Connectives

There are words in the English language that act like glue to help you stick your sentences together and show the relationships between the ideas that you want to express. These words are called 'connectives' (or 'linking words'). Connectives help your essay 'flow' and read more coherently. More specifically, connectives help you:

  • illustrate a point,
  • compare and contrast ideas,
  • sequence ideas,
  • conclude or summarise ideas,
  • show a causal relatioship.

Are you in the process of proof-reading your essay? See if you can add a few of these words, especially at the beginnings of sentences.

Connectives
  • after
  • although
  • as a result of
  • at the same time
  • besides
  • certainly
  • consequently
  • despite
  • earlier
  • echoing this
  • even if
  • even though
  • finally
  • firstly... secondly...
  • following on from this
  • for instance / for example
  • for this reason
  • furthermore
  • however
  • in addition
  • in conclusion
  • in spite of 
  • in summary
  • in the same vein 
  • indeed
  • instead
  • later
  • likewise
  • meanwhile
  • moreover
  • nevertheless
  • nonetheless
  • not only... but also...
  • notwithstanding
  • now we look at
  • on the one hand
  • on the other hand
  • one reason why...
  • otherwise
  • similarly
  • since
  • summing up
  • that said
  • therefore
  • whether
Last modified: Thursday, 4 June 2020, 4:15 PM