Use of the word "hence"

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I find it really irritating for some reason...I see it on here a LOT but never hear anyone use it!

Are people using it incorrectly and that's why it annoys me?

"I had no money, hence I went to my Mum's to ask for help."

"She's a CF, hence I wanted her out of my life."

And so on ....

A friend of mine uses it ALL THE TIME. It drives me mad, she does actually use it when trying to defend her bevaiour so perhaps that’s why!

I have recently discovered that 'hence' is maths exam code for "you should be able to easily work this out from your answer to the first part of this question, you spanner." Now I just feel discouraged every time I see it.

It's excruciating.

OP, you may not like the word, but all the examples on this thread (apart from the appalling 'hence because') are perfectly correct.

I just noticed I just put a greengrocer's apostrophe on a thread about grammar. Oh the shame...

I hate it because people don't use it verbally but only when writing, so there's something selfconsious about it that falls

@GhoulWithADragonTattoo - say you were being ironic & face it out

I like and use 'hence'. Also 'not withstanding'.

It's when people say "hence why" that I get worked up.

"On route" is another pet peeve.

I think it should be used only with a noun i.e. 'hence my question' is right; 'hence my coming here' is also right (gerund verb 'coming' used as a noun); but 'hence I came here' etc is wrong.

What about 'whence'?

'From whence' drives me potty.

Hence is one of those words which people overuse to make themselves seem intelligent, when they aren't. Like using 'ourselves' or 'yourself' when they mean us or you.

Often used instead of 'so' to disguise/ defend a possible non-sequitur.

ie there was chocolate in the fridge, hence I am unavoidably 3 pounds heavier than yesterday.

THANK YOU! Miss

Eolian...see Not always correct on this thread!

"hence because"

That really hurts the eyes! Is there a word for when bad grammar hurts your brain? including my own

Agree with ghoul

You aren't accustomed to it hence you find it grating. It's commonly used where I come from, hence I don't tend to notice it much. Hence hence hence!

Yes, in maths.
Show
Hence or otherwise show

See also 'trivial' which in maths might mean 2 pages of working out, but nothing particularly spectacular occurs. Useful in degrees exams when you can't prove something 'it is trivial to show that .... hence ...' (Which can sometimes be got away with because the people marking it do think it is trivial). well, made me feel better about the exam anyway.

I like it, hence I use it.

Agree with pps that “hence why” is really irritating.

I’m shocked, OP, that you were taught to use simpler language if there was a choice. That really is “dumbing down”.

Pas no, it's not...I meant within writing. If you choose "the big word" or in your case the wrong word, it sounds bad.

"Hence" isn't correct in your example..."so" would be correct.

Found this explanation

Just like “thus”, “hence” is an adverb, not a conjunction, so it cannot join two independent clauses (note that it is more common to omit the commas around “hence” than after “thus” in formal writing):

They are not satisfied with our work. Hence(,) we must prepare a new proposal.
They are not satisfied with our work; hence(,) we must prepare a new proposal.
They are not satisfied with our work, hence we must prepare a new proposal.
“Hence” used in this sense is rather uncommon, and such usage persists mostly in specialized fields, such as scientific writing.

There is, however, another, more common meaning of “hence”, which substitutes a verb but is not a clause in itself and is always separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma:

Our server was down, hence the delay in responding.
The chemicals cause the rain to become acidic, hence the term “acid rain”.
As you can see, “hence” substitutes phrases such as “which leads to” or “which is the reason of”.

"I like it" is an independent clause...as is "I use it"

So hence is incorrect.

No it's plain English. More complex words should only be used if they genuinely add something. It's good writing style.

Who are you answering there Stealth? What do you mean "No it's plain English"?

No what?

Sorry I was answer pas beaucoup's point about dumbing down. Didnt realise you'd posted again

Oh sorry...I could have worked that out if I'd read back a bit!

You hit the nail on the head Stealth.