Connectives connect and relate sentences and paragraphs.
They assist in the logical flow of
ideas as they signal the relationship between sentences and paragraphs. In prose, the
material is supported and conditioned not only by the ordering of the material (its position)
but by connectives which signal order, relationship and movement.
Some of the more commonly used connectives are listed below. Note especially how these
connections function to develop, relate, connect and move ideas.
USAGE CONNECTIVE WORDS
addition of and, also, besides, further, furthermore, too, moreover, in addition, then, of
ideas equal importance, equally important, another
next, afterward, finally, later, last, lastly, at last, now, subsequently, then,
when, soon, thereafter, after a short time, the next week (month, day, etc.), a
time
minute later, in the meantime, meanwhile, on the following day, at length,
ultimately, presently
order or first, second, (etc.), finally, hence, next, then, from here on, to begin with, last
sequence of all, after, before, as soon as, in the end, gradually
above, behind, below, beyond, here, there, to the right (left), nearby, opposite,
space and
on the other side, in the background, directly ahead, along the wall, as you
place
turn right, at the top, across the hall, at this point, adjacent to
to signal an for example, to illustrate, for instance, to be specific, such as, moreover,
example furthermore, just as important, similarly, in the same way
as a result, hence, so, accordingly, as a consequence, consequently, thus,
results
since, therefore, for this reason, because of this
purpose to this end, for this purpose, with this in mind, for this reason(s)
comparison like, in the same manner (way), as so, similarly
contrast but, in contrast, conversely, however, still, nevertheless, nonetheless, yet, and
connectives yet, on the other hand, on the contrary, or, in spite of this, actually, in fact
to summarize in summary, to sum up, to repeat, briefly, in short, finally, on the whole,
or report therefore, as I have said, in conclusion, as you can see
Conjunctions Multiple Choice Tests
Here is a list of words and phrases used as cohesive devices:
Addition
Coordinator Paired Subordinating Transitions Prep. Phrase
And Both...and --- In addition In addition to
Not only...but(also) Further more As well as
Neither...nor Besides* Besides*
What's more Apart from
Also Aside from
On top of that
Moreover
Indeed
Examples:
Both/not only proteins and/but also vitamins are essential for small children.
The film was neither well made nor well-performed.
I can play the piano apart from the guitar.
Contrast
Coordinator Paired Subordinating Transitions Prep. Phrase
But --- Although, though However Despite
Yet Even though, much as Nonetheless In spite of
Notwithstanding Yet, even so For all
No matter + question word Nevertheless Regardless of
However + adj./adv. Still Notwithstanding
Adj./adv. + though/as Notwithstanding
Examples:
Although he's very smart, he cannot pass his English class.
No matter how smart you are, you shouldn't underestimate your opponents.
He's very smart, he doesn't respect his friends though.
Regardless of age, anybody can ride this ride.
Direct Contrast
Coordinator Paired Subordinating Transitions Prep. Phrase
But --- While On the contrary Unlike
Yet Whereas In contrast In contrast to
On the other hand Contrary to
Conversely As opposed to
Contrarily
While / whereas
Examples:
The winters are very wet here; whereas, the summers are very dry.
It was very hot yesterday, in contrast, it’s very cold today.
It's cold and windy today, on the other hand, it’s not raining.
Result
Coordinator Paired Subordinating Transitions Prep. Phrase
So/such ...
--- --- Therefore As a result of
that
As a consequence
As a result of this
of
As a result
So, this, hence
Consequently
As a consequence of
this
Because of this
Accordingly
Cause Effect
Causes
leads to
Man's hunting whales in large the danger of their becoming
results in
numbers extinct
is the result for
is responsible for
Effect Cause
is the result of
is due to
man's hunting them in large
Whales' facing extinction is a consequence
numbers
of
result from
For Example:
As a consequence of rising population, people now have to cope with heavy traffic.
It was such a great movie that I watched it three times.
The basketball team's introducing a talented young player resulted in winning more games.
Purpose
Coordinator Paired Subordinating Transitions Prep. Phrase
--- --- So that --- In order to
In order that To
For the purpose that For the purpose of
For fear of
So as to
For Example:
I talked to the shy girl for the purpose that she wouldn’t feel isolated.
We all spoke in quiet voices for fear of waking the baby up.
She went to her husband’s office for the purpose of seeing him.
Comparison
similarly
equally
in the same way
compared with
like
I can speak Spanish; similarly, my brother can speak Spanish.
Listings
first(ly)
finally
in the first place
then
to conclude
to begin
next
I loved England a lot. First I loved its museums. Secondly, I loved its people. Finally I loved its tourist attractions.
Giving Examples
for example
for instance
such as
as follows
namely
I like small pets such as cats and birds.
Coordinating Conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions are short and simple transitions that are composed of two or three letters. They are used to
avoid short, choppy, run-on etc. sentences. They show the way ideas/entities are related to each other.
The word FANBOYS is used as a reminder for these conjunctions:
For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So.
See coordinating conjunctions details
Correlative Conjunctions
Transitions that always appear in pairs and link sentence elements together are called correlative conjunctions.
Both...and, neither...nor, either...or, not only...but also...
See correlative conjunctions
Subordinating Conjunctions
Subordinating conjunctions connect the dependent clause of a sentence with the independent clause and show the
relationship between the two. We use a comma in between if the subordinator (when, before, because, although...) is
at the beginning of the sentence.
Although it was raining, she went out for a walk.
She went out for a walk although it was raining.
Because she was tired, she went straight to the bed.
She went straight to the bed because she was tired.
After she (had) made a phone call, she left home.
She left home after she (had) made a phone call.
See table of subordinating conjunctions
Conjunctions PDF Exercises
Conjunctions Exercises 1
Coordinating Conjunctions PDF
Because / Because Of / Therefore
Due To / Since / Consequently
Either / Neither / Both
So That Sentences
Paired Conjunctions 2
So vs Such
Conjunctions Exercises 2
Mixed Conjunctions Worksheet
Conjunctions Table
Also & Too & As Well Except For / Apart From
Although In Spite Of However
Because Since As For In Addition
Because vs So In Case
Besides Neither...nor
Both and Both Of No Matter...(what)
Both and Neither Notwithstanding
Contrast Conjunctions Not only...but also
Despite / In Spite of Unless
Either...or Other Conjunctions
