CONNECTORS and LINKERS

What are connectors? Connectors and linkers are basically conjunctive words that are used for connecting
elements or ideas present in a sentence, different sentences, paragraphs, or texts. They are divided into two main
categories: conjunctions and adverbs. Broadly speaking, conjunctions and connectors describe the relationship
between two statements. These statements can be written without linking words, but often the information can be
conveyed more accurately using these words. Adverbs are used between two separate sentences. Conjunctions
grammatically join two clauses (independent or dependent, depending on the conjunction) so that it reads as one
sentence.
• ADVERBS: They are separated from the previous sentence by “.” or “;” and followed by “,“. Or between two
“,“.
“We knew you were coming; therefore, we arranged a party”
• CONJUNCTIONS: They join both sentences directly.
“We arranged a party because we knew you were coming”
Sometimes, the conjunction connector can come at the beginning; then, we separate one sentence from the other
with “,“.
“As we knew you were coming, we arranged a party”
Some of these linking connective words can only be followed by a NOUN, a PHRASE or GERUND but never a
sentence. In some cases, they are actually used as prepositions: due to, despite, etc.
There are different types of connectors (adverbs and conjunctions) in English and each of those has a different use.
So, how to use connectors? Let’s check all of those sentence connectors and the examples:

 Adding INFORMATION (ADDITION)

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

and y - I like eating pizza and vegetables.
also también - I also like eating them.
too también - I like eating them too.
as well también - Do they like eating them as well?
as well as además de - I like eating pizza as well as vegetables.
moreover además, es más - It seems, moreover, that they were related.
- She doesn’t like eating any meat. Moreover, she hates raw
furthermore fish.

in addition - We can’t judge him only by what we have heard;

furthermore, we need to look into his motives.
- She doesn’t like eating any meat. Furthermore, she hates
raw fish.

- We made a previous order. In addition, we want to ask

for some more books
besides además / aparte de - I wasn’t interested in the talk, besides I was feeling very
tired.
(eso) / excepto
- No one knows besides you.
in addition to + además de - Mary love swimming in addition to running.
noun/gerund - In addition to our previous order, we want some more
books.
- In addition to having a baby, they also got married.

apart from aparte de - I like all kinds of pasta. Apart from that, he likes little
else.
what’s more lo que es más, además - He loves pasta, and what’s more, he owns an Italian
restaurant.

not only …, but no solo …, sino - Not only did he hit her, but he also he killed her.
also … también… - Not only was it raining all day at the wedding but also the
band was late.
* be careful with the - Not only will they paint the outside of the house but also
inversion the inside.
- Children like eating both pizza and chicken.
both … and … tanto … como…. - Both Mark and Jennifer like reading.

neither … nor … ni … ni…. - My grandmother likes neither pizza nor chicken.

- Neither Mark nor Jennifer like smoking.

o … o …. - We can eat either meat or fish.

either … or … - Either you go or you stay. Make up your mind now!

 Expressing CONTRAST or CONCESSION

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

but pero - He hadn’t any money, but he got a ticket.
however sin embargo, no obstante - He hadn’t any money; however, he got a ticket.
- He spent all his spare money. However, he still
nevertheless had his credit card.
- He hadn’t any money; nevertheless, he got a ticket.
nonetheless - He spent all his spare money. Nevertheless, he still
had his credit card.
- He hadn’t any money; nonetheless, he got a ticket.
- He spent all his spare money. Nonetheless, he
still had his credit card.
while mientras que - British cars are small while American ones are
- long.
whereas - While British cars are small, American ones are
long.
- British cars are small whereas American ones
- are long.
- Whereas British cars are small, American ones are
long.
unlike a diferencia de - Unlike your mum, hers is more distant
and colder.
 (al)though + sentence aunque - Although /Though he hadn’t any money, he got a
ticket.
even though + sentence - He got a ticket although /though he hadn’t any
money.
- Even though he hadn’t any money, he got a ticket.
- He got a ticket even though he hadn’t any
money.
in spite of + a pesar de - In spite of {not having any money/having no
money}, he got a ticket.
noun/gerund/pronoun
- He got a ticket in spite of {not having any
money/having no money}.
despite + - Despite {not having any money/having no
money}, he got a ticket.
noun/gerund/pronoun - He got a ticket despite {not having any
money/having no money}.
in spite of the fact that a pesar de que - In spite of the fact that he hadn’t any money, he
- got a ticket.
+ sentence
- He got a ticket in spite of the fact that he hadn’t
got any money.
despite the fact that + - Despite the fact that he hadn’t any money, he got
- a ticket.
sentence - He got a ticket despite the fact that he hadn’t got
any money.
on the one hand por un lado/una parte - On the one hand, reading is very enriching.

on the other hand por otro lado/otra parte - On the other hand, it can also be boring when you
don’t like what you must read.

 Giving EXAMPLES

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

for example por ejemplo - I like playing sports, for example, football, basketball
and volleyball.
for instance
- She underwent several illnesses, for instance, flu,
smallpox and chickenpox.

“such as” + como - I have read authors such as Dan Brown, Noah
noun/gerund Gordon, Stephenie Meyer and J.K. Rowling.
- We all have many home-maintenance tasks, such as
“like” + washing our clothes, cleaning the kitchen, and taking out
noun/gerund the garbage.
- A man like him belongs on the stage.
- Children are better than adults at many things, like
having fun, acting spontaneously, etc.
  Expressing PURPOSE or AIM

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

to + infinitive para - He went to Scotland to learn English.
- Ann stayed at home to rest.
in order (not) to + para (no) - She came to Spain in order to learn Spanish.
- She left China in order not to speak Chinese.
infinitive
so as (not) to + para (no) - She went to France so as to learn French.
- She left Brazil so as not to hear Portuguese.
infinitive
so that + sentence para que - There is a fire exit so that people will/can leave.
- I’m buying some food so that we can/will have the
fridge full.
- I’ve lit the fire so that the house will warm.
- They’ll make an appointment so that we won’t have to
wait.

for ” + gerund (V-ing) para - A knife is used for cutting.

(to talk about the purpose or - Pencils are for writing and chairs are for sitting.
function of a thing, what an object
is used for)

NOTE: Don’t use for + -ing to talk about why we do something or to say what is the purpose of our actions.

 I work hard for improving my English.

 I work hard to improve my English.
 Turn the TV for watching the news.
 Turn the TV on to watch the news.

 Expressing REASON or CAUSE

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

because + sentence porque - I couldn’t go then because I had to study.
since + sentence ya que, como - Since there wasn’t enough show, they
didn’t go skiing.
as + sentence
como - As I am very busy studying for my exams, I
won’t go with you.

for + sentence ya que, puesto que, pues - He isn’t allowed to smoke for he is still a
kid.
for + gerund (V-ing) por - They put him in prison for stealing
forbidden books.

because of + noun/pronoun a causa de, debido a - We couldn’t go because of the storm.

due to + noun/pronoun - Due to his bad attitude, he lost his job.

 Expressing RESULT or CONSEQUENCE

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

so + adjective/adverb + tan…que - We were so impatient that we couldn’t wait
for them.
that

such + (adjective) + tan…que - They had such a big dog that nobody dared
to go near their house.
noun + that - They had such big dogs that nobody went
near their house.

so many + plural tantos/as…que - There were so many people that we couldn’t

get into the pub.
countable noun + that
so much + (singular) tanto/a…que - He drank so much wine that he got drunk.
uncountable noun + that
so así pues, así que, por eso - The party was boring, so I left early.
as a result/consequence como/a consecuencia de - As a result of the war, the prices of oil and
bread went up enormously.
of + noun phrase
therefore por lo tanto, por consiguiente - I think, therefore I am.
- They saved the prize money from the
lottery. Therefore, they were rich.
thus por lo tanto, así, de este modo, - It should be applied thus.
- She refused to go along with it, thus
por consiguiente provoking her classmates.
- I was only 16 and thus unable to vote or
drive.
for this/that reason por esta/esa razón - I haven’t eaten in 2 days. For this reason,
I’m hungry.

that’s why por esta/esa razón, ésa es la - I’ve been ill. That’s why I didn’t call.
razón por la que/cual…
consequently en consecuencia, como - Many of the university subjects available
are not taught at high schools, and,
consecuencia, consecuentemente consequently, they may be unfamiliar.
 SUMMARISING
STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES
in conclusion para concluir In conclusion, life is difficult, but funny.
in general en general In general, life generally treats people unfairly.
to sum up para resumir, resumiendo To sum up, being polite and nice is what matters.
to conclude para concluir To conclude, life is a gift we must spend wisely.
in short en resumen In short, treat others like you would like to be
treated.

 TIME / SEQUENCING IDEAS

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES
after después (de) - After I had finished, I went out for a walk.

before antes (de) - Before we left Europe, we visited Barcelona.

- My mom had left before I woke up.

while mientras - As/While I was watching TV, the telephone rang.

as
when cuando - By the time/When the fire brigade came, the house had
by the time been burned
whenever siempre que, cada vez - Whenever he leaves the house, he always takes an
que umbrella
- I start singing whenever I hear this song
- You can come tomorrow or whenever
as soon as tan pronto como - As soon as I get home I will give you a call
until hasta - I lived in Japan until I moved to Spain
meanwhile mientras tanto - I was studying in my room; meanwhile, my friends were
in the meantime at the cinema because they didn’t have to do the exam.
- We’ll soon send you the information about the
scholarship. In the meantime, visit our website to keep
yourself updated.

eventually finalmente - Eventually, she got a job and moved to Paris

finally - Finally, I’d like to thank everyone for coming this
in the end evening
lastly - In the end, he decided to postpone the project.
afterwards después - We had tea; afterwards, we sat in the garden for a while.
after that - We took a train; later/next/then, we went to Spain
next
then
later
suddenly de repente - Yesterday when I was walking in the woods;
all of a sudden suddenly/all of a sudden, it started to rain heavily.
 Ordering logically YOUR IDEAS
STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES
first of all antes que nada, [lo] primero - First of all, the aims of my work must be
[de todo] introduced.

first and foremost ante todo, lo primero y más - First and foremost, I am thankful for all the
importante people who supported my decision.

in the first place en primer lugar - In the first place, I have to mention the
sources I used to get the information.

firstly primeramente, en primer lugar - Firstly, I am going to

establish the advantages of a smoke-free
environment.
to start with para empezar - To start with, you will say hello and introduce
yourself.

in the second place en segundo lugar - In the second place, I will mention why this
information is important for me.

secondly en segundo lugar - Secondly, I will mention why this information

is important for me.

last but not least por último, pero no por ello - Last but not least, I want to show my
menos importante acknowledgement of the vast collaboration of
my parents and wife.

finally finalmente, por último - Finally, I want to end by quoting a

famous saying: “Long absent, soon forgotten”

 Expressing FACTS

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

as a matter of fact de hecho - I don’t like vegetables; as a matter of fact,
I never eat them.

in fact de hecho - I don’t like vegetables; in fact, I never eat

them.

actually en realidad - I don’t actually like vegetables.

 Expressing YOUR PERSONAL OPINION:

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

in my opinion/view en mi opinión - In my opinion/view, terrorists
should be prosecuted.

from my point of view desde mi punto de - From my point of view, serious criminals
vista should be punished according to their
crimes they have committed.

{as/the way } I see it a mi modo de ver, tal - As I see it, you are wrong.
como yo lo veo, a mi
entender/parecer
as far as I’m concerned por lo que a mi - As far as I am concerned, pet owners are
respecta accountable for their pets’ behaviour.

I think/feel/believe/guess/consider pienso, creo, supongo, - I consider (that) everybody can make their
considero que own choices.
+ (that) + sentence

 Expressing CONDITION
STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES
if si - If you drink, don’t drive.
unless a menos que - Unless you study, you won’t pass.
whether … or…. Si …o …. - I don’t know whether we’ll stay or we’ll go
home.

as long as siempre y cuando - As long as you study, you may pass.

providing that mientras que
- She can come providing that you sleep in
separate rooms.

even if aunque - Even if he started studying now, he

wouldn’t be ready for the
exam tomorrow.