そこで・
Three ways to say "so" at the start of a new sentence. そこで: so someone did something about it. そのため: because of that. その結果: as a result.
what was done about it
Inquiries suddenly increased, so we added two more staff to handle them.
what it led to
Inquiries suddenly increased. Because of that, replies began to take longer.
how things ended up
Inquiries suddenly increased. As a result, this month's sales were double last month's.
How to form it
Sentence。 そこで／そのため／その結果、+ what followed
Each opens a new sentence, usually with a comma after it.
そこで: someone did something about it
First a situation, usually a problem. Then the step someone took to deal with it: they decided, asked, changed something.
You meet it in reports and explanations, and out loud in talks and meetings. Telling a friend, people say それで.
The package was too heavy for me to carry alone, so I got the person next door to help.
The signs were difficult to understand, so the person in charge created new diagrams.
We are short of hands. So I have a favor to ask of you all.
In a talk or a meeting, the step can be a request, a question or a proposal.
It has to be something done on purpose. What simply happens can't follow そこで.
Not said: 台風で
(The typhoon stopped the trains, so many people were late for work.)
Nobody chose to be late.
The typhoon stopped the trains. Because of that, many people were late for work.
A cause, and what it led to.
そのため: because of that
A cause, then what it led to, whether or not anyone decided anything. It belongs to news, notices, announcements and reports. Talking to a friend, you would say それで or だから.
Heavy snow has continued since last night. Because of that, all morning flights were canceled.
Waiting times became longer. Because of that, complaints from users increased.
その結果: as a result
How things ended up, most often after something was done or went on for a while: training, a change, a check. What follows is often a number or something found out. It belongs to reports, news and presentations.
The training continued for three months. As a result, errors by new employees fell by half.
I decided to walk for thirty minutes every day. As a result, I lost five kilos in six months.
We looked into the cause. As a result, we found that the battery had gotten old.
Often そのため would fit too. It points back at the cause; その結果 points at where things ended up.
Close neighbours
それでN4
The everyday "so" for telling what happened. In conversation it does the work of all three.
I suddenly came down with a fever, so I missed my afternoon classes.
するとN3
"And then": what happened next, with nobody choosing it.
She rang the bell. Then a clerk came out from the back.
したがってN2
"Therefore": a conclusion reasoned out from the facts, in formal writing. Not something that happened.
The submitted materials contain no date. Therefore, it is not possible to determine when they were prepared.
Check yourself
1Which one fits?
田中選手は
Choose an answer to see why.
2Which one fits?
口で
Choose an answer to see why.
More detail
そのために
After a goal, そのために is "for that", "to that end".
I want to study in Japan next year. I'm working part-time now for that.
そこで待つ
In そこで待っていてください, "please wait there", and in a story's そこで目が覚めた, "at that point I woke up", it is just そこ and で.
More sentences
Questions about the new product kept coming in, so the company released an explanatory video.
The materials contained outdated information, so the team decided to redo the investigation.
Strong winds have continued since last night. Because of that, the boats cannot return to port.
The product layout was changed. As a result, sales rose by ten percent.
The reception process was revised. As a result, the average wait became a full ten minutes shorter.