COHESIVE DEVICES 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.

***************

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.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

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.

ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ

(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.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
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.

Since (As) Monday is a national holiday, all government offices will be closed.
All government offices will be closed since (as) Monday is a national holiday.

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.
_________________________________________________________________________

5. The performance had already started. We went up to the balcony to get to our seats.

_________________________________________________________________________

6. My daughter is unhappy at school. Her teacher is unkind to her.

_________________________________________________________________________

7. Christmas is just around the corner. I need to start buying some gifts!

_________________________________________________________________________

8. You’ve let the cat out of the bag! The party is no longer a surprise party!
_________________________________________________________________________

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.

_________________________________________________________________________

5. Aria practiced all summer. She should make the team.

_________________________________________________________________________

6. I spent most of my money in the first week. I had very little to eat by the end of the holiday.

__________________________________________________________________________
 KING BOB!!!
‘... due to …?

…or ‘… because of …”

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

The business's failure (n.) was due to The business failed (v.) because of its poor
poor location. location.

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

The cancelation (n.) of the trip We canceled (v.) the

was due to heavy rain. trip because of the heavy rain

Test Your Knowledge — Because of vs. Due To Quiz

1. The smoke in the home was _______________ the burning cake in the oven.
2. Kelly loves skiing _______________ the experiences she had as a kid with her
parents.
3. Every worker is striking _________________ the low wages they’re offered.
4. Our concerns were _________________ the lack of details provided in the
contract.
5. I parked my car down the street _______________ the road construction.
6. The presentation was successful ________________ the team’s extensive
preparation.
7. The restaurant’s success is _______________ the head chef’s creative menu and
her business
partner’s marketing skills.
8. The private school’s closure was _______________ poor management.
9. The success of the presentation was ________________ extensive preparation.

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.
12. James and Jason remained calm and collected ______________ the imminent danger.
13. People thronged the mall _______________ the Black Friday sales.

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.

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.