Advanced Grammar – An Introduction to Sentence Connectors

Sentence Connectors are a great way of improving your English. Why? Because we use them to express relationships between ideas and to combine sentences.

When we begin learning a language, we speak in very basic sentences, a bit like children.
Example: “London is a very exciting city. London is very expensive.”

As we learn more words and more complex sentence structure, we are able to start using sentence connectors to make more sophisticated sentences.
Example: “London is a very exciting city; nevertheless it is also very expensive” or
Despite the fact that London is very expensive, it is also very exciting”

There are various types of connectors. We can divide them into:

Coordinating Conjunctions

They connect words, phrases and clauses. They are usually found in the middle of a sentence with a comma (,) just before the conjuction, or at the beginning of the sentence.

Coordinating Conjunctions:

for
and
nor
but
or
yet
so
(remember FANBOYS)

.

Correlative Conjunctions

They connect equal sentence elements together (like two nouns) and are always composed by two words.

Correlative Conjunctions:

both…and
not only…but also
not…but
either…or
neither…nor
whether…or
as…as

.

Subordinating Conjunctions

They connect a dependent clause and an independent clause and establish a relationship between them. They happen at the beginning of a sentence (with a comma in the middle separating the clauses) or in the middle of a sentence with no comma.

Subordinating Conjunctions:

after if though although
if only till as in order that
unless as if now that until
as long as once when as though
rather than whenever because since
where before so that whereas
even if than wherever even though
that that while

.

Linking Adverbs and Transition Words

They connect two independent clauses or sentences. They provide transition between ideas.

Linking Adverbs and Transition Words:

accordingly however nonetheless also
indeed otherwise besides instead
similarly consequently likewise still
conversely meanwhile subsequently finally
moreover then furthermore nevertheless
therefore hence next thus
.
Within these 4 categories, we also find the following division:

Addition
Alternative
Cause-Effect
Comparison
Condition
Contrast
Emphasis
Place
Time

We will explain each of these 4 types of sentence connectors in depth with examples over the next couple of days. They will teach you how to introduce, order, contrast, sequence and connect ideas within a sentence.

Remember to start using them; it will greatly increase your conversation skills and you will feel more confident talking to a native speaker.

10 comments

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  2. FANBOYS haha, very helpful (:

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