Clear Connectives

Clear Connectives

By Juen Li Choong

What are Connectives?

• Words or phrases that link sentences or parts of sentences together

• Help create clear, logical flow between ideas

• Make writing more cohesive and easier to understand

• Essential for explanatory writing

Adverbial Clauses

Clauses that function as adverbs in a sentence

Often begin with connectives

Provide information about time, place, reason, condition, or manner

Examples:

Time: When the water boils, add the pasta.

Reason: Since it was raining, we canceled the picnic.

Condition: If you study hard, you will pass the exam.

Multiple Choice

Which connective best fills the gap?

The experiment failed _______ we used the wrong chemicals.

• therefore

• because

• moreover

• otherwise

Multiple Choice

Which connective shows contrast?

• furthermore

• consequently

• nevertheless

• subsequently

Multiple Choice

Which sentence uses an adverbial clause of time?

• She walked quickly because she was late.

• After the bell rang, students rushed to the cafeteria.

• If it rains tomorrow, we will cancel the match.

• The machine works well despite its age.

Multiple Choice

Which pair of connectives would work best in an explanation of how a bicycle works?

• however, despite

• firstly, then

• moreover, furthermore

• suddenly, immediately

Multiple Choice

Choose the best connective to show cause and effect: The ice caps are melting; _______, sea levels are rising.

• however

• similarly

• consequently

• meanwhile

Multiple Choice

Which sentence contains an adverbial clause of condition?

• Although he practiced daily, he still made mistakes.

• Since morning, she had been waiting for a reply.

• Unless you follow the instructions carefully, the model won't work properly.

• While stirring the mixture, add the sugar gradually.

Open Ended

Rewrite this pair of sentences using an appropriate connective: The water evaporates. It turns into steam.

Open Ended

Improve this sentence by adding an adverbial clause: Plants need sunlight to grow.

Open Ended

Rewrite this paragraph using appropriate connectives to make the explanation clearer:

Water freezes. The temperature drops below zero degrees Celsius. The water molecules slow down. They form a crystal structure. The water becomes solid. It expands slightly.

Open Ended

Write a short paragraph (3-5 sentences) explaining how rain forms. Use at least three different connectives.

Open Ended

Read the following paragraph and identify all the connectives used:

The human heart is a remarkable organ that pumps blood throughout the body. When the heart contracts, it pushes blood into the arteries. Subsequently, the blood travels through smaller vessels called capillaries. Because these capillaries have thin walls, oxygen and nutrients can pass through them into surrounding tissues. Meanwhile, waste products move from the tissues into the bloodstream. After collecting these waste products, the blood returns to the heart through the veins. Therefore, the circulatory system ensures that all body cells receive what they need to function properly.

Summary and Reflection

• Connectives are essential for clear explanations

• Different types serve different purposes (time, cause/effect, contrast)

• Adverbial clauses add detail and create sophisticated sentence structures

• Good explanatory writing uses varied connectives to guide the reader logically

Multiple Choice

Choose the paragraph with the most effective use of connectives:

• The water cycle happens. Water evaporates. It forms clouds. The clouds make rain. The rain falls down. It goes back to the oceans and lakes.

• The water cycle is a continuous process. First, water evaporates from oceans and lakes due to heat from the sun. As the water vapor rises, it cools and consequently forms clouds. When these clouds become heavy with moisture, precipitation occurs in the form of rain or snow. After the precipitation falls to the Earth's surface, it eventually returns to bodies of water, and therefore the cycle begins again.