LINKING WORDS

LINKING WORDS

1. But, although, in spite of, whereas, etc.

   • But, although and however
     • We can join two sentences with "but"
       • Example: "The café was crowded, but we found a table"
     • "But" expresses a contrast or confict between two ideas. We can also use "although"
       • Example: "Although the café was crowed, we found a table."
     • "However" is a little formal
       • Example: "The new system was supposed to be more efficient. However, in practice it caused chaos."
   • Though and even though
     • "Though" is informal. It means the same as although
       • Example: "Though/Although I liked the sweater, I decided not to buy it"
     • We can also use "though" at the end of the sentence
       • Example: "I liked the sweater. I decided not to buy it, though."
     • "Even though" is stronger, more emphatic than "although"
       • Example: "He looked quite fresh, even though he'd been playing sqash"
   • In spite of and despite
     • We use "in spite of" before a noun or before the -ing form of a verb
       • Example: "Mark went on working in spite of feeling unwell"
     • We use "despite" in exactly the same way as "in spite of" and with the same meaning
       • Example: "He went on working despite feeling unwell"
   • Whereas, while and on the other hand
     • We use these words to express a comparsion between two ideas
       • Example: "United are top of the league, whereas City are bottom"
       • Example: "Yesterday it was freezing cold, while today it's quite warm"
       • Example: "The flat is conveniently located. On the other hand, there's a lot of noise from the traffic"

2. To, in order to, so that and for

   • We use "to", "so that" and "for" to express purpose, to say why we do things
     • Example: "The purpose of stopping is to buy a newspaper"
   • To
     • We use "to-infinitive" to express purpose
       • Example: "Most people work to earn money"
   • In order to and so as to
     • "In order to" and "so as to" are more formal than "to"
       • Example: "The goverment took these measures in order to reduce crime"
       • Example: "The staff are working at weekends so as to complete the Project in time"
     • We can use the negative "in order not to" or "so as not to"
       • Example: "Melanie was hurrying in order not to miss her bus"
   • So that
     • After "so that" we use a subject and a verb, e.g. "it gets"
       • Example: "I'll post the card today so that it gets there on Daniel's birthay"
     • We often use "will" or "can" for a present purpose and "would" or "could" for a past purpose
       • Example: "I'll give you a map so that you can find the way all right"
   • To or For?
     • We can use "for" with a noun to say why we do something
       • Example: "Why dont' you come over for coffee?

3. Review of linking words

   • Time words
     • Remember that we use present simple for future time after "when", etc
       • Example: "My leg hurts when I walk"
   • If, unless and in case
     • To express a condition
       • Example: "Rachel might buy a car if she passes her test"
   • But, although and in spite of
     • To express a idea of a contrast
       • Example: "The jacket was nice, but it was too small for me"
   • Reason
     • We can also use prepositions
       • Example: "The match has been cancelled because of the weather"
   • Because and so
     • We use "because" to express the reason for someting
       • Example: "I turned to heating on because it was cold"
     • We use "so" to express the result of something
       • Example: "It was so cold, so I turned the heating on"

4. Although, while, however, despite, etc.

   • We can contrast two ideas or situations
     • Example: "Although the weather was very cold, we decided to go for a walk"
     • Informally we can use "though" in the same way
       • Example: "Though the weather was very cold, we decided to go for a walk"
   • We can use "while" to contrast two aspects of the same thing or two similar things within a sentence
     • Example: "Some of my friends have found work while others are still unemployed
   • We can use prepositions "in spite of" and "despite" with a noun to express a concession or contrast
     • Example: "In spite of/ Despite the cold weather, we decided to go for a walk"

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