Linking words

Linking words

how do you use and interpret them correctly

why?

A common goal for professionals with an intermediate to advanced level of English is to sound more sophisticated when participating in meetings, writing emails or just in general conversation.

An excellent way to speak English with more sophistication is by replacing basic linking words

(e.g. “but,” “and,” “because”)

with advanced linking words

(e.g. “in spite of,” "as well as" “due to”).

Open Ended

fill in what you think is best.

James went home (YOUR WORD) he was ill

Open Ended

fill in what you think is best.

Sarah helped him (YOUR WORD) she was upset.

Open Ended

fill in what you think is best.

Paul was world champion (YOUR WORD) he won easily.

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Using and understanding linking words

This will enlarge your vocabulary and improve your structure at the same time, which are the two main ways of dealing with English with more sophistication.

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Remember that your first and most important objective when using English should always be to communicate your message clearly. Once you feel confident that you can express yourself in a clear way, you can then advance and start looking at ways of sounding more sophisticated and native-like.

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Quick Review:

What are linking words?

A linking word is a word or phrase which links parts of a sentence, or two sentences together.

“But,” “because,” “and,” “so,” are examples of basic linking words (also called conjunctions), which we use frequently.

“However,” “although,” “therefore,” “in spite of,” “nevertheless,” are examples of more advanced linking words.

We use these less frequently than the basic linking words.

Multiple Choice

what should be filled in:

____ the rain, we still went to the park.

• despite

• nevertheless

• unlike

• however

Multiple Choice

what should be filled in:

____ it was raining, we still went to the park.

• despite

• although

• due to

• unless

Multiple Choice

what should be filled in:

it was raining, ______we still went to the park.

• because

• therefor

• nevertheless

• hence

Multiple Choice

what should be filled in:

I finished the homework, _____ it was not easy.

• because

• although

• hence

• consequently

Multiple Choice

what should be filled in:

All flights were cancelled ____ of the fog

• because

• although

• hence

• after

Multiple Choice

what should be filled in:

The company was doing badly and _____ it closed.

• because

• although

• as well as

• consequently

linking words within one sentence

Most linking words can either connect clauses within a sentence,
or start a sentence to form a link with the previous statement.

ex: You can take my car provided you don't damage it.

 Although/even though he is rich, he lives in a small house.

linking words that connect two separate sentences or two clauses

If linking words start a sentence, they are followed by a comma.

When they are used to connect two clauses, a semi-colon is used at the end of the first clause, and a comma is often used after the linking word(s).

ex: Prices were reduced by 20%; as a result, sales increased.

Open Ended

Link the following sentences:

Mary lives in Mexico.

Mary likes the climate.

Open Ended

Link the following sentences:

Henry is looking weak.

He needs to eat vitamins.

Open Ended

Link the following sentences:

Computers are cheaper nowadays.

Computers are lighter nowadays.

Open Ended

Link the following sentences:

Alex likes to tell funny stories.

His son Jake likes to listen to them

WHY???

​While reading and listening, it is important to understand linking words well. Drawing the wrong conclusion can have great impact on your answers....