When you have to do a piece of writing – an essay, an argumentation, a summary etc. – it is important to think about who you are writing this to or for! – The reader!
Now, here it is important that you keep your audience interested and to ensure that the text is easy to read and follow. For that to happen, you should use linking devices (sometimes called connectors, conjunctions or linkers). There is a great variety of those in the English language, so how do we know which ones to use?
Well, that depends on what you want to express. Different linking words serve different purposes.
Contrasting Ideas
Although/ Even though they lived in poverty, they still were content and happy to have each other.
Despite/ In spite of the horrible weather, they had an enjoyable stay at the beach house.
Girls are usually better at languages while boys are said to be better at science subjects.
We want to believe him, but he has lied to us many times before.
On the other hand, I am certain that he wouldn’t lie to us again.
Adding Information and Giving Examples
She is very well organised. For example/ For instance, she loves to categorise everything in her house.
Additionally/ In addition, she also likes to label all her kitchen utensils, including all the pots and pans.
They have spoken to several members of staff, namely Jennifer and John.
Moreover, they arrested two more members of staff this morning after the interrogation.
Result and Reason
The children were running around and screaming loudly. As a result, the baby woke up from his nap.
Due to the traffic jam this morning, I was late for work.
I need to go to bed early tonight since/ as I have a job interview tomorrow morning at 9am.
Children nowadays spend too much time on their smartphones. Therefore, we need to change the way they socialise.
Showing Structure and Sequence
To start with, you need to wash and cut the potatoes in small cubes.
Firstly, I would like to introduce our new team members. Secondly, I want to focus on some serious issues which we have experienced lately.
To sum up, this was a very efficient month.
Adding Emphasis
She is a very good student. In fact, she is the best student in her year level. She is particularly good at maths and physics.
Comparison
Facebook offers a search option to find people we know and become ‘friends’. Similarly, Twitter users can connect with their friends and ‘follow’ their tweets.
In comparison to Twitter, Facebook offers its users more diverse functions.