Connectors and Linkers in English Language Notes

Connectors and Linkers in English

" Having one's mind made up (with your ideas, clear) is one thing, but another, more difficult thing is to express them properly, signalling the right relationship between the different sentences and parts of a sentences (or clauses). That's what connectors and linkers are used to: to establish the right meaning of sentences with other sentences or within each sentence. Using the wrong word may lead to misunderstanding, if not a complete loss of what we are saying. That is why mastering as many connectors as you can, may help you improve your understanding and expression in English. " Most of these relationships or functions are achieved by means of clauses (= proposiciones), which are parts of sentences that would be "shaky and weak" (somehow semantically unfinished) without a main clause to accompany. Some other times they are introduced by phrases (= sintagmas), which are simply groups of words that do not belong to the sentences, syntactically speaking.

Expressing Purpose or Aim

Structure and Translation for Purpose

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

• " to " + infinitive para - He went to Scotland to learn English. - Ann stayed at home to rest.
• " in order (not) to " + infinitive para (no) - She came to Spain in order to learn Spanish. - She left China in order not to speak Chinese.
• so as (not) to " + infinitive para (no) - She went to France so as to learn French. - She left Brazil so as not to hear Portuguese.
• " so that " + sentence para que - There is a fire exit so that people will/ can leave. - I'm buying some food so that we can/ will have the fridge full. - I've lit the fire so that the house will warm. - They'll make an appointment so that we won't have to wait. - I left a note so that he would know where to find me.
• " for " + gerund (V-ing) para - A knife is used for cutting. - Newspapers are used for reading

Expressing Reason or Cause

Structure and Translation for Reason

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

• " because " + sentence porque I couldn't go then because I had to study.
• " since" + sentence ya que, como Since there wasn't enough show, they didn't go skiing.
• " as " + sentence como As I am very busy studying for my exams, I won't go with you.
• " for " + sentence ya que, puesto que, pues He isn't allowed to smoke for he is still a kid.
• " for " + gerund (V-ing) por They put him in prison for stealing forbidden books.
• " because of " + noun/pronoun a causa de, debido a We couldn't go because of the storm.
• " due to" + noun/pronoun a causa de, debido a Due to his bad attitude, he lost his job.

Expressing Result or Consequence

Structure and Translation for Result

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

• " so " + adjective/adverb + " that " tan ... que We were so impatient that we couldn't wait for them.
• such " + (adjective) + noun + " that " tan ... que - They had such a big dog that nobody dared to go near their house. - They had such big dogs that nobody went near their house.
• so many " + plural countable noun + " that " tantos/ as ... que There were so many people that we couldn't get into the pub.
• so much " + (singular) uncountable noun + " that " tanto/ a ... que He drank so much wine that he got drunk.
• ' so " así pues, así que, por eso The party was boring, so I left early.
• " as a result/consequence of " + noun phrase como / a consecuencia de As a result of the war, the prices of oil and bread went up enormously.
• " therefore " por lo tanto, por consiguiente - I think, therefore I am. - They saved the prize money from the 2lottery. Therefore, they were rich.
• thus por lo tanto, así, de este modo, por consiguiente - It should be applied thus. - She refused to go along with it, thus provoking her classmates. - I was only 16 and thus unable to vote or drive.
• " for this/that reason" por esta/ esa razón I haven't eaten in 2 days. For this reason, I'm hungry.
• " that's why " por esta/ esa razón, ésa es la razón por la que / cual ... I've been ill. That's why I didn't call.
• " consequently " en consecuencia, como consecuencia, consecuentemente - Many of the university subjects available are not taught at high schools, and consequently, they may be unfamiliar.

Expressing Condition

Structure and Translation for Condition

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

• " if " si If you drink, don't drive.
• “ if not " si no If you don't study, you won't pass.
• " unless " a menos que Unless you study, you won't pass.
• ' whether . or .... " Si ... o .... I don't know whether we'll stay or we'll go home.
• " as long as " sólo si, siempre y cuando As long as you study, you may pass.
• " providing that " mientras que, siempre y cuando She can come providing that you sleep in separate rooms.
• " even if" aunque, incluso si Even if he started studying now, he wouldn't be ready for the exam tomorrow.

Expressing Contrast or Concession

Structure and Translation for Contrast

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

• " but " pero He hadn't any money, but he got a ticket.
• " however " sin embargo - He hadn't any money; however, he got a ticket. - He spent all his spare money. However, he still 3had his credit card.
• " nevertheless " no obstante - He hadn't any money; nevertheless, he got a ticket. - He spent all his spare money. Nevertheless, he still had his credit card.
• " nonetheless " no obstante - He hadn't any money; nonetheless, he got a ticket. - He spent all his spare money. Nonetheless, he still had his credit card.
• " (al)though " + sentence aunque - Although / Though he hadn't any money, he got a ticket. - He got a ticket although / though he hadn't any money.
• " even though " + sentence aunque - Even though he hadn't any money, he got a ticket. - He got a ticket even though he hadn't any money.
• " in spite of + a pesar de - In spite of {not having any money/having no money}, he got a ticket. - He got a ticket in spite of {not having any money/having no money}.
• 66 despite " + noun/gerund/pronoun a pesar de - Despite {not having any money/having no money}, he got a ticket. - He got a ticket despite {not having any money/having no money}.
• " in spite of the fact that " + sentence a pesar de que - In spite of the fact that he hadn't any money, he got a ticket. - He got a ticket in spite of the fact that he hadn't got any money.
• " despite the fact that " + sentence a pesar de que - Despite the fact that he hadn't any money, he got a ticket. - He got a ticket despite the fact that he hadn't got any money.
• " unlike " a diferencia de Unlike your mum, hers is more distant and colder.
• " noun/gerund/pronoun" on the one hand " por un lado/ una parte On the one hand, reading is very enriching.
• " on the other hand " por otro lado/ otra parte On the other hand, it can also be boring when you don't like what you must read.
• " while " mientras que - British cars are small while American ones are long. - While British cars are small, American ones are long.
• " whereas " mientras que - British cars are small whereas American ones are long. - Whereas British cars are small, American ones are long.

Adding More Information

Structure and Translation for Additional Information

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

• " and" I like eating pizza and vegetables.
• " also" también I also like eating them.
• " too " también I like eating them too.
• " as well " también Do they like eating them as well?
• " as well as" además de I like eating pizza as well as vegetables.
• " moreover" además, es más - It seems, moreover, that they were related. - She doesn't like eating any meat. Moreover, she hates raw fish.
• " furthermore " además, es más - We can't judge him only by what we have heard; furthermore, we need to look into his motives. - She doesn't like eating any meat. Furthermore, she hates raw fish.
• " besides" además / a parte de (eso) / excepto - I wasn't interested in the talk, besides I was feeling very tired. - No one knows besides you.
• " in addition [to]" además [de] - We want some more books in addition to our previous order. - In addition to our previous order, we want some more books. - We made a previous order. In addition, we want to ask 5for some more books.
• " apart from" aparte de - I like all kinds of pasta. Apart from that, he like little else.
• " what's more " lo que es más, además - He loves pasta, and what's more, he owns an Italian restaurant.
• " not only ... , but also ... " no solo ... , sino también ... - Not only did he hit her, but he also he killed her.
• " both ... and ... " tanto ... como .... - Children like eating both pizza and chiken. - Both Mark and Jennifer like reading.
• neither nor ” ni ... ni .... - My grandmother likes neither pizza nor chicken. - Neither Mark nor Jennifer like smoking.
• " either ... or ... " 0 ... 0 .... - We can eat either meat or fish. - Either you go or you stay. Make up your mind now!

Paraphrasing Ideas

Structure and Translation for Paraphrasing

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

• "that is (to say)" es decir I like using eco-vehicles, that is (to say), bicycles and skateboards.
• "in other words" en otras palabras You have serious doubts about what I am saying; in other words, you don't trust me.

Qualifying Statements

Structure and Translation for Qualifying

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

• " more or less " más o menos She is more or less old. She's 60 years old.
• " approximately" aproximadamente The film will be released approximately by that date.
• " at least" al menos, por lo menos, como mínimo - She must be at least 18 to pass the driving license. - She must be 18 at least to pass the driving license. - At least, she must be 18 to pass the driving license.
• " above all' sobre todo I put honesty above all other virtues.
• " that is (to say) " es decir I like using eco-vehicles, that is (to say), bicycles and skateboards.
• " in particular' en particular I like animals, in particular, dogs and parrots.
• " basically" básicamente That's basically the point she transmitted.
• " especially" especialmente I am especially fond of her among all my friends.

Giving Examples

Structure and Translation for Examples

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

• " for example" por ejemplo I like playing sports, for example, football, basketball and volleyball.
• " for instance " por ejemplo She underwent several illnesses, for instance, flu, smallpox and chickenpox.
• " such as" [tal] como I have read authors such as Dan Brown, Noah Gordon, Stephenie Meyer and J.K. Rowling.
• " like " como A man like him belongs on the stage.

Ordering Ideas Logically

Structure and Translation for Ordering Ideas

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

• " First of all" antes que nada, [lo] primero [de todo] First of all, the aims of my work must be introduced.
• " First and foremost" ante todo, lo primero y más importante First and foremost, I am thankful for all the people who supported my decision.
• " In the first place " en primer lugar In the first place, I have to mention the sources I used to get the information.
• " Firstly" primeramente, en primer lugar Firstly, I am going to establish the advantages of a smoke-free environment.
• " To start with" para empezar To start with, you will say hello and introduce yourself.
• " In the second place " en segundo lugar In the second place, I will mention why this information is important for me.
• " Secondly" en segundo lugar Secondly, I will mention why this information is important for me.
• " last but not least' por ultimo, pero no por ello menos importante And last but not least I want to show my acknowledgement of the vast collaboration of my parents and wife.
• " Finally" finalmente, por último And finally, I want to end by quoting a famous saying: "Long absent, soon forgotten"