does not apply in all sentences. It has a very specific meaning and is only suitable for use in certain situations. The best way to remember when to use “therefore” in a sentence is to see if you are using the word to express cause and effect. In other words, does one statement lead to or cause the other? If not, “therefore” probably doesn’t fit that sentence. ^{[1] X Research Source}

For example, use “therefore” to show the cause-and-effect relationship between the following two statements: “John studied hard for the math exam. He got an A+.” (John studied hard for the math exam. He got an A+). The edited sentence would be: “John studied hard for the math exam. Therefore, he got an A+.” (John studied hard for the math exam. So he got an A+).
Another example would be: “People who exercise regularly enjoy better health. You should exercise.” (Those who exercise regularly will have better health. You should exercise.) The added word “therefore” strengthens the connection between the two ideas: “People who exercise regularly enjoy better health. Therefore, you should exercise.” (Those who exercise regularly will have better health. Therefore, you should exercise.)

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Replace words and phrases with similar meanings with “therefore”. “Therefore” can be used to replace a number of other words and phrases, but it is important that you check the meaning first. Not all words and phrases can be substituted for “therefore”. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Example: “Sally passed her drive test. As a result, she received her driver’s license.” (Sally passed her driving test. As a result, she got her driver’s license.) You can replace “as a result” with “therefore” because they have the same meaning.
Do not use “therefore” in place of conjunctions in most cases. Coordinating conjunctions include the words: for (because), and (and), nor (also), but (but), or (or), yet (however), and so (so). Each of these terms has a specific meaning and they are not interchangeable or for “therefore”. Always check the meaning of a word or phrase before you use them in a sentence. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Add the word “therefore” to increase the fluency of the sentence. Adding the word “therefore” in your writing is a great way to improve fluency in your writing. A sentence or paragraph may sound short without transitions, adding a conjunction like “therefore” can help. Try reading your post aloud to find places where you might need transitions, then check to see if the word “therefore” is appropriate in that case. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

For example, the following sentences sound very terse: “The weather was hot. He wore shorts and a T-shirt to schop.” (The weather is hot. The boy wears shorts and a T-shirt to school.) However, adding a transition like “therefore” helps to make the sentence sound more fluent: “The weather was hot. Therefore, he wore shorts and a T-shirt to schop.” (The weather was hot. So he wore shorts and a T-shirt to school.)

Use punctuation and capitalize the word “Therefore”

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The word “therefore” is followed by a comma. “Therefore” is always followed by a comma. That’s because naturally, we would stop after “therefore” when the word is added in a sentence. Without commas, the reader may feel that the sentence is a bit rushed. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

For example, sentences like: “I love spending time in nature. Therefore I go camping every summer.” (I love spending time with nature. So I go camping every summer.) Without a comma, there is no pause after the word “therefore”. However, if a comma is added, the reader will be warned to pause after reading the word “therefore”.
The above sentence after editing will be: “I love spending time in nature. Therefore, (take a break) I go camping every summer”.

Avoid making common mistakes

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Use the word “therefore” to separate independent clauses. You can use the word “therefore” in the middle of a sentence with two independent clauses, but not in a sentence containing dependent clauses. An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence, or you can separate them with semicolons. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

For example, “therefore” can be used to separate two clauses like: “California is a coastal state. It has many beaches.” (California is a coastal state. It has many beaches.) You could rewrite it like this: “California is a coastal state; therefore, it has many beaches.” (California is a coastal state; therefore, it has many beaches.)
In some cases, you can also use the word “therefore” to start a sentence. For example: “June’s car broke down on her way to work. Therefore, she was late for the meeting.” (June’s car broke down on the way to work. As a result, she was late for a meeting.)
Remember that “therefore” needs to be “between” two independent clauses, not behind it.

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Limit the use of the word “therefore”. “Therefore” is not a word that should be used often in writing. It is best to use this word sparingly, so be careful not to overdo it. Use other linking words to help diversify sentences, such as: “so” (so), “then” (in that case), “accordingly” (therefore), “consequently” (as a result), ““ thus” (thus), or “since” (because). ^{[8] X Research Sources}

For example, you could replace “therefore” with “thus” in the example above. You could say: “California is a coastal state; thus, it has many beaches.”(California is a coastal state; therefore, it has many beaches).
Remember to always be sure that the alternative word or phrase you use has the same meaning as “therefore” in the sentence. If you are not sure, look up the meaning of the word on websites such as: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/574/.

Steps

Learn common usages of the word “Therefore”

Use punctuation and capitalize the word “Therefore”

Avoid making common mistakes

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