therefore, thus as conjunctions

Words like "therefore," "thus," and "however" are actually adverbs (a test for adverbs is if you can move them around in the clause: I am therefore full, I therefore am full, I am full, therefore). They don't act as conjunctions, so if you are joining two clauses, use a conjunction, or (because a semicolon can join two independent clauses) a semicolon.

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It's a matter of style and logic.

The easiest and, to me, the most preferred way:

"I ate a burger; I'm full." (rather matter-of-fact)

It is acceptable to use a comma for short clauses (Chicago Manual of Style):

"I ate a burger, I'm full."

But that looks hideous on the page.

Commonly,

-Because... (therefore implied): Because I ate a hamburger, I'm full. (very clear)
-That... (to be ("is") attribute): That I ate a hamburger, I'm quite full. (kinda prosaic)
-If... then: If I ate a hamburger, then I'd be full. (more formal)
-If... (then implied): If I ate a hamburger, I'd be full. (less formal but flows better in speech)
-Since... : Since I ate a hamburger, I've been full. (time: I've been full since then.)
-Since... (then implied): Since I ate a hamburger, I'm full. (logic: "since" used as an alternative to "because")
-As... : As I ate a hamburger, I got full. (time and logic)
-As... : As I'm hungry, I think I'll go eat a hamburger. (alternative to "because" and "since")

and many more, included inverted logic and time.

Thus is rarer (no pun intended) and tends to be used as a conclusion after a lengthy train of thought and is used to mean "in the manner indicated," most often found in instructions and is therefore less appropriate for logical expression:

Today, I ate so many things. I ate.... Therefore, I'm full.

This is how you could prepare a hamburger. First, put the beef on the grill... Thusly, you now have a feast.

Or,

Thus, it's easy to see how you could prepare a feast for cheap.

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"Therefore" is acceptable in the example sentence, but "so" is better. Only use "thus" or "hence" if you want to sound pretentious.

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It is true that such words are adverbs, but it is not true that you need a conjunction. Previously, a semicolon before, and a comma after would be required, but this is now considered obsolete. Simply preceding with a comma is sufficient.

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All of these are transition words. They all show a result. The grammatical correct way to use them is as followed:
I ate a hamburger, so I am full.
I ate a hamburger; therefore, I am full.
I ate a hamburger; thus, I am full.

Thus and therefore are interchangeable. Yet, "thus" is very formal. I would reserve it for academic papers.

I hope this helps.

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What is the difference between "therefore" and "thus" in this case? Is it possible to use both of them and have the same meaning. Both would be correct, though pretentious?

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Aren't they conjunctive adverbs? Or should I say adverbial conjuctions?

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Aren't they conjunctive adverbs? Or should I say adverbial conjuctions?

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