COHESIVE DEVISES AND LINKING WORDS

How to use Contrast Vocabulary

1. Even though / Although / Though it was cold and raining, I went swimming at the beach.

2. I went swimming at the beach even though / although / though it was cold and raining.

3. It was cold and raining but I went swimming at the beach.

4. It was cold and raining. However, / Nevertheless, / Nonetheless, I went swimming at the beach.

5. I went swimming at the beach despite the fact that / in spite of the fact that it was cold and raining.

6. Despite the fact that / In spite of the fact that it was cold and raining, I went swimming at the beach.

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1. Even though his grades were low, he was admitted to the university.

a. In spite of the fact that his grades were low, he was admitted to the university.
b. He was admitted to the university despite the fact that his grades were low.
c. Despite having low grades, he was admitted to the university.
d. He was admitted to the university in spite of having low grades.

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1. Mr. Jones is rich, whereas Mr. Smith is poor.

2. Mr. Jones is rich, while Mr. Smith is poor.

3. Whereas Mr. Smith is poor, Mr. Jones is rich.

4. Mr. Smith is poor but Mr. Jones is rich.

5. Mr. Jones is rich. However, Mr. Smith is poor.

6. Mr. Smith is poor. Mr. Jones, on the other hand, is rich.

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(a) We stayed at home. (b) The weather was cold

We can combine these sentences by using ‘because’, ‘because of’ or ‘due to’.

Because the weather was cold, we stayed at home.

Because of / Due to the cold weather, we stayed at home.

We stayed at home because the weather was cold.

We stayed at home because of / due to the cold weather.

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As/Since Monday was John’s birthday, we decided to throw a surprise party for him.

We decided to throw a surprise party for John as/since Monday was his birthday.

Exercises
 I. Look at sentences 1-5 below. Complete each sentence with the correct items of transition vocabulary (see box A
below).

1. Global warming is a serious problem affecting many parts of the world today. __________, many
countries are trying to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels which can lead to the production of
greenhouse gases such as CO2.

2. There are several stages in writing a good IELTS task 2 essay. __________, it’s important that you
understand exactly what the question is asking you to do. Next, you need to identify key words in the
question which will help you to plan your answer.

3. It is important for the future of the UAE that it diversifies its economy. In other words, it cannot just
depend on the money from oil sales. It must look at other sources of revenue; __________, the
tourism, finance and alternative energy sectors.

4. In the northern hemisphere (north of the equator), the cooler, winter months are usually from
November to March, __________ in the southern hemisphere these months are normally the hottest
part of the year.

5. __________, it should be clear from what I stated previously in my presentation that I support
the use of government money to finance research into alternative energy.

first of all as a result whereas for instance to conclude

II. Rewrite the sentences using one of these structures However / Nevertheless / Nonetheless
. Two examples have been done for you. Be careful with the word order & punctuation

1. He wasn’t thirsty but he drank a cup of coffee with his friends.

He wasn’t thirsty. However, he drank a cup of coffee with his friends.

2. I still trust him even though he lied to me.

He lied to me. Nevertheless, I still trust him.

3. Mr. Jones did not panic although his car had broken down in the desert.

___________________________________________________________________________________

4. Even though Dato’ Bean is an honest politician, I would not vote for him because of his views on foreign
policy.

___________________________________________________________________________________

5. My trip to New York was very enjoyable though it was very expensive.

___________________________________________________________________________________

6. Despite missing the school bus, I still made it to class on time.

________________________________________________________________________________

Use ‘as’ or ‘since’ to combine the pairs of sentences below.

 1. Monday is a national holiday. All government offices will be closed.

_________________________________________________________________________

2. The people John lives with don’t speak any Arabic. He has to speak English with them.

_________________________________________________________________________

3. We must do whatever we can to conserve oil. It is an irreplaceable natural resource.

_________________________________________________________________________

4. Many young people move to the cities in search of employment. There are few jobs available in rural
areas.

_________________________________________________________________________

Use ‘therefore’, ‘consequently’, ‘as a result’ or ‘so’ to combine the pairs of sentences below.

1. Fewer people are unemployed. The economy has been strong for the last few years.

_________________________________________________________________________

2. The teacher postponed the examination. There were many students stuck in a traffic jam.

________________________________________________________________________

3. Last night’s storm damaged the overhead electricity power lines. The town was without electricity for
several hours.

_________________________________________________________________________

4. Tariq always makes numerous spelling mistakes in his essay writing. Tariq does not use a dictionary.

_________________________________________________________________________

‘… due to …’ or ‘… because of …’???

What is the difference between 'due to' is used to modify nouns only. 'Because
due to and because of ? of' is used to modify verbs. Thus, these two
expressions cannot be used interchangeably.

The business failed because of its poor

The business's failure was due to
location.
poor location.

The tree’s growth is due to nutrient- The tree grows because of the nutrients
rich soil. in the soil.

Use ‘because’, ‘because of’ or ‘despite’ to combine the pairs of sentences below.
 1. We cancelled the trip to Cameron Highlands _______________ the rain.
2. ____________ her fear, Lilian still jumped into the river to save the chicks.
3. Arabella couldn’t get the shelves done ____________ she was ill-equipped.
4. It is ____________ your nosy mother that we got into this mess.
5. Ruby couldn't help feeling that she didn't belong ____________ the pictures of her and Lee
on the walls and all her things sprinkled around the room.
6. An argument started ____________ the young men were too hot-headed.
7. Sheena refused to judge the singing contest ____________ a conflict of interest.
8. None of the men wanted to take part ____________ the time constraint.
9. Jacob’s golden retriever got out ____________ he left the gate open.
10. Aunt Sherry won the poker competition ____________ her experience in Las Vegas.
11. The old gentleman joined in the laughter ____________ his mood.
1 Exercise: Practice cohesive devices

Read each sentence. Fill in the blanks with a cohesive device from the box that best illustrates the
relationship between the two parts of each sentence.

In addition Both However For instance First

Also Likewise On the other hand An example of Finally
1. There are many steps to acquiring a driver’s license. _____, you must schedule an exam.
2. Sarah usually does not eat sugar; _____, she made an exception for her birthday, so she could eat
cake.

3. The ELC is _____ a school devoted to teaching international students English.

4. _____ to receiving an injury, the student failed their history exam.

5. The two sisters have always shared _____ their room and their clothes.

6. The teacher _____ required the students to write a 3-5 page essay for homework.

7. Some students like to do homework to practice what they have learned. _____, other students dislike
homework since it takes up too much of their free-time.

8. First, you open the file. Then you make the necessary corrections. _____, you save and print the
document.

9. People prefer to make their own decisions. _____, when someone is deciding what to eat for lunch,
they would rather eat something that they decided sounded good to eat.

10. The president met with congress to discuss the issue. _____, he met with the house of representatives
to receive their feedback.

Write a complex sentence using the cohesive device in the parenthesis.

Make sure the relationship between the parts of the sentence is clear.
 1.
2. (on the other hand) ___________________________________
3. (similarly) ___________________________________
4. (for example) ___________________________________
5. (in contrast) ___________________________________
6. (another) ___________________________________

2 Exercise: Practice cohesive devices in context

Read each paragraph. Fill in the blanks with a cohesive device that best illustrates the relationships within the
paragraph.

1. In my country, there is a natural monument called “the Citadelle Laferiere” that is very beautiful. It is
very beautiful because it is a magnificent mountain top fortress. _____, the natural monument has
many beautiful different types of trees. _____, Citadelle Laferiere has both palm and coconut trees.
_____, the view from the Citadelle Laferiere is very amazing. When you are at the top, you can watch
the city of Millot. You can also see the beautiful river nearby. _____, Citadelle Laferiere is a wonderful
place to visit
2. There are many reasons why I think that professional athletes don't need to receive a lot of money.
Professional sports are entertaining, but they are still only entertainment. The companies that are
investing in professional sports only think about earning more money. _____, there are many children
who want to be athletes. _____, the main reason they want to be athletes is because they can earn a
lot of money. It's good that children want to do sports, but it's not ideal that they do it only for the
money. _____ this is my brother. He focused on sports and didn’t think that it was important or
necessary to study since he was hoping to become a professional athlete. _____, he was never
chosen and now has to work at a local fast food restaurant because he doesn’t have any other skills.
_____, I agree with the opinion that professional athletes receive too much money.

3. If you want to find a good job, you need to follow certain steps. _____, you need to know what kind of
job you want. _____, if you know a lot about business, you will want to find a job related to business.
_____, you have to make your resume. This is very important because all businesses look at this
paper, and they choose whether or not you get the job depending on what you write there. _____, you
need to put all the important and impressive information about you on your resume: where you studied,
what you know how to do, and every other important details about you that you can give to the
company. _____, when you finish, you need to go to the business’s website, fill out an application, and
upload your resume. You can also visit the business to ask for a job application. _____, if you get an
interview, you need to be quiet and tell the truth. Trust in yourself because they have all your
 information and wanted to interview you. _____, if you follow these steps, you can find a good job and
become more professional.

3 Exercise: Write with cohesive devices

Read the following essay. Are cohesive devices used? When used, are they being used accurately? With a
partner, discuss the paragraph and make any necessary changes.

How to Arrive Early to School

Have you been late for class this semester? How did you feel? You probably felt worried, embarrassed, or
maybe discouraged. Sometimes it is difficult to be on time because, as students, you have many distractions.
You stay up late doing homework or going to parties and then oversleep. In the morning, you may lose
something important that you need for school or not know what to wear. You will probably face many different
issues or challenges before getting to school, but there is a way to get to school on time. By choosing clothes
the night before, preparing your backpack and leaving early, you can be on time.

Choosing what you are going to wear for school the night before helps a lot. Sometimes you know what
you'd like to wear, but if the weather changes, you have to find a different outfit. To avoid these kinds of
situations, ponder about what you are going to do the next day. Look for an outfit that will fit with the kind of
day that you will have. Reviewing the weather will help you see if the clothes that you chose will suit the
weather. Remember that both things should be done the night before. Don't be lazy and plan the perfect outfit
for your day!

Prepare your backpack. This is an easy but important step. The night before, check your schedule and look
for the books that you will need for school. If you don't see something in your bag, find it. If you plan to find it in
the morning, you will probably waste time and be late for school. Also, if you are the kind of person that likes to
make a lunch, prepare it at night, too. Have your backpack ready because you can't go to school without your
prepared backpack.

Make a good decision about when to leave the house. Sometimes we believe that we have superpowers
and that we can get to school in one minute. That's impossible. Please be wise and think about the schedule
of the transportation you have to take, how long it will take you, and at what time classes start. Leave your
home 40 minutes before classes begin even if it only takes 30 minutes. The difference of 10 minutes will help
you to find solutions to unexpected challenges and to be on time. Be wise and leave on time.

Selecting what you are going to wear, preparing your bag, and being ready to leave home on time in the
morning will help you to be on time. Whether or not you like to prepare stuff the night before, you should try
these strategies to help you use your time more wisely. We're more able to solve issues at night rather than
right before leaving in the morning. Decide to start your day without stress in the mornings and to start the day
with a big smile. If you do these things, each day will be a lot better.
5 Exercise: Evaluate your writing.