Connectors, Linkers and Other Transition Words

However/yet We have not yet won; however, we shall keep trying.

Cependant, mais, toutefois
Never the less/None the less A small but nevertheless important change.
Nevertheless, nonetheless
Néanmoins

Although/Even though/Though This isn't really a confession, although it may sound like one.
Bien que… même si…

Albeit Other observers eventually concluded that Piazzi's discovery was indeed a planet, albeit a small
quoique one.
Meanwhile She spent four years studying for her law degree. Meanwhile, she
Pendant ce temps continued to work at the bank.
/ in the meantime/Afterward/ Sooner or
later tôt ou tard
Formerly Algeria was formerly a French colony.
Auparavant, autrefois, anciennement
Considering The campaign was a great success, considering the strong opposition.
Compte tenu de
Since Since you're already here, you might as well stay.
Depuis, puisque
While/Whereas/In contrast/ By contrast Nature has no lines, whereas drawing almost always contains lines.
Tandis que, alors que
She arrived at school on time in spite of the snowstorm
Despite/In spite of He was tolerant despite his background and education
malgré
Unless I'll be there at nine, unless the train is late.
À moins que

Therefore/Consequently/Hence/ Thus They did not use their radios and hence were undetected.
Donc, ainsi I think; therefore I am.
Otherwise Otherwise they may get broken.
Autrement
In as much as/In so far as I will do the work insofar as I am able.
Inasmuch as, insofar as
Dans la mesure où…

Furthermore/Moreover/In addition Furthermore, he left orders not to be disturbed.

De plus… Par ailleurs

Coupled with, in the same fashion / way I think that we have put forward a good report and that we must continue in the same fashion.
Parallèlement, dans la même veine

Not to mention, to say nothing of
Sans oublier, sans mentionner
Provided/granted that/knowing that
Certes, Entendu que, si… sachant que
Unquestionably/Without question/Without
a doubt/ Undoubtedly
Sans doute, de toute évidence
In order to
Afin de, pour
Because/ Due to
Parce que
We were served a sumptuous entree, not to mention the other courses.
I'll go provided that the others go, too.
Granted, he did fail that one test, but I think there were good reasons for that.
This question is undoubtedly difficult to answer since the
solutions to some problems exacerbate others.
All animals have special needs that need to be met in order to live with us.
Patients with a chronic blockage are at a higher risk for complications due to catheter use.

This being said I don't think it's particularly helpful to place the blame on Chairman Arafat. That being said, I
Ceci dit think that the concern that President Bush had regarding the cycle of violence is justified, and I
support his objective of ending that cycle of violence.
On one hand/on the other hand On one hand, I want to succeed; on the other hand, I’m fed up with school.
D’un côté, d’un autre côté, d’une part,
d’autre part
As a matter of fact I once terminated a partnership with a fellow who proved--unreliable. As a matter of fact, I
De fait, en fait terminated him.

In light of The central question, in light of these difficulties, is how the press will respond.
À la lumière de…
By the same token Science and art, or by the same token, poetry and prose differ from one another like a journey
D’un autre côté and an excursion.
Likewise
Climbing roses are almost as popular as their shrubby counterparts, and they likewise need
regular water and fertilizer to thrive.

Conversely Most students at Cégep du Vieux-Montreal embraced the strike. Conversely, students at Collège
On the contrary/as opposed to André-Grasset disagreed with the CLASSE’s strategies.
À l’inverse
Besides Besides a mother he has a sister to support.
De toute façon, à part

Regardless, notwithstanding Scientists sometimes describe fishermen as racing to catch the last fish, regardless of the harm to
Peu importe, sans égard à, nonobstant vanishing species.
Notwithstanding a brilliant defense, he was found guilty.
Unlike Unlike those above, the sentence cannot be split into two independent statements.
Contrairement à
Be that as it may l am sorry to hear about your troubles, but, be that as it may, you still must carry out your
Ceci étant responsibilities.

With this in mind With this in mind, we will participate constructively in

Sachant que… Avec ceci en tête, à l’esprit
the work that develops during the current session.

In the hope that/of I am writing to you in the hope that you will be able to offer me a job.
Dans l’espoir de…

As can be seen/ As might be expected As can be seen in the pictures below, wood stock is stored along the coast before being loaded on
Comme on le peut constater a wood raft

Generally speaking/ By and large/ Generally speaking, those who deal with the problems created by firearms agree almost
For the most part unanimously that control is a positive thing and that it must be maintained.
En gros
The Committee considers that by and large the proposals made in its first report for submission to
the institutions have been well received.

In the final analysis In the final analysis, witnesses must rely on the collective common sense of the members of the
Au final, tout compte fait committee and their good graces.

In any event I might go home next month, but in any event, I'll be home for
Peu importe
Christmas.

… was brought about/made possible by Rampant corruption brought about the downfall of the
A été engendré par, causé par…
government.

With a view to It should be reviewed with a view to clarifying the structure and
Dans le but de… avec en tête l’idée de… content.

Rather than Her preference is for comfortable rather than stylish clothes.
Au lieu de…

Whether or not Whether or not he will get the job is mere speculation.
si
On the whole, after all, to be sure
En tout et partout, en gros

All in all, in conclusion, to conclude Used at the beginning of a conclusion.

Tout bien considéré, au final

New Exercises on Connectors, linkers and Other Transition Words

1. Considering your good driving record, we’ve decided to overlook this offense.
2. He has called a meeting of all parties ____________________ forming a government.
3. _______________________I think it has been a very successful conference.
4. It seemed an impossible task at times, but we carried on _________________________.
5. The new boots are lighter and softer, and _______________________ more comfortable to wear.
6. It’s a difficult race. _______________________about 1,000 runners participate every year.
7. Doctors’ salaries have risen substantially, _________________________ nurses’ pay has actually fallen.
8. Police are carrying out house-to-house enquiries _____________________________- finding the missing girl.
9. The house will certainly sell, _______________________________ the fact that it’s overpriced.
10. Some people feel he’s old school. _____________________________ I still think Mr Livingstone is the best man for
the job.
11. The whole thing was going to go wrong ________________________________.
12. Some wrong answers were marked right and, ________________________, some right answers had been rejected.
13. The United States finally agreed, _________________________ unwillingly, to support the UN action.
14. Religious concerns were ______________________________ a factor in establishing Bill 21.

Exercise on Connectors and Linkers

1. I came to this school ____________________________________ getting a degree.

2. ________________________________- the class is enjoying geometry.
3. I still have to pay the bill, _______________________of whether it was my turn.
4. He says he has a dog, ______________________________- I've never seen it.
5. _________________________________ the play was a success.
 6. ____________________________ his girlfriend, he lacks intelligence.
7. _____________________________, students with learning disabilities want to emulate their special aid tutors.
8. I don't think that prices will go up but, ______________________________ I don't see them going down either.
9. She enjoyed a peaceful, ________________________________ brief retirement.
10. One came forward immediately, _____________________________ the others hung back.
11. She had done her best to comfort him, ____________________________ as she was able.
12. I will need to build a team for this project. ______________________________, I will have to know all the data.
13. I'm doing this __________________________________ it will be helpful to someone
14. Building a new children's home will cost a lot of money but, ______________________________ there is an
urgent need for the facility.
15. ______________________________ the problems we're having, we have no choice but to close the business.
16. It would be an enormous amount of work, ___________________________________ the cost.
17. ____________________________ his injury, Ricardo will play in Saturday’s game.
18. Their team hadn’t lost a game the entire season. _____________________________, we beat them by a huge
margin last night.
19. I like working outside when it’s warm, but ____________________________ I stay indoors.
20. _______________________________ the weather, they were lucky to get here at all.
21. Photocopying for educational and non-commercial purposes is permitted _______________________ the source
is acknowledged.

B.

1. The government can avoid messy financing scandals, ________________________ politicians declare their entire
revenue.
2. ________________________ ensure proper security, we have added 5 new security cameras.
3. ___________________ we can predict the next terrorist attack, our population is relatively safe.
4. _______________________ numerous challenges from teachers and parents alike, the Minister has decided to
stop the reform.
5. ______________________ swift action is taken, the patenting of genetic code will become widespread.
6. The text was very thought-provoking, _________________________ extremely verbose.
7. ____________________________ the level of education in this country, most people should be able to qualify
for a typical technical position.
8. _______________________________ the controversy surrounding its scientific trials, the new drug was
approved.
9. ___________________________ most North-Americans have bad eating habits, many are now considering a tax
on fast-food.
10. Cognitive drug therapy has a 20% success rate. ______________________, new scientific approaches need to be
developed.

C.

1. I have a very high “Cote R”. My boyfriend’s is very low.

__________________________________________________________________________.
2. The new student leader is very persuasive. Many students have participated in various committees.
______________________________________________________________________________

3. Many people have lost their jobs. Companies still need to hire qualified workers.
______________________________________________________________________

4. Please register this week. You will not receive your check before the end of the summer.
______________________________________________________________________________

5. I won’t be able to finish the report. I get an extension.

____________________________________________________________

ANSWERS
New Exercises on Connectors, linkers and Other Transition Words

In light of your good driving record, we’ve decided to overlook this offense.
He has called a meeting of all parties, with a view to forming a government.
All in all, I think it has been a very successful conference.
It seemed an impossible task at times, but we carried on, regardless.
The new boots are lighter and softer, and therefore more comfortable to wear.
It’s a difficult race. Nevertheless, about 1,000 runners participate every year.
Doctors’ salaries have risen substantially, whereas nurses’ pay has actually fallen.
Police are carrying out house-to-house enquiries in the hope of finding the missing girl.
The house will certainly sell, in spite of the fact that it’s overpriced.
Some people feel he’s old school. Be that as it may, I still think Mr Livingstone is the best man for the job.
The whole thing was going to go wrong sooner or later.
Some wrong answers were marked right and, conversely, some right answers had been rejected.
The United States finally agreed, albeit unwillingly, to support the UN action.
Religious concerns were unquestionably a factor in establishing Bill 21.

Exercise on Connectors and Linkers

 1. I came to this school WITH A VIEW TO getting a degree.
2. GENERALLY SPEAKING, the class is enjoying geometry.
3. I still have to pay the bill, ________REGARDLESS________________of whether it was my turn.
4. He says he has a dog, ALTHOUGH I've never seen it.
5. FOR THE MOST PART the play was a success.
6. UNLIKE his girlfriend, he lacks intelligence.
7. BY AND LARGE, students with learning disabilities want to emulate their special aid tutors.
8. I don't think that prices will go up but, BY THE SAME TOKEN I don't see them going down either.
9. She enjoyed a peaceful, ALBEIT brief retirement.
10. One came forward immediately, WHEREAS the others hung back.
11. She had done her best to comfort him, INSOFAR as she was able.
12. I will need to build a team for this project. MOREOVER, I will have to know all the data.
13. I'm doing this IN THE HOPE THAT it will be helpful to someone
14. Building a new children's home will cost a lot of money but, ON THE OTHER HAND there is an urgent need
for the facility.
15. IN LIGHT OF the problems we're having, we have no choice but to close the business.
16. It would be an enormous amount of work, NOT TO MENTION the cost.
17. DESPITE his injury, Ricardo will play in Saturday’s game.
18. Their team hadn’t lost a game the entire season. NEVERTHELESS, we beat them by a huge margin last night.
19. I like working outside when it’s warm, but OTHERWISE I stay indoors.
20. CONSIDERING the weather, they were lucky to get here at all.
21. Photocopying for educational and non-commercial purposes is permitted PROVIDED the source is
acknowledged.

B.

1. The government can avoid messy financing scandals, PROVIDED politicians declare their entire revenue.
2. IN ORDER TO ensure proper security, we have added 5 new security cameras.
3. INSOFAR AS we can predict the next terrorist attack, our population is relatively safe.
4. DUE TO numerous challenges from teachers and parents alike, the Minister has decided to stop the reform.
5. UNLESS swift action is taken, the patenting of genetic code will become widespread.
6. The text was very thought-provoking, ALBEIT extremely verbose.
7. CONSIDERING the level of education in this country, most people should be able to qualify for a typical
technical position.
8. DESPITE the controversy surrounding its scientific trials, the new drug was approved.
9. SINCE most North-Americans have bad eating habits, many are now considering a tax on fast-food.
10. Cognitive drug therapy has a 20% success rate. THEREFORE, new scientific approaches need to be developed.

C.

1. I have a very high “Cote R”. My boyfriend’s is very low.

____________________________________________I HAVE A HIGH COTE R WHERAS MY BOYFRIEND’S IS
VERY LOW.___________________________________.

2. The new student leader is very persuasive. Many students have participated in various committees.
_______SINCE THE STUDENT LEADER IS VERY PERSUASIVE, MANY STUDENTS…
_________________________________________________________________________.

3. Many people have lost their jobs. Companies still need to hire qualified workers.
____________ALTHOUGH MANY PEOPLE HAVE LOST THEIR JOBS, COMPANIES STILL NEED TO
HIRE…___________________________________________________________________.

4. Please register this week. You will not receive your check before the end of the summer.
_______________________PLEASE REGISTER, OTHERWISE…
________________________________________________________.

5. I won’t be able to finish the report. I get an extension.

_________________________I WON’T BE ABLE TO FINISH, UNLESS I GET…
_______________________________________________________.