Difference between revisions of "Therefor - therefore"
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In current English, the two spellings '''therefor''' and '''therefore''' are distinguished. (They used to be interchangeable.) | In current English, the two spellings '''therefor''' and '''therefore''' are distinguished. (They used to be interchangeable.) | ||
| − | *'''Therefor''' is old-fashioned, and not much used – except by lawyers. It means ‘for that’, in many senses of ‘for’. People used to name a purpose, and then raise taxes therefor (i.e. for that purpose); they could buy something and then pay therefor. | + | *'''Therefor''' is old-fashioned, and not much used – except by lawyers. It means ‘for that’, in many senses of ‘for’. "People used to name a purpose, and then raise taxes therefor" (i.e. for that purpose); "they could buy something and then pay therefor" (~ for it). |
| − | *'''Therefore''' is the usual spelling. It has a slightly tighter meaning, derived from | + | *'''Therefore''' is the usual spelling. It has a slightly tighter meaning, derived from 'therefor': it means 'for that reason'. |
| − | '''Therefore''' is a [[sentence adverb]], and should not be used after a comma (because it isn't a [[conjunction]]). | + | '''Therefore''' is a [[sentence adverb]], and should not be used after a comma (because it isn't a [[conjunction]]). |
[[Category:Academic English]] [[Category:Usage]] [[Category:Grammar]] | [[Category:Academic English]] [[Category:Usage]] [[Category:Grammar]] | ||
Revision as of 17:09, 19 November 2010
In current English, the two spellings therefor and therefore are distinguished. (They used to be interchangeable.)
- Therefor is old-fashioned, and not much used – except by lawyers. It means ‘for that’, in many senses of ‘for’. "People used to name a purpose, and then raise taxes therefor" (i.e. for that purpose); "they could buy something and then pay therefor" (~ for it).
- Therefore is the usual spelling. It has a slightly tighter meaning, derived from 'therefor': it means 'for that reason'.
Therefore is a sentence adverb, and should not be used after a comma (because it isn't a conjunction).
