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Wolfram Sieber
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 7:08 am
Post subject: Question: difference between "therefore", "hence", and "thus |
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Hello,
I'm a native German speaker, but like to express myself in English.
Since a while I've been wondering what the difference between
"therefore", "hence", and "thus" is. Can anybody explain it to be, and
point out some examples how to use them appropriately?
--
Cheers,
Wolfram
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Nick Wagg
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 2:07 pm
Post subject: Re: Question: difference between "therefore", "hence", and " |
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"Wolfram Sieber" <worisi2005@arcor.de> wrote in message
news:4345f778$0$26222$9b4e6d93@newsread2.arcor-online.net...
| Quote: | Hello,
I'm a native German speaker, but like to express myself in English.
Since a while I've been wondering what the difference between
"therefore", "hence", and "thus" is. Can anybody explain it to be, and
point out some examples how to use them appropriately?
|
They are all roughly synonymous with "so", which would be the
most colloquial of the terms. "Therefore" is also in common use
but "hence" sounds more appropriate to a scientific argument
and "thus" sounds rather old-fashioned. |
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John of Aix
Guest
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| Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2005 12:20 am
Post subject: Re: Question: difference between "therefore", "hence", and " |
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Nick Wagg wrote:
| Quote: | "Wolfram Sieber" <worisi2005@arcor.de> wrote in message
news:4345f778$0$26222$9b4e6d93@newsread2.arcor-online.net...
Hello,
I'm a native German speaker, but like to express myself in English.
Since a while I've been wondering what the difference between
"therefore", "hence", and "thus" is. Can anybody explain it to be,
and point out some examples how to use them appropriately?
They are all roughly synonymous with "so", which would be the
most colloquial of the terms. "Therefore" is also in common use
but "hence" sounds more appropriate to a scientific argument
and "thus" sounds rather old-fashioned.
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You think so (for 'thus')? I'm surprised, it is a word I would use more
frequently than 'hence' I think, though I would use 'therefore most of
all .
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Wolfram Sieber
Guest
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| Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2005 7:08 am
Post subject: Re: Question: difference between "therefore", "hence", and " |
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Nick Wagg wrote:
| Quote: | "Wolfram Sieber" <worisi2005@arcor.de> wrote in message
news:4345f778$0$26222$9b4e6d93@newsread2.arcor-online.net...
Since a while I've been wondering what the difference between
"therefore", "hence", and "thus" is. Can anybody explain it to be, and
point out some examples how to use them appropriately?
They are all roughly synonymous with "so", which would be the
most colloquial of the terms. "Therefore" is also in common use
but "hence" sounds more appropriate to a scientific argument
and "thus" sounds rather old-fashioned.
|
Thanks for the explanation. :)
I'd assume, that "thus" is related to reasoning, while neither "hence"
nor "therefore" is. Do "therefore" and "hence" relate to time/a point of
view somewhere in time? I'd think, that "therefore" were used well in a
situation someone is making a decision - "I considered this and that,
therefore I choose that" - while "hence" would be used from a later
point of view: "I considered this and that, hence I chose that".
Or is that differentiation for "hence" vs "therefore" invalid?
--
Wolfram |
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Paul Burke
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 2:03 pm
Post subject: Re: Question: difference between "therefore", "hence", and " |
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Wolfram Sieber wrote:
| Quote: |
I'd assume, that "thus" is related to reasoning, while neither "hence"
nor "therefore" is.
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"I think, therefore I am" - it is related to reasoning. I think the
words are completely synonymous, and an example of the common English
practice of varying the word used purely to break the monotony (which in
fact we were taught in school back in the sixties).
Paul Burke |
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Nick Wagg
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 2:47 pm
Post subject: Re: Question: difference between "therefore", "hence", and " |
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"Wolfram Sieber" <worisi2005@arcor.de> wrote in message
news:43475d2b$0$16477$9b4e6d93@newsread4.arcor-online.net...
| Quote: | Nick Wagg wrote:
"Wolfram Sieber" <worisi2005@arcor.de> wrote in message
news:4345f778$0$26222$9b4e6d93@newsread2.arcor-online.net...
Since a while I've been wondering what the difference between
"therefore", "hence", and "thus" is. Can anybody explain it to be, and
point out some examples how to use them appropriately?
They are all roughly synonymous with "so", which would be the
most colloquial of the terms. "Therefore" is also in common use
but "hence" sounds more appropriate to a scientific argument
and "thus" sounds rather old-fashioned.
Thanks for the explanation. :)
I'd assume, that "thus" is related to reasoning, while neither "hence"
nor "therefore" is.
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They are all used in reasoning. "Hence" literally means "from here"
(just as "whence" means "from where").
| Quote: | Do "therefore" and "hence" relate to time/a point of
view somewhere in time? I'd think, that "therefore" were used well in a
situation someone is making a decision - "I considered this and that,
therefore I choose that" - while "hence" would be used from a later
point of view: "I considered this and that, hence I chose that".
Or is that differentiation for "hence" vs "therefore" invalid?
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As a native English speaker, I am not aware of any difference in time
or tense in their usage, but I could be wrong. In the example you cite,
they seem interchangeable to me. |
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Peter Duncanson
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 3:41 pm
Post subject: Re: Question: difference between "therefore", "hence", and " |
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On Sat, 08 Oct 2005 07:47:37 +0200, Wolfram Sieber <worisi2005@arcor.de>
wrote:
| Quote: |
I'd assume, that "thus" is related to reasoning, while neither "hence"
nor "therefore" is.
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"Therefore" is a standard term used in mathematical reasoning.
It has its own symbol: 3 dots in a regular triangle pointing upwards.
An example can be seen nearly halfway down this webpage:
http://www.scenta.co.uk/tcaep/maths/symbol/Mathematical%20Symbols/
As can be seen there is also the term "because". This has the inverse
meaning to "therefore" and is represented by an upsidedown therefore
symbol.
--
Peter Duncanson
UK (posting from u.c.l.e) |
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Wolfram Sieber
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 1:11 pm
Post subject: Re: Question: difference between "therefore", "hence", and " |
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Peter Duncanson wrote:
| Quote: | On Sat, 08 Oct 2005 07:47:37 +0200, Wolfram Sieber <worisi2005@arcor.de
wrote:
I'd assume, that "thus" is related to reasoning, while neither "hence"
nor "therefore" is.
"Therefore" is a standard term used in mathematical reasoning.
It has its own symbol: 3 dots in a regular triangle pointing upwards.
An example can be seen nearly halfway down this webpage:
http://www.scenta.co.uk/tcaep/maths/symbol/Mathematical%20Symbols/
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Great! Thanks for the pointer. :)
| Quote: | As can be seen there is also the term "because". This has the inverse
meaning to "therefore" and is represented by an upsidedown therefore
symbol.
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--
Wolfram |
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