“Hence” and “hence why”












8















My question is, is the use of the word "hence", used in it's most common sense as an alternative to "therefore", strictly acceptable in English usage in the following example:




I like bananas, hence why I eat them.




I see a lot of people using the word "why" after the word "hence", and I have always considered it, at the very least, inefficient use of English. Happy to find out other views. Many thanks for all comments.










share|improve this question





























    8















    My question is, is the use of the word "hence", used in it's most common sense as an alternative to "therefore", strictly acceptable in English usage in the following example:




    I like bananas, hence why I eat them.




    I see a lot of people using the word "why" after the word "hence", and I have always considered it, at the very least, inefficient use of English. Happy to find out other views. Many thanks for all comments.










    share|improve this question



























      8












      8








      8








      My question is, is the use of the word "hence", used in it's most common sense as an alternative to "therefore", strictly acceptable in English usage in the following example:




      I like bananas, hence why I eat them.




      I see a lot of people using the word "why" after the word "hence", and I have always considered it, at the very least, inefficient use of English. Happy to find out other views. Many thanks for all comments.










      share|improve this question
















      My question is, is the use of the word "hence", used in it's most common sense as an alternative to "therefore", strictly acceptable in English usage in the following example:




      I like bananas, hence why I eat them.




      I see a lot of people using the word "why" after the word "hence", and I have always considered it, at the very least, inefficient use of English. Happy to find out other views. Many thanks for all comments.







      grammaticality adverbs






      share|improve this question















      share|improve this question













      share|improve this question




      share|improve this question








      edited Aug 27 '12 at 12:44







      charles.abcam

















      asked Aug 27 '12 at 9:32









      charles.abcamcharles.abcam

      1141210




      1141210






















          3 Answers
          3






          active

          oldest

          votes


















          6














          It appears that this construct used to be a lot more popular in the 1800s and continues to be used today. Going by Ngrams:



          Google ngram for "hence why"



          Excerpts:
          Barbara Heyman, 2012:




          I looked at it later in 1922 with the idea of arranging it for violin, cello, and piano. Hence why we still call it the “Trio”.




          Thomas A. Blackson, 2011:




          The details of his pursuit were so undefined it was difficult to understand how the pursuit was supposed to work and hence why anyone should value it so highly.




          Marcel Fafchamps, 2004




          This may explain why the threat of stigmatization is largely ineffective against so-called informal sector firms which, as a rule, are not registered — and hence why transactions among informal sector firms remain quite unsophisticated.




          In other words, this usage appears to be quite valid.






          share|improve this answer
























          • I appreciate the response. I believe "hence" should be interchangeable with "therefore", in which case the bananas sentence wouldn't make sense but the Blackson and Fafchamps examples would (and the Heyman example wouldn't).

            – charles.abcam
            Aug 27 '12 at 12:40






          • 2





            @charles.abcam Hence originally meant from here/this point, as thence meant from there/that point. That’s why it can be used in this way.

            – tchrist
            Aug 27 '12 at 12:56











          • @tchrist - I think this is the beginning of a good answer and would be worth expanding as one.

            – neil
            Aug 27 '12 at 13:49






          • 1





            The statistical significance of the NGram points doesn't even rise to the level of a rounding error. Look at the Y axis.

            – Robusto
            Aug 27 '12 at 14:00






          • 2





            It also masks the different polysemes of hence. The Heyman quote could be recast Hence our retaining the original name the “Trio”. (if one allows the use of sentence fragments); the sense of hence here is, as tchrist says, from this point or from this source (AHDEL) or which is why (Huizhe) or this is the reason for. With this sense, Charles needs I like bananas, hence my eating them by the dozen. In calling the hence why string a structure, as Huizhe does, one is getting perilously close to claiming a cohesion that probably isn't there in most cases that are grammatical.

            – Edwin Ashworth
            Aug 27 '12 at 14:31





















          0














          The last two examples could have a comma between the hence and the why. The hence in both case means therefore and it is like saying therefore, why would anyone value. The why in both cases is the beginning of the next phrase and incidental. The first example is indeed a double usage.
          I wonder if these quotes were found by computer search?






          share|improve this answer































            0














            When you contrast coleopterist's Ngrams research with the answers shared between every other Google result, it appears that "hence why" is a case of "incorrect, but nobody cares" similar to "quadrilogy" (which should use the Greek "tetra-" with the Greek "-logia" to form "tetralogy" but people have been getting it wrong since at least 1865 according to the OED).



            Perhaps I haven't read enough older fiction, but my intuition has always agreed with the view that "hence why" is incorrect because it translates to "[that is the reason that] why".



            However, my intuition did also lead me into conflict with a more pedantic friend over whether "hence why" is ever valid on technical grounds.



            The use my intuition keeps claiming validity for is that "hence why X" makes sense as a short form of "hence my decision to X" (in contrast to "hence X", rendering the decision the primary subject of the clause, rather than the action taken as a result).






            share|improve this answer

























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              3 Answers
              3






              active

              oldest

              votes








              3 Answers
              3






              active

              oldest

              votes









              active

              oldest

              votes






              active

              oldest

              votes









              6














              It appears that this construct used to be a lot more popular in the 1800s and continues to be used today. Going by Ngrams:



              Google ngram for "hence why"



              Excerpts:
              Barbara Heyman, 2012:




              I looked at it later in 1922 with the idea of arranging it for violin, cello, and piano. Hence why we still call it the “Trio”.




              Thomas A. Blackson, 2011:




              The details of his pursuit were so undefined it was difficult to understand how the pursuit was supposed to work and hence why anyone should value it so highly.




              Marcel Fafchamps, 2004




              This may explain why the threat of stigmatization is largely ineffective against so-called informal sector firms which, as a rule, are not registered — and hence why transactions among informal sector firms remain quite unsophisticated.




              In other words, this usage appears to be quite valid.






              share|improve this answer
























              • I appreciate the response. I believe "hence" should be interchangeable with "therefore", in which case the bananas sentence wouldn't make sense but the Blackson and Fafchamps examples would (and the Heyman example wouldn't).

                – charles.abcam
                Aug 27 '12 at 12:40






              • 2





                @charles.abcam Hence originally meant from here/this point, as thence meant from there/that point. That’s why it can be used in this way.

                – tchrist
                Aug 27 '12 at 12:56











              • @tchrist - I think this is the beginning of a good answer and would be worth expanding as one.

                – neil
                Aug 27 '12 at 13:49






              • 1





                The statistical significance of the NGram points doesn't even rise to the level of a rounding error. Look at the Y axis.

                – Robusto
                Aug 27 '12 at 14:00






              • 2





                It also masks the different polysemes of hence. The Heyman quote could be recast Hence our retaining the original name the “Trio”. (if one allows the use of sentence fragments); the sense of hence here is, as tchrist says, from this point or from this source (AHDEL) or which is why (Huizhe) or this is the reason for. With this sense, Charles needs I like bananas, hence my eating them by the dozen. In calling the hence why string a structure, as Huizhe does, one is getting perilously close to claiming a cohesion that probably isn't there in most cases that are grammatical.

                – Edwin Ashworth
                Aug 27 '12 at 14:31


















              6














              It appears that this construct used to be a lot more popular in the 1800s and continues to be used today. Going by Ngrams:



              Google ngram for "hence why"



              Excerpts:
              Barbara Heyman, 2012:




              I looked at it later in 1922 with the idea of arranging it for violin, cello, and piano. Hence why we still call it the “Trio”.




              Thomas A. Blackson, 2011:




              The details of his pursuit were so undefined it was difficult to understand how the pursuit was supposed to work and hence why anyone should value it so highly.




              Marcel Fafchamps, 2004




              This may explain why the threat of stigmatization is largely ineffective against so-called informal sector firms which, as a rule, are not registered — and hence why transactions among informal sector firms remain quite unsophisticated.




              In other words, this usage appears to be quite valid.






              share|improve this answer
























              • I appreciate the response. I believe "hence" should be interchangeable with "therefore", in which case the bananas sentence wouldn't make sense but the Blackson and Fafchamps examples would (and the Heyman example wouldn't).

                – charles.abcam
                Aug 27 '12 at 12:40






              • 2





                @charles.abcam Hence originally meant from here/this point, as thence meant from there/that point. That’s why it can be used in this way.

                – tchrist
                Aug 27 '12 at 12:56











              • @tchrist - I think this is the beginning of a good answer and would be worth expanding as one.

                – neil
                Aug 27 '12 at 13:49






              • 1





                The statistical significance of the NGram points doesn't even rise to the level of a rounding error. Look at the Y axis.

                – Robusto
                Aug 27 '12 at 14:00






              • 2





                It also masks the different polysemes of hence. The Heyman quote could be recast Hence our retaining the original name the “Trio”. (if one allows the use of sentence fragments); the sense of hence here is, as tchrist says, from this point or from this source (AHDEL) or which is why (Huizhe) or this is the reason for. With this sense, Charles needs I like bananas, hence my eating them by the dozen. In calling the hence why string a structure, as Huizhe does, one is getting perilously close to claiming a cohesion that probably isn't there in most cases that are grammatical.

                – Edwin Ashworth
                Aug 27 '12 at 14:31
















              6












              6








              6







              It appears that this construct used to be a lot more popular in the 1800s and continues to be used today. Going by Ngrams:



              Google ngram for "hence why"



              Excerpts:
              Barbara Heyman, 2012:




              I looked at it later in 1922 with the idea of arranging it for violin, cello, and piano. Hence why we still call it the “Trio”.




              Thomas A. Blackson, 2011:




              The details of his pursuit were so undefined it was difficult to understand how the pursuit was supposed to work and hence why anyone should value it so highly.




              Marcel Fafchamps, 2004




              This may explain why the threat of stigmatization is largely ineffective against so-called informal sector firms which, as a rule, are not registered — and hence why transactions among informal sector firms remain quite unsophisticated.




              In other words, this usage appears to be quite valid.






              share|improve this answer













              It appears that this construct used to be a lot more popular in the 1800s and continues to be used today. Going by Ngrams:



              Google ngram for "hence why"



              Excerpts:
              Barbara Heyman, 2012:




              I looked at it later in 1922 with the idea of arranging it for violin, cello, and piano. Hence why we still call it the “Trio”.




              Thomas A. Blackson, 2011:




              The details of his pursuit were so undefined it was difficult to understand how the pursuit was supposed to work and hence why anyone should value it so highly.




              Marcel Fafchamps, 2004




              This may explain why the threat of stigmatization is largely ineffective against so-called informal sector firms which, as a rule, are not registered — and hence why transactions among informal sector firms remain quite unsophisticated.




              In other words, this usage appears to be quite valid.







              share|improve this answer












              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer










              answered Aug 27 '12 at 12:29









              coleopteristcoleopterist

              26.4k24101188




              26.4k24101188













              • I appreciate the response. I believe "hence" should be interchangeable with "therefore", in which case the bananas sentence wouldn't make sense but the Blackson and Fafchamps examples would (and the Heyman example wouldn't).

                – charles.abcam
                Aug 27 '12 at 12:40






              • 2





                @charles.abcam Hence originally meant from here/this point, as thence meant from there/that point. That’s why it can be used in this way.

                – tchrist
                Aug 27 '12 at 12:56











              • @tchrist - I think this is the beginning of a good answer and would be worth expanding as one.

                – neil
                Aug 27 '12 at 13:49






              • 1





                The statistical significance of the NGram points doesn't even rise to the level of a rounding error. Look at the Y axis.

                – Robusto
                Aug 27 '12 at 14:00






              • 2





                It also masks the different polysemes of hence. The Heyman quote could be recast Hence our retaining the original name the “Trio”. (if one allows the use of sentence fragments); the sense of hence here is, as tchrist says, from this point or from this source (AHDEL) or which is why (Huizhe) or this is the reason for. With this sense, Charles needs I like bananas, hence my eating them by the dozen. In calling the hence why string a structure, as Huizhe does, one is getting perilously close to claiming a cohesion that probably isn't there in most cases that are grammatical.

                – Edwin Ashworth
                Aug 27 '12 at 14:31





















              • I appreciate the response. I believe "hence" should be interchangeable with "therefore", in which case the bananas sentence wouldn't make sense but the Blackson and Fafchamps examples would (and the Heyman example wouldn't).

                – charles.abcam
                Aug 27 '12 at 12:40






              • 2





                @charles.abcam Hence originally meant from here/this point, as thence meant from there/that point. That’s why it can be used in this way.

                – tchrist
                Aug 27 '12 at 12:56











              • @tchrist - I think this is the beginning of a good answer and would be worth expanding as one.

                – neil
                Aug 27 '12 at 13:49






              • 1





                The statistical significance of the NGram points doesn't even rise to the level of a rounding error. Look at the Y axis.

                – Robusto
                Aug 27 '12 at 14:00






              • 2





                It also masks the different polysemes of hence. The Heyman quote could be recast Hence our retaining the original name the “Trio”. (if one allows the use of sentence fragments); the sense of hence here is, as tchrist says, from this point or from this source (AHDEL) or which is why (Huizhe) or this is the reason for. With this sense, Charles needs I like bananas, hence my eating them by the dozen. In calling the hence why string a structure, as Huizhe does, one is getting perilously close to claiming a cohesion that probably isn't there in most cases that are grammatical.

                – Edwin Ashworth
                Aug 27 '12 at 14:31



















              I appreciate the response. I believe "hence" should be interchangeable with "therefore", in which case the bananas sentence wouldn't make sense but the Blackson and Fafchamps examples would (and the Heyman example wouldn't).

              – charles.abcam
              Aug 27 '12 at 12:40





              I appreciate the response. I believe "hence" should be interchangeable with "therefore", in which case the bananas sentence wouldn't make sense but the Blackson and Fafchamps examples would (and the Heyman example wouldn't).

              – charles.abcam
              Aug 27 '12 at 12:40




              2




              2





              @charles.abcam Hence originally meant from here/this point, as thence meant from there/that point. That’s why it can be used in this way.

              – tchrist
              Aug 27 '12 at 12:56





              @charles.abcam Hence originally meant from here/this point, as thence meant from there/that point. That’s why it can be used in this way.

              – tchrist
              Aug 27 '12 at 12:56













              @tchrist - I think this is the beginning of a good answer and would be worth expanding as one.

              – neil
              Aug 27 '12 at 13:49





              @tchrist - I think this is the beginning of a good answer and would be worth expanding as one.

              – neil
              Aug 27 '12 at 13:49




              1




              1





              The statistical significance of the NGram points doesn't even rise to the level of a rounding error. Look at the Y axis.

              – Robusto
              Aug 27 '12 at 14:00





              The statistical significance of the NGram points doesn't even rise to the level of a rounding error. Look at the Y axis.

              – Robusto
              Aug 27 '12 at 14:00




              2




              2





              It also masks the different polysemes of hence. The Heyman quote could be recast Hence our retaining the original name the “Trio”. (if one allows the use of sentence fragments); the sense of hence here is, as tchrist says, from this point or from this source (AHDEL) or which is why (Huizhe) or this is the reason for. With this sense, Charles needs I like bananas, hence my eating them by the dozen. In calling the hence why string a structure, as Huizhe does, one is getting perilously close to claiming a cohesion that probably isn't there in most cases that are grammatical.

              – Edwin Ashworth
              Aug 27 '12 at 14:31







              It also masks the different polysemes of hence. The Heyman quote could be recast Hence our retaining the original name the “Trio”. (if one allows the use of sentence fragments); the sense of hence here is, as tchrist says, from this point or from this source (AHDEL) or which is why (Huizhe) or this is the reason for. With this sense, Charles needs I like bananas, hence my eating them by the dozen. In calling the hence why string a structure, as Huizhe does, one is getting perilously close to claiming a cohesion that probably isn't there in most cases that are grammatical.

              – Edwin Ashworth
              Aug 27 '12 at 14:31















              0














              The last two examples could have a comma between the hence and the why. The hence in both case means therefore and it is like saying therefore, why would anyone value. The why in both cases is the beginning of the next phrase and incidental. The first example is indeed a double usage.
              I wonder if these quotes were found by computer search?






              share|improve this answer




























                0














                The last two examples could have a comma between the hence and the why. The hence in both case means therefore and it is like saying therefore, why would anyone value. The why in both cases is the beginning of the next phrase and incidental. The first example is indeed a double usage.
                I wonder if these quotes were found by computer search?






                share|improve this answer


























                  0












                  0








                  0







                  The last two examples could have a comma between the hence and the why. The hence in both case means therefore and it is like saying therefore, why would anyone value. The why in both cases is the beginning of the next phrase and incidental. The first example is indeed a double usage.
                  I wonder if these quotes were found by computer search?






                  share|improve this answer













                  The last two examples could have a comma between the hence and the why. The hence in both case means therefore and it is like saying therefore, why would anyone value. The why in both cases is the beginning of the next phrase and incidental. The first example is indeed a double usage.
                  I wonder if these quotes were found by computer search?







                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered Dec 3 '17 at 2:42









                  TulliTulli

                  1




                  1























                      0














                      When you contrast coleopterist's Ngrams research with the answers shared between every other Google result, it appears that "hence why" is a case of "incorrect, but nobody cares" similar to "quadrilogy" (which should use the Greek "tetra-" with the Greek "-logia" to form "tetralogy" but people have been getting it wrong since at least 1865 according to the OED).



                      Perhaps I haven't read enough older fiction, but my intuition has always agreed with the view that "hence why" is incorrect because it translates to "[that is the reason that] why".



                      However, my intuition did also lead me into conflict with a more pedantic friend over whether "hence why" is ever valid on technical grounds.



                      The use my intuition keeps claiming validity for is that "hence why X" makes sense as a short form of "hence my decision to X" (in contrast to "hence X", rendering the decision the primary subject of the clause, rather than the action taken as a result).






                      share|improve this answer






























                        0














                        When you contrast coleopterist's Ngrams research with the answers shared between every other Google result, it appears that "hence why" is a case of "incorrect, but nobody cares" similar to "quadrilogy" (which should use the Greek "tetra-" with the Greek "-logia" to form "tetralogy" but people have been getting it wrong since at least 1865 according to the OED).



                        Perhaps I haven't read enough older fiction, but my intuition has always agreed with the view that "hence why" is incorrect because it translates to "[that is the reason that] why".



                        However, my intuition did also lead me into conflict with a more pedantic friend over whether "hence why" is ever valid on technical grounds.



                        The use my intuition keeps claiming validity for is that "hence why X" makes sense as a short form of "hence my decision to X" (in contrast to "hence X", rendering the decision the primary subject of the clause, rather than the action taken as a result).






                        share|improve this answer




























                          0












                          0








                          0







                          When you contrast coleopterist's Ngrams research with the answers shared between every other Google result, it appears that "hence why" is a case of "incorrect, but nobody cares" similar to "quadrilogy" (which should use the Greek "tetra-" with the Greek "-logia" to form "tetralogy" but people have been getting it wrong since at least 1865 according to the OED).



                          Perhaps I haven't read enough older fiction, but my intuition has always agreed with the view that "hence why" is incorrect because it translates to "[that is the reason that] why".



                          However, my intuition did also lead me into conflict with a more pedantic friend over whether "hence why" is ever valid on technical grounds.



                          The use my intuition keeps claiming validity for is that "hence why X" makes sense as a short form of "hence my decision to X" (in contrast to "hence X", rendering the decision the primary subject of the clause, rather than the action taken as a result).






                          share|improve this answer















                          When you contrast coleopterist's Ngrams research with the answers shared between every other Google result, it appears that "hence why" is a case of "incorrect, but nobody cares" similar to "quadrilogy" (which should use the Greek "tetra-" with the Greek "-logia" to form "tetralogy" but people have been getting it wrong since at least 1865 according to the OED).



                          Perhaps I haven't read enough older fiction, but my intuition has always agreed with the view that "hence why" is incorrect because it translates to "[that is the reason that] why".



                          However, my intuition did also lead me into conflict with a more pedantic friend over whether "hence why" is ever valid on technical grounds.



                          The use my intuition keeps claiming validity for is that "hence why X" makes sense as a short form of "hence my decision to X" (in contrast to "hence X", rendering the decision the primary subject of the clause, rather than the action taken as a result).







                          share|improve this answer














                          share|improve this answer



                          share|improve this answer








                          edited 7 hours ago









                          yoozer8

                          6,80073978




                          6,80073978










                          answered Jul 18 '16 at 11:03









                          ssokolowssokolow

                          20217




                          20217






























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