ESSENTIAL CONNECTORS

1. TO REFER TO TIME AND SEQUENCE

• before/after (preposition + noun): I saw my neighbour before / after school

• during (preposition + noun): I slept a lot during the Christmas holidays

• while/as (conjunction + subordinate: middle of the sentence): I heard the bell as / while I was having a
shower

• At last / Eventually (adverb+ comma): At last, / Eventually, after months of training, I finished a marathon

• Afterwards, meanwhile (adverb + comma):

I didn’t like the film so I left the cinema. Afterwards, I went home. Meanwhile, the rest of the audience stayed
inside

• By the time (conjunction + subordinate):

By the time I arrived, she had already left /By the time I am 20, I will have started university

• In / This time next….. (preposition / demonstrative + noun + comma):

In a week/ This time next week, I will be sitting my final exams

• 2. TO ADD POINTS

• a. conjunction + comma:
Nowadays, young people are more willing to help with social issues. In
addition,/Furthermore,/Moreover,/Besides,/What’s more , they also volunteer quite often

• b. conjunction + subordinate (middle of the sentence):

Nowadays, young people are more willing to help with social issues and/as well as volunteer

3. TO EXPRESS CONTRAST:

• a. conjunction + comma:
He spends a lot of time working out. However,/ Nevertheless, he still manages to achieve good marks

• b. conjunction + subordinate (middle of the sentence):

He spends a lot of time working out even though/although/but he still manages to achieve good marks

• c. preposition + noun:
I was in time for school in spite of /despite the traffic (prep. + noun)
I was in time for school in spite of /despite the fact that there was a lot of traffic (prep. + noun +
conjunction + subordinate)

4. TO EXPRESS RESULT:

conjunction+ comma:
I disapprove of your attitude. Therefore, / For this reason, / As a result, / As a consequence, I won’t support
you as a candidate

5. TO EXPRESS CAUSE:

a. preposition + noun + conjunction + subordinate:

I won’ t support you due to the fact that / because of the fact that / as a result of the fact that I disapprove
of your attitude

b. conjunction + subordinate (middle of the sentence):

I won’t support you as a candidate as/ since/ because I disapprove of your attitude

6. TO START / TO CONCLUDE:

To start with / In the first place, we must start by describing what social networks are.
To sum up / All in all / In short, social networks are certainly practical for varied purposes, although we must
ensure that we avoid their potential risks.

7. TO INTRODUCE OPPOSITE POINTS:

On the one hand, I love holidays. On the other hand, I believe a daily routine is convenient for everyone

8. TO EXPRESS PERSONAL OPINIONS

In my view, / As far as I’m concerned / It seems to me / As I see it, social networks involve more setbacks
than advantages