1. USING SENTENCE CONNECTORS IN THE WRITING PROCESS: A RESOURCE LIST*
CONNECTORS, TRANSLATION
LOGICAL TRANSITION AND
POSITION** FUNCTION EXAMPLES
RELATIONSHIP WORDS, LINKS, GRAMMATICAL
PHRASES CATEGORY
“i” ; conjunció ...and... Linking two main ideas “I came to town in 2000 and have lived here ever
And
since.”
Also / not only...but “també / a més a mid position Additionality “Tony Nutall is Vice-Chancellor and also a Professor
also més” ; adverbi of English at Sussex.”
“a més a més” / ._____, ... “The Opposition have consistently accused the
Moreover d’altra banda” ; Government of corruption. Moreover, they have
adverbi given names.”
ADDITION In addition (in “a més”; locució ._____, ... “In addition to chocolate cake, they also ate a great
Introducing an opinion that adds, supports or
addition to this / deal of fruit.”
emphasizes the previoius one
that)
“a més (a més)”; ._____, ... “Computer chess games are still a bit expensive, but
Furthermore adverbi (rather they are getting cheaper all the time. Furthermore,
formal) their quality is rising.”
“a més (a més)”; ._____, ... / It is often used when listing “What languages do you know besides English and
Besides
adverbi mid position German?”
“no obstant això”; ._____, ... / Contrasting facts about the same or different “Loosing at games doesn’t seem to matter to some
CONTRAST However adverbi ..., _____, ... things. women. Most men, however, can’t stand it at any
(aposició) price.”
In contrast (to / “pel contrari / al ._____, ... Indicating how different a person or thing is “In contrast to other European countries, our use of
with) / on the contrari / d’altra from another thing or person you mentioned oil has increased enormously.”
contrary / by banda”; locució earlier. The second sentence strongly rejects the
contrast idea of the first
On the one “D’una banda ... ._____, ... Introducing the first / second part of an “On the one hand, you must admit that John had
hand...on the other d’altra banda”; argument or discussion that has two different great difficulties playing cricket, but on the other
hand locució and opposite points of view. hand, he was an awfully good rugby player.”
“malgrat”; locució ._____, ... “In spite of his poor health, my father was always a
In spite of
cheerful man.”
“malgrat”; ._____, ... / Introducing a fact which makes the other part of “Despite the difference in their ages, they were close
Despite / the sentence extremely surprising
preposició ..., _____, ... friends.” // “ Computing remains a growth area and
notwithstanding
(aposició one in which, notwithstanding economic recessions,
(formal)
the outlook looks bright.”
Nevertheless (rather “tanmateix”/ ._____, ... / Introducing a surprising statement which is the “He had not slept that night. Nevertheless, he led the
formal and “malgrat tot”; opposite to what you would normally expect to rally with his usual vigour.” // “He smokes and drinks.
stronger) / even so adverbi be true. Even so, I bet he’ll live till he’s a hundred.”
“en lloc d’això”; .... _____. Something is done in place of something else “Judy did not answer. She looked out of the taxi
Instead
adverbi that you have mentioned. window instead.”
“però” / “sinó”; ..., but ... Used after having made a negative statement to “They don’t need to know all the answers, but they
But / not only ... but
conjunció introduce a contrasting idea with the first. Two need to know how to find out the answers.” // “You
also
equally important ideas. are not only funny, but witty as well.”

2. “tot i així”; ...., yet ... Introducing a comment or statement which is “It’s incredible yet true.”
Yet
conjunció rather surprising after the previous one
“encara que”; _____, ... . It introduces subordinate clauses which contain “Although he was late for the meeting, he stopped to
conjunció sub. ..., _____ ... a statement or comment that is relevant to the buy a sandwich.” // “He wasn’t tired, though he
Although; though
main clause and it modifies it (making it seem hadn’t stopped working all day.”
surprising, unexpected...)
“més aviat”; adverbi ..., _____ ... Introducing a statement that expresses a “This was no matter for congratulation, but rather a
different and often opposite opinion from the matter for vengeance.”
Rather one that has just been expressed and to suggest
that this second statement is a truer or better
one.
“tot i que”; _____, ... Introducing a clause which appears to partly “Even if you disagree with her, she’s worth listening
Even though / even conjunció sub. ..., _____ ... contradict the main clause in the sentence, but to.” // “I was always afraid of men, even though I
if that does not actually affect the truth of the main had lots of boyfriends.”
clause.
“tot i que” / “mentre Beginning of Contrasting with what you mentioned in the “While I have sympathy for these fellows, I think they
While / whereas / que”; conjunció sub. the main clause. went too far.” // “Whilst these is fairly cheap, it works
whilst (formal) subordinate awfully in bad weather conditions.” // “Humans are
clause capable of error whereas the computer is not.”
“de la mateixa “You can’t wear that; this is not a fancy dress ball.
Likewise (formal) _____, ...
manera”; adverbi Likewise, brides can’t dress in black.”
“fer el mateix”; It is used when comparing two methods, states, “Watch him and do likewise.”
Do likewise ... _____.
locució situations... and saying that they are similar.
“de la mateixa _____, ... “Every baby’s face is different from every other’s. In
In the same way /
COMPARISON manera”; locució the same way, every baby’s pattern of development is
manner
different from every other’s.”
“com”; preposició ... _____ ... Having similar qualities, features or “I saw a dog like ours on the beach.”
Like
characteristics
“igualment”; adverbi _____, ... It is used to highlight the correspondence “You should notify any change of address to our
Similarly between the way two things happen. administration department. Similarly, you should do
the same with your personal details.”
RESULT OR “per tant” adverbi _____, ... It indicates that what you are about to say or “We have a growing population. Therefore, we need
Therefore
EFFECT ..., _____ ... mention is the result or consequence of more and more food.”
“per consegüent”; .mid position something that has just been said. It may also “Absolute secrecy is essential. Consequently, the
Consequently
adverbi (“and”) introduce a conclusion. fewer who are aware of the plan the better.”
“per això”; adverbi “Computers have become smaller and cheaper and
Hence (formal)
hence more available to a gret number of people.”
“per aquesta raó”; “A rise in incomes will create increased purchasing
Thus (formal) adverbi power, thus stimulating demand for goods and
services.”
“de manera que”; “He speaks very little English, so I talked to him
So
conjunció sub. through an interpreter

3. “Com a “I threw a few copies of the report on his desk, which
Thereupon (formal) conseqüència”; thereupon fell to the floor.”
adverbi
“perquè”; conjunció It introduces the reason for a statement. “I talked to him through an interpreter because he
Because
sub. speaks very little English.”
“com que”; It is used when you want to explain why “She would like to teach, but as her subjects are Greek
As
conjunció sub. something is the case. and Latin she’s not likely to find a job.”
REASON “ja que”; conjunció ... _____ ... It introduces a reason for something, especially “Aircraft noise is a particualr problem here since
Since sub. when this reason is something that is already we’re close to Heathrow Airport.”
known to the person you are talking to.
“ja que”; conjunció It introduces a clause which gives the reason “This was where he spent a great deal of his free time
For (formal)
sub. why you made the statement in the main clause. for he had nowhere else to go.”
“per tal que”; ... _____ ... It is used to introduce the reason for something “He has to earn lots of money so that he can buy his
PURPOSE So that
conjunció sub. that has just been mentioned. children nice food and clothes.”
First(-ly), at first, in “en primer lloc” / “At first, he couldn’t work out why the room seemed
the first place, to “primerament” / “per _____, ... Putting or placing a series of events in different”
TIME OR begin with, the començar”...; ..., _____ ... chronological order (one after another in a fixed
SEQUENCE primary reason, adverbis i locucions .mid position order or according to a definite pattern, usually
second(-ly), third(- (“and”) moving in stages towards a particular result).
ly)...
“llavors”; adverbi “He went to the village school, then to the grammar
Then
school and then to the university.”
“després”; adverbi “In 1998, we did Macbeth. Next, we did the Merchant
Next
of Venice.”
“després”; adverbi “We had a very good meal. Afterwards, everybody
Afterwards
helped with the washing up.”
“més tard”; adverbi “She finished up her breakfast. Later, she went up to
Later
the office.”
“a partir “The day started early with tea at 6.15. Thereafter, it
Thereafter (formal) d’aleshores”; was punctuated by meals and hot drinks.”
adverbi
Meanwhile (in the “mentrestant”; “Of course it will all end one day. In the meanwhile,
meanwhile / in the adverbi I enjoy the game we’re all playing.”
meantime)
“finalment”; adverbi “She had terrible headaches during the night.
Eventually, finally,
Eventually, in the morning, they got through the
at last, in the end...
hospital.”
“quan”; conjunció “When I have free time, I always spend it fishing.” //
When (whenever) “Come to see me whenever you feel you have to
talk.”
“mentre”; conjunció “While he was turning the key in the lock, someone
While / as (normalment seguida opened a door on the other side of the corridor.”
(simultaneously) de formes continues.
Emfatitza la durada)

4. “abans”; adverbi / “She had never been drunk before in her life.” //
“abans de”; “Before the First World War, the farmers used to use
Before
preposició / “abans horses instead of tractors.” // “You have to pay out
que”; conjunció 50$ in cash before they’ll give it to you.”
“de sobte”; adverbi “They were all having a big party in the office.
Suddenly
Suddenly, the door opened and in walked the boss.”
“després “His birthday party began at 9.30. After a while,
After (this, a while, d’això...d’una everybody was singing and having fun.”
a bit, a few days) estona...”; locució
“fins que”; “We went on duty at 6 in the evening and worked
Until (then) conjunció sub. // until 2 a.m.” // “You can’t get free prescriptions until
“fins (a)”; preposició you are 16.”
“fins ara”; adverbi “Modern technology has solved so many hitherto
Hitherto (formal)
insoluble problems”
“mentre que”; “You can’t turn the heat off as long as the system is
As long as
locució operating.”
“poc després” // “tan “Peter and Julie got married in 2001. Soon
Soon (afterwards),
aviat com; així que”; afterwards, they had their first baby, John.” // “Let us
as soon as
locució know as soon as you can.”
“en resum”; locució
In short / in brief
“per tal de These transitions are used when:
In order to conclude • you have been listing or giving a lot of
concloure”; locució
“Peter didn’t have an easy childhood. His parents
“en resum”; locució details about facts, events, feelings,
To sum up abandoned him at the age of three and then he spent
situations... and you want to show a final
the next six years in an orphanage run by a religious
“en resum” / “a fi de conclusion.
(In order) ... To group. He has lived with several families since then,
SUMMARY resumir”; locució (...). _____, ... • You state briefly and clearly the main
summarize but nobody is willing to adopt handicapped children.
points of a speech, argument...
All this has made of him a lonely, sad and gloomy
“en general” / “en • You want to introduce a summary or teenager. On the whole, he is a very difficult
On the whole generalization, or an opinion which is based
conjunt”; locució character.”
“en altres paraules” / on facts or reasons that have already been
In other words given.
“és a dir”; locució
“fet i fet”; locució
All in all
For example (e.g = “per exemple”;
“exempli gratia”) locució (...). _____, ... To introduce and emphasize something that “This file contains a sheet of paper with a list of
[i.e = id est] (...). _____: ... illustrates a point you are making, or that names, addresses and telephone numbers. For
“per exemple”; ..., _____, ... supports an argument, theory or opinion. example: doctor, dentist, vet, garage and so on.”
EXAMPLES For instance
locució
“concretament”; ..., _____, ...
Specifically
adverbi (aposició) To say that you are concentrating on a particular “I dislike talk shows, particularly those in which the
In particular / “en particular” ; (...). _____: ... aspect of a subject. guests shout and insult each other, even theTV host.”
particularly adverbi ..., _____, ...

5. “de fet”; locució (...). _____, ... It is used to introduce or to indicate more “This isn’t very interesting. In fact, I think it’s
In fact detailed information which is related to what remarkably dull.”
REPHRASING you have just been saying.
“de fet”; adverbi ..., _____, ... It is used to add a further comment or statement “I am very happy, indeed anxious, that students’
Indeed (formal) (aposició) which strengthens the point you have already views should be expressed.”
made.
“segons el meu
To my mind, ... // In
my opinion, ... parer”; locució
As far as I am “pel que fa a mi”; These transitions are used:
concerned, ... locució • To indicate that the statement you are “To my mind, Michael Jackson never really exploited
EXPRESSING Personally, I think... “personalment, crec making is your own opinion. his potential.” // “In my view, all I can say is that this
PERSONAL (que)...”; locució _____, ... • When you want to emphasize that you are is the best of all possible solutions.” // “From my
OPINION “tal i com jo ho stating a personal comment on something. point of view, getting married in order to pay less
As I see it, ...
veig”; locució taxes is quite a stupid decision.”
• To portray the way of looking at or
From my point of “des del meu punt de
considering something.
view, ... vista”; locució
“al meu entendre”;
In my view, ...
locució
ALTERNATIVE Or “o”; conjunció ... _____ ... It is used to link a number of alternatives. “Do you want your drink up there or do you want to
come down for it?”
“tots dos”; adjectiu ... _____ ... It is used to introduce a noun that refers to each “The two ladies sat in large armchairs on either side
of two things when you are talking about both of the stage.”
of them.
Either “cap dels dos”; ... _____. It is used in a negative statement to refer to each “Which one do you want? I don’t want either.”
pronom of two things, people or situations, when you
are emphasizing that the negative statement
includes both of them.
“o... o”; conjunció ... _____ .... In front of the first of two or more alternatives, “I was expecting you either today or tomorrow.”
_____... when you are stating the only possibilities or
Either ... or
choices that there are. The other alternatives are
introduced by “or”.
“cap (dels dos)”; _____ (of) ... It is used to refer to to each of two things, “Neither of us was having bad luck.” // “Neither was
pronom people, situations..., when you are making a suffering pain.”
negative statement that includes both of them.
Neither (of) “tampoc”; adverbi ... _____ ... It is used after a negative statement to introduce “I was not happy and neither were they.
a clause and to say that the previous statement is
also true of the person or thing that you are
about to mention.
“ni ... ni”; conjunció ... _____ .... In a negative statement in front of the first of “I wouldn’t dream of asking neither Mary nor my
_____... two alternatives, when you are emphasizing that mother to take on the responsibility.”
Neither ... nor none of the alternatives mentioned is true,
possible or likely to happen. The other
alternatives are introduced by “nor”.

6. “si no” / “de no ser (...). _____, ... It is used to say what the result or consequence “It’s perfectly harmless, honey. Otherwise, I wouldn’t
Otherwise així”; adverbi would be if the previously mentioned situation, have done it.”
fact, idea... was untrue or was not the case.
“en lloc d’algú / ... _____ ... It is used to introduce something which is not “I’m tired of sleeping in the mud instead of a nice,
Instead of d’alguna cosa”; done or not true when you contrast this with warm bed.”
preposició something else which is done or is true.
“si”; conjunció sub. _____ ..., In conditional sentences in which you say that “If all goes well, Voyager 2 will head on to Uranus.”
(...) _____ ... one thing must happen first or be true first
If
before it is possible for something else to
happen or be true.
“donat que”; _____ ..., It is used when you talk about something true “Granted that he’s in hospital, he can’t do us much
Granted that conjunció sub. (...) _____ ... and you make a comment about what the likely harm.” // “La Habana University is the best place for
(formal) / Given that consequences might be me to study given that I am highly interested in
Marxism.”
“amb la condició _____ ..., It is used to say that something will happen as “Children were permitted into the hall for these films
que” / “sempre que”; (...) _____ ... long as something else happens (the first thing provided that they sat at the back.”
Provided that
conjuncio sub. will happen only if the second thing also
happens).
“per si”; locució ... _____. To refer vaguely to the possibility of something “Do you want me to hold one of them just in case?”
CONDITION (sovint amb “just”) happening, which you do not actually specify
and which is the reason why you do something
In case
or suggest something.
“per si”; conjunció _____ ..., When you are giving information. “In case you didn’t know, there are three basic wines:
sub. (...) _____ ... red, white and rosé.”
“si”; conjunció sub. ... _____ ... It is used in indirect questions where the answer “I can’t tell whether she loves me or she hates me.”
Whether
is “yes” or “no”.
“tant si ... com no”; ... ___ ... ___ It is used to say that something is true in any of “He’s going to buy a house whether he gets married
Whether ... or not
locució the circumstances that you mention. or not.”
“llevat que” (+ _____ ..., It is ued to introduce the only circumstances in “I can’t get a grant unless I have five years’ teaching
subjunctiu) / “si no (...) _____ ... which: experience.” = “If I don’t have 5 years’ teaching
Unless és que”; conjunció • An event you are mentioning will not take experience, I can’t get a grant.” // “Unless I was very
sub. place. much mistaken, there was something wrong with her.”
• A statement you are making is not true.
• SOME OF THE EXAMPLES PROVIDED ARE TAKEN FROM THE COLLINS COBUILD DICTIONARY (Collins Birmingham University International Language Database).
• (*) NOTE: this list is not meant to be exhaustive or to present strict rules of use but to suggest some possibilities. It’s up to you to complete or enlarge it in order to develope your own
way of using sentence connectors.
• (**) NOTE: If you check a good monolingual dictionary, you will notice that most of the times there is more than one possibility. Anyway, remember these two tips: “do this and you
will be right more often than wrong” and “the more you’ll read and write, the more you’ll learn”.