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Área: English Asignatura: English Curso: 11th
Fecha: 15 to 21 -04 Periodo: II Nº Hor: 6hr Semana: 1
Tema: CONJUNCTIONS AND CONNECTORS
Indicador Students will be able to use connectors and conjunctions to
de Logro communicate
Exploración What do you understand from this picture¿
Contextualización
EMOCIÓN
Conceptualización
CONJUNCTIONS AND CONNECTORS
The main characteristic of both of these word kinds is, of course, that they
join or link

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Producción
It is necessary to consider exactly how they join in order to understand how they
are different. In fact, conjunctions join more than connectors. Consider these
examples:
(a) CONJUNCTION: Chickens have wings but they cannot fly.
(b) CONNECTOR : Chickens have wings. However, they cannot fly.
In (a), the conjunction but is “joining” in two different ways: it physically joins the
two verbs (have and cannot fly) into the same sentence – a new verb with no
physical link must be in a new sentence – and it mentally joins their meanings
together. The mental link is that there is something surprising about the
statement made with the second verb (after but). Linguists would call the first
kind of joining “grammatical” and the second kind “semantic”.
In sentence (b), however, there is only one kind of joining: the mental/semantic
kind (the same mental link as the one shown by but). There is no physical joining
in (b): the connector however is in a new sentence.
Thus, the main similarity between conjunctions and connectors is that they both
show a mental link between two statements containing a verb. The main
difference is that only conjunctions also create a physical, grammatical link. It is
probably because of this difference that some people call connectors “logical
connectors”.
Knowing this difference is, of course, not enough to ensure that connectors and
conjunctions are used correctly; one must also know which words or phrases are
conjunctions and which are connectors. Unfortunately, there is no rule on this:
when you come across one of these expressions, you just have to remember
whether it is a conjunction or a connector. The meaning is no guide because, as
shown above, both types of expression can have the same meaning.
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OTHER DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CONJUNCTIONS AND CONNECTORS
The main other differences concern punctuation and sentence positions. They are:
1. A conjunction cannot have a following comma but a connector often does.
2. A conjunction always comes before the subject of its verb, but a connector may
come later. In example (b), however can be placed after any of the other words
in its sentence.
3. Most conjunctions may go either before or between the two verbs that they
join, but connectors must go between them. In sentence (a) above, but is
actually exceptional in that it cannot go before the two verbs, just like a
connector. The conjunction although is more typical in its possibilities:
(c) Although chickens have wings, they cannot fly.
ACCIÓN
(d) Chickens cannot fly although they have wings.
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THE VARIETY OF MEANINGS EXPRESSED BY CONJUNCTIONS AND
CONNECTORS

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In the above examples, the mental link, or meaning, of the conjunctions and the
connector was the same: surprise about the statement made with the second
verb. This meaning is one of very many that different conjunctions and
connectors express. I do not propose to present all of these meanings (they can
be discovered with a dictionary), but a few more examples may be helpful:
(e) CONJUNCTION: After evening falls, mosquitoes become active.
(f) CONNECTOR : Evening falls. Then/Afterwards mosquitoes become active.
The mental link here is that the event expressed by the second verb has a later
time than the event expressed by the first verb.
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If it rains …
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(g) CONJUNCTION: If it rains, the visit will be cancelled.
(h) CONNECTOR : It might rain. In that case the visit will be cancelled.
In each of these, the first verb helps to show a hypothetical future event and the
second one indicates a consequence of that.
Two points can be made about the variety of meanings that are possible with
conjunctions and connectors. Firstly, most conjunctions seem to have many
connectors of similar meaning. Here are some more examples:
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The Variety of Connectors Corresponding to Individual Conjunctions
AND
also, in addition, additionally, moreover, furthermore, besides (this), then, next,
subsequently, afterwards, as a result.
BUT
however, even so, nevertheless, nonetheless, still, yet, by contrast, in contrast,
on the other hand, on the contrary.
SO, SO THAT (also BECAUSE at the start)
therefore, thus, consequently, hence, for this reason, as a result, that is why
OR
alternatively, if not, otherwise.
BECAUSE (between the linked verbs)
this is because, the reason is that.
BEFORE (before the linked verbs)
beforehand, before this, first.
BEFORE (between the linked verbs)
then, next, subsequently, afterwards.
WHILE
meanwhile, at this time, at that moment.
The second point to be made about the meaning variety of conjunctions and

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connectors is that connectors are more numerous, and hence express more
meanings, than conjunctions. This is evidenced not just by the fact that there are
many connectors for each single conjunction, but also because many additional
connectors exist that have no corresponding conjunction at all. The reason why
there are many connectors for each conjunction is that conjunctions, like most
small words, have many different meanings, while connectors tend to express
just a single meaning. My earlier post on Problem Connectors attempted to
explain some of the more problematic of these more subtle meanings. Examples
of connectors with no apparent partner conjunction are for example, for instance,
in particular, in fact, indeed, instead, in short, at least and at last..
CHOOSING WHETHER TO USE A CONJUNCTION OR A CONNECTOR
There seem to be a number of considerations in choosing between a conjunction
and a connector. The first is to do with whether or not the next words say
something already known to the reader. In sentence (e) above, the conjunction
after suggests that evening falls is already known to the reader, and the main
message is about mosquitoes becoming active; while in (f) the connector
afterwards indicates that evening falling is something the reader is being told
here because it is not already known. The ability of conjunctions to introduce
already-known ideas seems to belong particularly to the subordinating kind, but
only when they are used at the start of the sentence before both of the joined
verbs.
The second main consideration in choosing between a conjunction and a
connector could be the degree of separateness that we might wish to give to the
two joined verbs. Putting them into the same sentence with a conjunction
suggests that they are somehow part of the same idea, while putting them into
two different sentences suggests that they are two different points. Compare
these examples:
(i) Cars are dangerous and they pollute.
(j) Cars are dangerous. Moreover, they pollute.
Sentence (i) seems to be saying one thing by means of two points, that cars are
bad; while (j) appears to be emphasizing that there are two separate
disadvantages.
A third possible reason for choosing to say something in a new sentence by
means of a connector could be the fact that connectors tend to have a more
precise meaning than conjunctions. Being precise is especially important in
academic and professional writing, and that might explain why connectors are
especially common in those fields.
Modelación
To many people the word sounds awful, not necessarily (when / if / because
/ alternatively) they are lazy. The man (which / who / what) hates his job in the
factory (either / neither / otherwise / or) in the office may work very hard at the

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weekend, painting the house. ... he may spend a lot of his weekend in the
garden, digging and planting.
What, then, is the reason for this attitude? Often it is simply (because /
although / while) they do not like the job they are doing. (It / one / the same)
may be easy, like making cardboard boxes. ... it may be well-paid. ... the man
still finds the job boring.
Very often they have to do a job (where / which / who) is just a small part of
a much larger one, such as putting in the windows of a car. ... the part they play
is so small that they can never have the feeling that they have really created
something.
... in modern society, someone has to do these jobs ... that is the way society is
organised. What, therefore, can be done to make work more attractive? Should
the people get more pay (alternatively / neither / or / as well as) should they be
given more free time? ... if they are given more free time, how can they be
taught to enjoy their leisure?
Taller
EXERCISES
CONNECTORS SHOWING ADDITION, ALTERNATIVES AND CONTRAST
Fill in the gaps with a suitable connector. Do not use the same connector more than once.
A.
1. Setting realistic goals helps students to organise their work efficiently ... they
provide the students with suitable incentives.
2. Painters ... dramatists are taking part in the arts festival.
3. The first sentence of any text you read is most important because it attracts your
attention. ... it will decide whether you continue reading.
4. Books ... pencils, ... a lot of papers were lying untidily on the desk.
5. I don't care what you do. You can ... stay here ... go home.
6. If you can't get to the meeting on time, give me a ring tonight. ... leave a note with
Mrs Smith.
7. ... John ... Edward was able to help me. I don't know who else to ask.
8. It's going to rain. Shall we stay in ... go out?
9. We enjoyed ourselves ... the weather was bad.
10. ... the weather was bad we enjoyed ourselves very much.
11. He wrote a book about New York ... he had never been there.
12. My father offered to lend me half the money towards the cost of the car. ... there
was no way for me to raise the other half so I didn't buy it.
EVALUACION
13. He had never had a university education ... he became one of the most influential
men in the country.
14. ... the ... living at home can restrict one's personal freedom; ... the ... it can save a
student a lot of money.
Bibliografía

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I.
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