Connectors / Linkers / Discourse markers

- Addition:
o And: They like English and they study a lot.  (Y)
o In addition: In addition to the new hospital, they are constructing a
bridge. (Además de)
o Also: I play the piano and I also play the guitar.  (También)
o As well as: As well as being helpful, she is very friendly. 
(Además)
o Furthermore: The house is beautiful. Furthermore, the price is very
low.  (Por otra parte)

- Time:
o When: When we arrived, we sat down at our desks.  (Cuando)
o While: I watched TV while I was ironing.  (Mientras)
o As: It started to rain just as I went out.  (Cuando)
o As soon as: We will start as soon as everyone gets here.  (Tan
pronto como)

- Sequence
o Then: She talked about the agenda then she began her presentation.
 (Entonces)
o After: He is coming here after lunch.  (Después de)
o Afterwards: He is having lunch and he is coming here afterwards. 
(Después)
o Next: Turn on the oven. Next, mix all the ingredients. 
(Seguidamente)
o Firstly, secondly, etc: Firstly, I would like to thank you all for
coming.  (En primer lugar, en segundo lugar…)
 In the first place… (en primer lugar)
o Finally: Finally, I will invite our president to speak.  (Finalmente)

- Contrast:
o But: They like pasta but they don’t like rice.  (Pero)
o However: It’s a nice city and it’s fun for a holiday. However, I
wouldn’t like to live there.  (Sin embargo)
o Although: Although he works hard he hasn’t had a promotion for
years.  (Aunque)
o Nevertheless: I like this model a lot. Nevertheless, I am not going to
buy it yet.  (Sin embargo, no obstante)
o Despite: Despite the rain, they went for a walk.  (A pesar de)
o Whereas: The central area of the country is quite flat, whereas the
north is hilly.  (Mientras que)
o On the other hand: I love reading books. On the other hand, my
sister hates it.  (Por otro lado) (vs. on the one hand)
 o While: I thought the film was terrible, while my friends thought it
was really good.  (Mientras que)

- Condition:
o As long as: You can play video games as long as you tidy your room
first.  (Siempre que)
o Provided that: We will keep the goods for you provided that we
receive the payment soon.  (Siempre que, a condición de que…)
o Unless: Unless the economy improves, interest rates will go down
again.  (Si no)
o If: I will play with you if I have enough time to finish my essay. 
(Si)
o Otherwise: We need to hurry up, otherwise we will miss the flight.
 (De lo contario)

- Reason:
o Because: Many people study English because it is important for their
jobs.  (Porque)
o As: As you did not do a very good job with this essay, I would like
you to do it again.  (Como, ya que)
o Due to: Due to heavy traffic we arrived half an hour late.  (Debido
a)
o So: We left early so we could have a coffee before starting.  (Por lo
tanto)
o In order to: They are having a conference call in order to finalize the
contract details.  (Con el fin de, para)
o Since / For (porque…)

- Result:
o So: I had forgotten my car keys so I had to go back into the office to
get them.  (Por lo tanto)
o Therefore: Last year’s results were excellent, therefore you will all
receive a bonus.  (Por lo tanto)
o As a result/consequence: Crime rates are increasing. As a result, the
government is going to hire more police officers.  (Como
consecuencia)

- Comparison:
o Similar to: Your car is very similar to mine.  (Parecido a)
o As… as: My mother is as tall as my brother is.  (Tan…como)
o -er than / more than: My dog is younger that my friend’s cat. / Ants
are more intelligent than turtles.  (Más… que)
 o -est / the most: Usain Bolt is the fastest person in the world. / In my
opinion, the butterfly is the most beautiful insect worldwide. (El
más)

- Giving examples:
o For example: I really like animals. For example, cats, dogs, birds,
snakes, etc.  (Por ejemplo)
o For instance: Carla plays a lot of instruments, for instance, the
trumpet, the piano, the flute and the guitar.  (Por ejemplo)

PRACTICE – Connectors
Complete the sentences with one connector. Sometimes, it is possible to use more than
one connector in the same example.
1. This man has a lot of money. ……………, he is not happy at all.
2. I want to meet Rihanna in the future. ……………, I want to meet Dua Lipa.
3. She made one big mistake, ……………, she lost her job.
4. I want to drive a car. ……………, I need to pass a written exam. Finally, I need
to pass the practical part.
5. It is very important to bear in mind the different parts of the exam. ……………,
writing, listening, reading, speaking, grammar and vocabulary.
6. …………… she loves her job, she decided to quit it.
7. I was reading a book …………… my sister called me.
8. You don’t need to go …………… you want to.
9. …………… my daughter gets up; she washes her face.
10. Reading books help to learn new information, ……………, it helps to keep the
brain cells fresh.
11. He studied very hard for the exam …………… he passed the maths exam.
12. I got wet …………… I forgot my umbrella at home.

PRACTICE – Opinion connectors

Write ten sentences using different opinion connectors.