CURSO ACTIVIDAD SOPORTE FICHA Nº

Departamento de Educación
3º 
EXPRESIÓN 11
y Ciencia
INGLÉS ESCRITA
Escuela Oficial de Idiomas nº 2
de Zaragoza

AULA DE
AUTOAPRENDIZAJE
CONNECTORS (1)

The most relevant connectors you may need to use when writing a composition are the following:

List connectors
Firstly/Secondly/Thirdly... Lastly/Finally
In the first/second/third place...
First(ly), we need somewhere to live. Secod(ly), we need to find work. And third(ly) I’m too young to marry.

For one thing... for another thing...

For one thing we can’t afford this make of car, for another (thing) it’s really ugly.

To begin/start with
There are three reasons why I don’t want to dance with you. To start with, my feet hurt. For another thing,
you can’t dance. And thirdly/Lastly, my wife is watching us.

Connectors of addition
and
also
She knows how to play the piano. She can also read Chinese.

In addition,
The peasants are short of food. In addition, they urgently need doctors and medical supplies.

Not only... but also...

She not only dances like an angel, but also plays tennis divinely

Furthermore/ Moreover
He’s unwilling to admit his mistake. Moreover/Furthermore, he’s totally incapable of helping his colleagues.

Connectors of contrast
but
On the one hand,... On the other (hand),...
(On the one hand) this job of mine isn’t well paid, but on the other hand it gives me a lot of free time.

While, Whilst, Whereas

While/Whilst/Whereas some languages have 30 or more vowel sounds others have 5 or less

However, / Nevertheless, / Nonetheless, / Even so,

Fish is healthier than meat. However, many people prefer meat
Nevertheless, ...
Nonetheless, ...
Even so, ...
In spite of (+ noun or gerund)
Despite (+ noun or gerund)
In spite of/Despite fish being healthier to eat than meat, many people prefer meat.

Although (+ sentence)
Even though (+ sentence)
Although/Even though fish is healthier to eat than meat, many people prefer meat.

Focusing and linking connectors

With reference to (at the beginning of formal letters)
With reference to your letter of 17 March, I am pleased to inform you that...

Concerning/Regarding (=about) (+noun) (found in both initial or mid-position in the sentence)

Concerning/Regarding the sales figures you mentioned in your letter...
Police are anxious to hear any information concerning/regarding his whereabouts.

As regards (=about) (+ noun) (found in initial position in the sentence)

There are no problems about production. As regards marketing...

As far as... is concerned

There are no problems about production. As far as marketing (is concerned) we should point out...

Contradicting
On the contrary,… (used either to contradict a remark made by another person or by a speaker
who wants to emphasize a negative statement s/he has just made.)
‘Interesting lecture?’ ‘On the contrary, it was a waste of time.’
She did not allow the accident to discourage her. On the contrary, she began to work twice as hard.

We should not mistake on the contrary for on the other hand. On the contrary is used to
contradict, that is, to say that what has been said is not true. If we wish to give the other side of a
question or statament we use on the other hand.
‘I suppose the job wasn’t interesting’ ‘On the contrary, it was fascinating’.
The job wasn’t interesting but, on the other hand, it was very well paid.

Change of subject
By the way,
I was talking to Phil the other day. Oh, by the way, he sends you his regards.

Incidentally,
Jane wants to talk to you about advertising. Incidentally, she’s lost a lot of weight.

From Practical English Usage by Michael Swan

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