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
1. HOWEVER
This restaurant has the best kitchen in town. However, their staff are quite rude.
2. IN CONTRAST
House prices have gone up this year. In contrast, car prices seem to be stagnating.
3. NEVERTHELESS
I was in so much pain I didnt want to get up in the morning. Nevertheless, I went to football practice
as usual.
4. NONETHELESS
I dont think Sean has serious behavioural problems. Nonetheless, Ill talk to him first thing in the
morning.
5. YET
Ive asked you a thousand times not to leave your dirty socks on the floor. Yet, you keep doing it.
6. ON THE OTHER HAND
England has the best language schools. On the other hand, it has the worst weather.
7. BY COMPARISON
Going out with Jim has its risks. By comparison, being with Tim is as easy as falling off a log.
8. ON THE CONTRARY
I dont hate Jim. On the contrary, Im rather fond of him.
9. INSTEAD
I didnt want to take a side in the argument. Instead, I put my headphones on and listened to some
smooth jazz.
10. IN ANY CASE
I was thinking of going round Jims place. In any case, I havent been invited.
11. ALL THE SAME
Yes, hes very good-looking. All the same, I dont think you should go out with him.
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SIMILARITY
1. LIKEWISE
You cant give your phone number to every man who asks for it. Likewise, you cant go out with
everyone who fancies you.
2. SIMILARLY
Youre not allowed to use your phone here. Similarly, you have to switch it off when youre in the
library.
3. CORRESPONDINGLY
Shes an excellent photographer. Correspondingly, her paintings are works of art.
4. IN THE SAME WAY
Cutting down on sugar will help you lose weight. In the same way, doing more exercise will help you
get rid of a few kilos.
5. ALSO
I want to talk to Prince Harry when Im in England. Also, I want to meet his sister-in-law.
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RESULT
1. AS A RESULT
Ive done a pranic healing course. As a result, Ive been able to cure my neighbours sick cat.
2. AS A CONSEQUENCE
Zack has skipped school on many occasions. As a consequence, hes failed his French test.
3. THEREFORE
Were going to experience some meteor showers in the next few days. Therefore, the number of
miraculous self-healings will rise.
4. THUS
You didnt tell me you wanted to come. Thus, we wont be taking you with us.
5. ACCORDINGLY
Plenty of tourists visit the area in summer. Accordingly, selling hand-made objects is the main source
of income for locals.
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SEQUENCING
1. FIRST, FIRSTLY, FIRST OF ALL, IN THE FIRST PLACE
First of all, Id like to talk about the benefits of having a pet pig.
2. TO BEGIN WITH
To begin with, pet pigs are cleaner than dogs.
3. FOR ONE THING
For one thing, theyre completely loyal to their owners.
4. SECOND, SECONDLY, IN THE SECOND PLACE
Secondly, their impressive numeracy skills must be mentioned.
5. FOR ANOTHER THING
For another thing, you might want to consider how cute they look in pyjamas.
6. THIRD, THIRDLY, IN THE THIRD PLACE
In the third place, you can always count on your pet pig to perform some tricks for you when youd
like to impress a pretty girl.
7. ALSO
Also, they dont eat much.
8. BESIDES
Besides not eating much, they wont ever chew on your electric cords.
9. IN ADDITION
In addition, they can be taught to feed themselves if you allow them access to your pantry.
10. FURTHERMORE
Furthermore, they make wonderful walking buddies.
11. MOREOVER
Moreover, theyll show you the way home when youre drunk.
12. FINALLY
Finally, pet pigs are fantastic guards. No burglar would ever have the heart to hurt a pet pig.
13. LAST, LASTLY, LAST OF ALL
Lastly, your reputation as an eccentric will rapidly grow in the neighbourhood if youre seen walking a
pet pig on a leash every morning.
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ORDER OF IMPORTANCE
1. MOST IMPORTANTLY
Id like to talk to you about how to keep calm at your workplace. Most importantly, never go to the
canteen while your boss is there.
2. PRIMARILY
Youll have to focus on your immediate surroundings. Primarily, on your computer screen.
3. ABOVE ALL
Above all, dont ever look up from your notes when people are around.
4. MOST SIGNIFICANTLY
Most significantly, avoid eye-contact at all costs.
5. ESSENTIALLY, BASICALLY (usually spoken)
How can I put this? Essentially, having an affair with one of your colleagues should be the last thing
on your mind.
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PARTICULARIZATION
1. IN PARTICULAR, PARTICULARLY
Nearly a third of marriages end in divorce. In particular, its middle-aged couples that yearn for much
more from life.
2. MORE SPECIFICALLY
Couples tend to argue about financial issues. More specifically, they argue when one of them is out of
work.
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EXAMPLIFICATION
1. FOR EXAMPLE
To solve this problem, you might want to try making small gestures. For example, making your
spouses favourite meal for dinner or giving him a massage after a tiring day.
2. FOR INSTANCE
Appreciate the small things your spouse does for you. For instance, leave thank-you notes for them
every now and then.
3. TO ILLUSTRATE
Misunderstandings can be highly destructive. To illustrate, if your spouse sees you with a friend of the
opposite sex in a caf, he might not understand why he hasnt been invited and demand an
explanation.
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EXPLANATION
1. THAT IS TO SAY, THAT IS
Keep romance alive. That is to say, dont let your lovelife fall into routine.
2. NAMELY
I have a very good reason for not trusting my ex. Namely, hes a convicted felon.
3. IN OTHER WORDS
Dont be unsociable. In other words, go out and make some friends.
4. PUT DIFFERENTLY
John has managed to get over Jane. Put differently, hes started seeing other women.
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EMPHASISING
1. AS A MATTER OF FACT
I love sleeping with my pet pig. As a matter of fact, I cant fall asleep unless hes in my bed.
2. IN FACT
I told them not to invite Rachel to the party. In fact, I was the only person who saw what a party
pooper she really was.
3. ACTUALLY
I think it would be a good idea to send her some flowers. Actually, you should get her a hundred
orchids.
4. INDEED
He may be the best-dressed man around. Indeed, he has a really good taste in fashion.
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FOCUSING AND LINKING
1. AS FOR (often suggests disinterest or dislike)
Im going to Janets party at the weekend. As for Marys, I think Ill pass.
2. WITH RESPECT TO
Starting your own IT company may be the one of the best things you can do right now. With respect
to opening a pet shop, its hard to say the same thing.
3. REGARDING
Start your day with making the most important phone calls. Regarding emails, you might put them off
until later.
4. WITH REGARD TO
With regard to handling complaints, you might want to keep in mind that your customers are always
right.
5. AS REGARDS
Working from home has many advantages. As regards disadvantages, it might be difficult to keep
your cat off your keyboard.
6. TALKING OF
Talking of cats, you cant trust them to keep you company when you need it. Theyre quite selfish
creatures.
7. AS FAR AS CONCERNED
As far as dogs are concerned, they might give you a chance to get up from your desk and get some
exercise during the day.
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CONCLUSION
1. IN CONCLUSION
In conclusion, it may be said that pigs make the best pets.
2. IN BRIEF
Meeting my boss at the pub was an interesting experience. In brief, it was a disaster.
3. IN SUMMARY
In summary, it may not be the best idea to frequent the same pubs as your boss.
4. TO SUM UP
To sum up, some people are better suited to working from home than others.
5. ALL IN ALL
All in all, you have to make sure both you and your customers are satisfied with your work.
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CORRECTION
1. RATHER
I thought it was a good idea to get a ferret. Rather, it had always been my dream to get one.
2. TO BE MORE PRECISE
You might want to change a few things. To be more precise, I think you should start again from
scratch.
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TIME
1. AT FIRST
It wasnt a piece of cake to learn English. At first, I couldnt pronounce all the words correctly.
2. THEN
Then, I couldnt spell all the words correctly.
3. AFTERWARDS
Afterwards, I had a hard time understanding the tenses.
4. LATER
Later, I couldnt memorize phrasal verbs and idioms.
5. IN THE MEANTIME
In the meantime, I was getting some help from MyEnglishTeacher.
6. MEANWHILE
Meanwhile, I was enjoying my skype lessons more and more.
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DISMISSAL (of what was said before)
1. ANYWAY
I couldnt get my head around the Passive Voice. Anyway, I dont think its important to use it all the
time.
2. ANYHOW
Anyhow, Ive just decided to learn Russian next.
3. AT ANY RATE
At any rate, I dont want to become a simultaneous interpreter in five languages.