Is "as such" correctly used?

Question

Our teachers are our best guides; as such we must expect them.Is "as such" used correctly? I think "therefore" should be used instead. Thanks.

Thomas Tompion · Accepted Answer

Hello Tamguatlay.

Your sentence says that because teachers are our best guides we should expect them.

That's quite a strange thing to say, because expecting someone means thinking that they will arrive to join us very soon, and it's not clear why there should be a connection between people being good guides and our thinking they will appear in the next few minutes.

So I don't think your sentence uses 'as such' incorrectly, but I'm having trouble understanding its logic.

The difference between 'as such' and 'therefore' in a sentence like yours is that 'therefore' presents a general logical link between the two ideas, whereas 'as such' links the ideas with reference to the attributes specific to teachers which you've just mentioned - ie. it says that we should expect them because they are our best guides. In your context I don't see much difference.

Tamguatlay · Answer

Thanks, Thomas.

It was a typo. Should be "respect" instead?

PeterT · Answer

'Our teachers are our best guides; as such we should expect the highest standards from them, and must make our greatest effort.'

'Therefore' is trite these days. It belongs in The Wizard of Oz, together with 'must aver' and 'really, most sincerely':

Therefore, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Universitatus
Committeeatum e plurbis unum, I hereby
confer upon you the honorary degree of Th.D!

Is "as such" correctly used?

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