Conjunctive adverbs cannot. This may be a bit confusing, but with practice and a sharp eye you can avoid making this common mistake.
Examples for this handout were adapted from: Rosen, Leonard J. The Allyn and Bacon Handbook. Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Answer: My guidelines for words such as however , therefore and furthermore adverbial conjuncts are as follows. Some modern writers are now dropping the comma, but I still like it because I think it indicates a pause. Use a semicolon and comma with these words to introduce a new independent clause in the middle of a sentence.
When you use however , furthermore or therefore as intensifiers or for emphasis, you need commas around both sides of them. PS An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought. Online Grammar. It is a question of style, and the use of therefore at the start of an independent clause is correct:. The adverb therefore should be used with caution, as it is often at the center of run-on sentences.
Therefore is not conventionally considered a conjunction, so it cannot fuse two independent clauses into a single sentence the way conjunctions like and, but, and because can. For example, the following sentences are run-ons because they use therefore as a conjunction introducing an independent clause:.
The players were my heroes, therefore, my dad was my hero because he was the coach. The European Central Bank and the EU itself will not jeopardize their existence, therefore they will do everything they can to maintain the euro and, therefore, Greek solvency.
However, most have less difficulty in choosing their network of preference, therefore it certainly becomes a little simpler to narrow down the choices. I feel we academic pedants are fighting a losing battle here. I see these almost every day in learned articles and broadsheet newspapers. I have been called a fussy pedant by other academics several times when I have pointed out a comma splice.
As an examiner I have been pulled up by senior examiners for deducting marks for systematic usage of comma splices. English is a language that changes constantly and organically; what was considered to be inaccurate usage 10 years ago is now acceptable. Who flinches at a split infinitive any more, or at a sentences ending with a preposition?
There are no 'rules' about using co-ordinating conjunctions and conjunctive adverbs; a contributor above mentions 'guidelines'. Yes, but how are these 'guidelines' arrived at? I believe it is by careful analysis of consensual usage over time -- first the usage, then the guidelines. If we are too stiff about these 'guidelines', then the language will also stiffen, become irrelevant to changing needs and be overtaken by a more relevant medium of communication. I bought balloons; moreover, I bought cake.
You might do this to avoid using it at the beginning when you are insecure about your audience, or you might do it because it makes sense with the rhythm of your sentence. Garner and Chicago both say using "however" is a good way to add emphasis to the part that comes next. For example, Dickens buried the "however" in this sentence from "Nicholas Nickleby": Love, however, is very materially assisted by a warm and active imagination.
When you put "however" in the middle of a sentence like this, it should be surrounded by commas. Here's another example: in "Breakfast of Champions," Kurt Vonnegut wrote, The chief weapon of sea pirates, however, was their capacity to astonish. Nobody else could believe, until it was too late, how heartless and greedy they were.
Again, put a comma before and after "however" when you use it in the middle of a sentence this way. This is one area where people get confused because sometimes you need a semicolon before "however" in the middle of a long sentence and sometimes you need a comma before "however" in the middle of a long sentence.
So remember, don't let anyone tell you that it's wrong to start a sentence with "however," and it's often more effective to use the simpler word "but. Fourth Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, Aaron, J. The Little, Brown Essential Handbook. New York: Pearson Education, , p. Scharton, M. Second edition. Spina, G. Naperville: Sourcebooks, , p. Hacker, D. All rights reserved. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. 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? You should exercise. Therefore, you should exercise. Not all transition words and phrases can stand in for "therefore. As a result, she received her driver's license.
Coordinating conjunctions include the words for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. A sentence or paragraph may sound choppy without transitions, but adding a transition word like "therefore" can help to eliminate that choppiness. He wore shorts and a T-shirt to school. Therefore, he wore shorts and a T-shirt to school.
Method 2. Without the comma the sentence may sound rushed to readers. Therefore I go camping every summer. Therefore, pause here I go camping every summer. Method 3. Therefore, he was able to meet his deadline. Using therefore is perfectly acceptable as long as you partner it with the right punctuation, although it can get a bit confusing as it does have different uses.
You can put it in the middle of a sentence with two commas, and it can also be placed at the start of a sentence. You just have to make sure that the preceding sentence is still relevant to the second one.
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Sign up now and start writing! Skip to content. What exactly is therefore? Run away from run-on sentences When we do decide to use therefore in place of regular conjunction, we get run-on sentences. See the example below: Incorrect: Most of the dogs were toilet-trained, therefore they were allowed in the house. If you are still not convinced about using therefore at the start of the sentence, you can use a semicolon and keep the sentence as one: Correct: Most of the dogs were toilet-trained; therefore, they were allowed in the house.
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