-Placed in the middle of a sentence
-Used in writing and conversations
Giving illustrations or examples helps us prove our point and convince other people to believe us. These words help people understand what you’re trying to say and can help them see why you believe what you believe.
English Connectors for Cause and Effect | Usage | Context | Example Sentences |
---|---|---|---|
| -Used in everyday conversations and in writing -Most popular ways to give examples | Formal and informal | , she was able to solve a difficult math problem in half the time that everyone else did. , I spent four hours trying to learn how to use the . |
| -Used in everyday conversations and in writing -Can be used to give examples and list things | Formal and informal | teaching, journalism, advertising and so on. pizza, pasta and ravioli. |
-Similar to "for example" -Often used in writing | Usually formal | , he killed six women before being tracked down by the police. |
While discussing an issue or idea, you may want to focus on a particular point or example. To make the listener understand the importance of that specific idea, you can use the following connectors.
English Connectors for Emphasis | Usage | Context | Example Sentences |
---|---|---|---|
-Used quite often -Used at the beginning, middle or even the end of sentences -Used in writing and conversations | Formal and informal | , I think learning English was one of the best decisions I've ever made. , it's more common than you think. | |
-Used in writing and conversations -Used to indicate a fact supporting an opinion stated beforehand | Formal and informal | , there are 57 million speakers! , I don't miss meat at all! | |
-Similar to "as a matter of fact" -Used in writing and conversations | Formal and informal | , I don't think it'll work this time either. , I make them every day. | |
-As the phrase suggests, it's used to highlight or emphasize a point that's more important than the others already stated -Often used in writing -May be used in everyday conversations as well | Usually formal | , without sunlight, there would be no life on this planet. , you have to be clear about what you want to say. | |
-Used to highlight a point or several points -Used in writing and conversations | Formal and informal | since she's upset right now. rock and roll! | |
-Used to emphasize that a point (or several points) is important -Usually appears in writing | Usually formal | the invention of the light bulb. for his book "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." | |
-Only used in writing -Used to say that something is worth noting (compared to others) | Formal | is his work on child psychology. to the field of biology. |
Sometimes, we need to draw attention to certain similarities to make a point or explain something. This is especially important in writing!
To make better comparisons, use the following English connectors.
English Connectors for Comparison | Usage | Context | Example Sentences |
---|---|---|---|
-Used to say that the next point is similar to the previous one -Used in writing and conversations | Formal and informal | , dogs love chasing after balls. , squirrels use holes in trees to protect their babies. | |
| -Can be interchangeable with "similarly" -Used in writing and conversations | Formal and informal | , my brother loves playing sports. , animals need a variety of foods, too. |
| -Used to add to a point made previously -Usually appear in writing -Used at the beginning of new paragraphs to ensure they're connected to the overall topic -Used as (that is, these words make new sentences and paragraphs flow with others) | Usually formal | , it explores racism in America in the 20th century. , it's great for remembering everything you've learned! |
-Can be used instead of "and" -Used in writing and conversations | Formal and informal | an excellent dancer. math. | |
-Used to give examples -Used to show how two things are alike -Used in writing and conversations | Mostly informal | his cousin. we're strangers. | |
-Similar to "also" and "similarly" -Used in writing | Usually formal | , her best friend also favors tea. studied English. |
Sometimes, we need to express different or contradicting ideas side-by-side. Doing this helps the listener or reader focus on important differences and makes them aware of the many sides of a topic.
English Connectors for Contrast | Usage | Context | Example Sentences |
---|---|---|---|
-Similar to "while" -Used in writing and conversations | Formal and informal | Maria is good at speaking. Chinese doesn't. | |
| -Used in writing and conversations | Formal and informal | Rose was a hard-working student, she failed the entrance exam. you're young, you're very mature. |
-Similar to "but" -Used in writing and conversations | Formal and informal | , you still need to exercise. , they can be expensive. | |
-Used in writing and conversations | Formal and informal | , my friend prefers rainy seasons. , eating chocolate every day is bad for your health. | |
-Similar to "even though" or "although" -Used in writing and conversations | Formal and informal | the rain, we went for a walk and enjoyed the fresh air. their different personalities. | |
-More common way to say "in spite of" -Used in writing and conversations | Formal and informal | being warned, she still went into the scary woods. being tired. | |
-Mostly used in writing | Usually formal | , I think he's quite innocent and deserves a chance to explain himself. , I believe in aliens. |
These connectors are useful when you’re giving step-by-step instructions or listing points.
English Connectors for Sequence | Usage | Context | Example Sentences |
---|---|---|---|
-Used in writing and conversations | Formal and informal | , you need to mix the flour, baking soda and cocoa powder together. , you need to carefully add the milk. , there's no evidence to support it. , the logic used isn't strong enough. | |
-Similar to "firstly... secondly..." -Used in writing and conversations | Formal and informal | , it only takes a few minutes a day. , anyone can do it. , I check my emails. , I reply to important messages. | |
-Used in writing and conversations | Formal and informal | , it's delicious. Also, it cools me down on hot days. , it expands your communication skills. In the second place, it opens up new opportunities. | |
-Used to state the last point of a topic -Used in writing and conversations | Formal and informal | , the effects of the chemicals must be taken into consideration. , I organize my desk before leaving the office. | |
-When used in writing, it's an excellent way to begin the last or the second to the last paragraph -When used in speech, you can use it to give the final instructions or end a conversation | Formal and informal | , mix all the ingredients well. , after editing the document, I proofread for any errors. |
Finally , how do you let your reader know that you’ve reached the end? (See what I did there?)
There are certain connectors that we usually use during conclusions or when we’ve reached the end of what we wanted to say. When writing or stating conclusions, you usually repeat the most important points.
English Connectors for Conclusion | Usage | Context | Example Sentences |
---|---|---|---|
Used in formal writing as a way to begin the last or "concluding" paragraph in an essay or report | Formal | , we can't ignore the role modern science plays in our everyday lives. , it's crucial for everyone to be on the same page moving forward. | |
Used in writing and conversations | Formal and informal | , you need to directly confront Kevin about the matter we've just discussed. , the story revolves around a young detective solving a mysterious case. | |
Used in writing and conversations | Formal and informal | , I think Kayla should go to the party. , bilingualism enhances cognitive abilities and opens up cultural opportunities. | |
Used in conversations (though may also be used in writing) | Mostly informal | , organizing a surprise birthday party for Josh was certainly worth it. , I'd say the science fair was a success. |
Here are some quick tips that’ll help you learn English connectors more efficiently.
Make Your Own Sentences
To explain the meanings and uses of different connectors, I’ve provided example sentences for each. However, you’ll remember them much better if you come up with your own examples.
You can start by using connectors in your diary entries, notebooks, essays and the like. Soon, you’ll find yourself using these connectors in everyday speech as well!
Write a Short Story or Essay
To see the huge difference English connectors can make, try writing a paragraph without any connectors and then rewrite it using some of the connectors above. You’ll quickly realize that your sentences will flow better, sound more logical and become easier to understand.
Learn English with Authentic Content
You probably want to speak English like a native (or at least try to). So why not learn from natives? Try watching a speech in English to get a good idea of how these fit together. Look for the ones with transcripts that you can write notes in, maybe even circling all of the connecting terms as you see them.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
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Do Online Exercises
Finally, to check whether you’ve understood how to use connectors correctly, you can try online exercises from websites that cover English grammar .
For example, the ones on English Daily and English Grammar are pretty short and can be completed in a few minutes.
There’s also ToLearnEnglish , which provides a brief list of common connectors before you solve the exercise, making it a great resource for review.
Now that you know the most commonly-used English connectors, you can use them in sentences and paragraphs with great confidence. Try your hand at some of the exercises I’ve suggested for practice.
So what are you waiting for?
Get out there and start incorporating these useful English connectors into your everyday life!
If you like learning English through movies and online media, you should also check out FluentU. FluentU lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials , as you can see here:
If you want to watch it, the FluentU app has probably got it.
The FluentU app and website makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are captions that are interactive. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and useful examples.
FluentU lets you learn engaging content with world famous celebrities.
For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you see this:
FluentU lets you tap to look up any word.
Learn all the vocabulary in any video with quizzes. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning.
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Microsoft Word - Sentence Connectors for Use in Writing Compositions.doc. Prof. S. Yoffie.
Title: Linking Words Author: https://www.smart-words.org/ Subject: A complete List English Linking & Connecting Words Keywords: Linking words, Connectin Words ...
It can sometimes be difficult to start a sentence to express ideas, or find words to show the relationship between ideas. Below is a list of possible sentence starters, transitional and other
Skills booklet Tertiary Essay Writing. Connectives used in and between sentences Connectives allow us to be more precise about the relationships between statements in a sentence or between sentences. Particular phrases and words serve different functions in connecting ideas and arguments.
Transitions and Connectives Words or phrases used to create logical links between sentences, paragraphs, and sections of a paper. These may help create sentence variety in essays, short answer questions, and more. To introduce: To add or continue: To indicate order or importance: To conclude: To compare/contrast: To show cause/effect:
You can do this by using linking words and phrases. For this reason, linking words and phrases are often called connectives. Connectives act like a road map for the reader to indicate the flow and order of your writing. These play an important role in showing the logical connections between your ideas, the literature, and the statements you are ...
conjunctions and connectives since both have similar grammar functions. ! A conjunction normally connects two sentences, while connectives are used as connecting words within a sentence. ! They are generally used to indicate different purposes, such as addition, sequence, consequence and/or contrast. They are also
Cohesion is a quality of effective writing. Cohesive writing helps readers understand how the details relate to the overall argument of a text and to follow it easily. The quality of cohesion in a written text is achieved by various means, which make different elements of the text hold together well: logical conjunction, grammatical referencing ...
Starters and Connectives • Use these words to improve the quality of your writing. • Write an introduction to begin with • Start each paragraph with a topic sentence • Vary the length of your sentences • Use a variety of verbs and adjectives • Try to develop the points you make • Finish with a thoughtful conclusion Listing Points firstly, ...
Transitions & Connectives. Words and phrases that connect and make logical transitions between sentences, paragraphs, and sections of a paper generally do so in at least eight different ways: 1. To support, add or continue: 2. To compare and contrast: Also Just as In the same manner Unlike In spite of
Archaic transition words. Words like "hereby," "therewith," and most others formed by the combination of "here," "there," or "where" with a preposition are typically avoided in modern academic writing. Using them makes your writing feel old-fashioned and strained and can sometimes obscure your meaning.
Linking words and phrases are connectors or transitional phrases. They are also part of formal language, so you'll find them in academic writing, opinion writing, critical essays, dialectic essays, journalism, and business documents. Some linking verbs link clauses within a sentence, such as although, in case, and whatever.
However, in complex essays, multiple paragraphs may be required to develop an idea. Use topic sentences and connectives to connect sub-ideas and show where main ideas begin and end. • Includes evidence and connectives to support and link each idea CONCLUSION • About 10 - 15% of the total essay length
Connectives fall into three grammatical categories: conjunctions, prepositions, and adverbs. Conjunctions: are a type of connective BUT they're not the same. Conjunctions join words, phrases, clauses and sentences together to form longer complex sentences. For example: and, but, for, or, yet.
These words are called 'connectives' (or 'linking words'). Connectives help your essay 'flow' and read more coherently. More specifically, connectives help you: illustrate a point, compare and contrast ideas, sequence ideas, conclude or summarise ideas, show a causal relatioship. Are you in the process of proof-reading your essay?
Linking/Transition Words. Transitions link one main idea to another separated by a semi-colon or full-stop. When the transition word is at the beginning of the sentence, it should be followed by a comma: Among other functions, they can signal cause and effect or sequencing (see examples in the table below). Additional comments or ideas.
CON004 - Connectives and Linking Words. CON003 - Connectives and Linking Phrases. CON002 - Connectives and Linking Phrases. CON001 - Connectives. Prepositions - PDF Worksheets for English Language Learners - Upper intermediate Level (B2)
Connectors Definition. Linker Words or Word Connectors are used to link large groups of words: phrases and sentences.You can also use them to connect paragraphs to give them coherence. Sentence connectors are usually placed at the beginning of a sentence and may be categorized as follows:. 👉 CONTRAST
Unless you finish the essay by tomorrow you won't be able to get a good mark. 13. Neither my father nor my mother will be able to attend the meeting tomorrow. 14. He likes all kinds of sports, such as skiing, hockey and volleyball. Title: Connectives and Linking Words - PDF Worksheet - B2 - CON001 Author: Nikolaus ROSMANITZ Subject:
Connectives worksheet. Coordinating conjunctions - exercises. But / and / so / because / or. Because / so - pdf exercises. Conjunctions test - worksheet. Conjunctions - handout. Conjunctions - handouts. Coordinating conjunctions. Connectives and linking words.
Conjunctions used in essay writing. Conjunctions (aka connectives, e.g. and, but, or, so, then)
English connectors are little words and phrases that help you connect sentences, paragraphs and ideas. Used both in spoken and written English, they help make your English sound more logical and structured. You can think of connectors as like the thread that holds a necklace's beads (i.e. sentences, paragraphs and ideas) together.
Argumentative Paragraph Writing CONNECTORS. rosand2001. 9626. 155. 112. 0. 1/1. Let's do English ESL creative writing prompt. Here you will find the most common Argumentative Paragraph Writing CONNECTORS organized by topic sentence, support….