22.08.2014

We often publish tips on some of the technical difficulties of being a technical writer. But we should not forget that a technical writer is still not only a technician, but also a writer. That is, writing skills, grammar and style also need to be remembered. Today, Marcia Reefer Jonsson shares with us her thoughts on the importance of fluid storytelling.

What's wrong with this passage?

Connections make the flow of words smooth. Connections are words or phrases, sometimes entire paragraphs, that connect one idea to another. Usually (!) connectives are placed at the beginning of a sentence or paragraph. They can be placed in the middle or at the end. They guide their reader by revealing the logic of thought development. Excessive use of connectives can confuse or distract readers. Avoid using connectives in every sentence. Paragraphs are another matter. Unless you're writing a straight narrative - this happened, that happened - most paragraphs should have connectives. Think of sentences and paragraphs as body parts. They are parts of the body. The body needs joints.

I wouldn't say that the passage is bad, but connections would be nice. Notice how much smoother the text sounds.

Connections make the flow of words smooth. Connections are words or phrases, sometimes entire paragraphs, that connect one idea to another. Usually (!) connectives are placed at the beginning of a sentence or paragraph. Although they can be placed in the middle or at the end. They guide their reader by revealing the logic of thought development. Because Excessive use of connectives can confuse or distract readers, avoid using connectives in every sentence. Wherein paragraphs are another matter. Unless you're writing a straight narrative - this happened, that happened - most paragraphs should have connectives. Think of sentences and paragraphs as body parts because they are parts of the body. A the body needs joints.

Frequent use of ligaments is similar to the use of elbow joints

Think about your body. What if you didn't have elbows? What does the elbow do, after all? It connects the shoulder and forearm, allowing you to move your arm from place to place. This important connection makes movement possible—movement so coordinated, so perfectly suited to each task, that you won't even notice it. Here you are stroking a cat that purrs on your lap, here you are scratching its ear. While you are thinking about other things, your elbows make your every action smooth.

Add elbows to the text.

In other words, use connectives to connect different parts of the text, helping the reader move forward. If you use connectives wisely—naturally, logically, accurately—no one will notice them. But everyone will appreciate it.

Howcreatebunch

When you create your own connectives, use logic and your normal way of speaking. For small transitions, small movements of thought, you may only need one word, for example, however. For larger transitions, you may need a sentence or paragraph that summarizes where you've been and turns to where you're now going.

For example, at one point in The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson uses a 47-word linking sentence. Larson needs this entire sentence to ease the readers' transition from the scene in the Saturday Club to the further narrative [The book is promised to be presented to Russian-speaking readers next year].

Erik Larson creates long, masterful flows to ease the reader's transition between parts of the book. You may not write bestsellers, but if one day you have to change the direction of the story, readers will thank you for the connections.

Larson often uses the turning word another. His sentence bends like an elbow joint.

How many other words and phrases (and again the word another) can the authors use as rotary? A lot of. Below you will find a selection, 400 pieces give or take. Adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, pronouns. I compiled this list from various websites and from my own experience.

Considering all these transition-creating turning words, including considering And these– then why not use ligaments more often? Use them smoothly as you would use your elbows.

Ligaments. They create a good body.

Addition

equally important

even more

first second Third)

Besides,

and lastly

Besides

initially

moreover

next

Not only

once (two, three times)

similarly

Cause and investigation

respectively

as a result

hence

for this reason

considering

In the way that

resulting in

Thus

as a result

Clarification

in other words

to be sure

for clarification

in other words

Comparison (Similarity)

similarly

as if

thereby

the same

In a similar way

the same way

in the same way

as well as

similarly

Anyway

at least

of course that

despite

To make sure

while

Conclusion

Finally

Contrast

in the same time

vice versa

in contrast to this

despite

nevertheless

On the one side

against

on the other side

otherwise

Unlike

while it may be true

Accent (gain)

first of all

by all means

especially

really

In fact

undoubtedly

let's repeat

really

undoubtedly

without a doubt

Illustrative (Examples)

as an illustration

especially

including

in detail

in other words

in particular

For example

specially

such as

to demonstrate

to explain

for illustration

Place (space)

in the other place

nearby

neighboring

against

Pronouns that clearly refer to a word, phrase, list, image, etc.

her / his / my / our / that / their / this / these / those / your...

he/she/it/they/we

Target

for this purpose

for this reason

In the way that

to this end

with this in mind

Characteristic

May be

never

Maybe

probably

Bottom line

as a result

Finally

Thus

summing up

in the end

Time

after all

all the time

in the same time

simultaneously

first second Third)

next

within a minute

usually

immediately

in the same time

last

meanwhile

never

next

subsequently

at the same hour (minute, day)

this time

still

whenever

while

One of the main goals of every person learning a foreign language is to make their speech as rich, relaxed and close to the original conversation as possible. But this is impossible without the ability to compose beautiful and coherent sentences. This is where linking words help us ( linking words or linkers). They cannot be attributed to a specific part of speech, since they can be a conjunction, an adverb, a preposition, and a particle.

Linking words serve to connect sentences together so that they do not look disconnected from each other. All linking words in English they can be divided into several groups depending on what function they perform in a sentence. We will look at the main groups:

• Linkers for giving examples– words that allow you to give examples that support your point of view.
  

  Word/Phrase	Translation
  as follows	next as follows
  for example	For example
  for instance	For example
  namely	namely
  such as	such as

  There are two problems in the process of buying equipment: namely, the expense and the time. – When purchasing new equipment, two problems may arise: namely: costs and time.

  The participants of the tournament are as follows: Smith, Barrington, Jackson, Brown. – Tournament participants following: Smith, Barrington, Jackson, Brown.

• Linkers for adding information- words that allow you to complete a statement, add information to a sentence.
  

  Word/Phrase	Translation
  also	Also
  and	And
  apart from	except, along with
  as well as	just like, also
  besides
  furthermore	moreover, moreover, in addition
  in addition to	besides, in addition to
  moreover	moreover, moreover, in addition
  too	too, also

  And used to combine similar ideas or concepts. When enumerating, you must place a comma after each item in the enumeration, but not before the conjunction and. If the union and is used more than once, it will also be preceded by a comma.

  We discussed training of the staff and the budget of the company. – We discussed staff training And company budget.

  We discussed training of the staff, and the budget and the ways of delivery. – We discussed staff training And company budget, And delivery methods.

  Also shows that you want to express an additional opinion or emphasize a new idea that you are about to voice. This linking word is not used at the beginning of a sentence.

  We are concerned about the cost of the product, also about its quality. – We care about the cost of the product, Also about its quality.

  At the beginning of a sentence we can use in addition to, apart from, besides, moreover, furthermore. Moreover And furthermore allow us to add additional clarification to an already completed statement.

  Apart from Ferrari, our company is the largest sports car manufacturer. – Along with with Ferrari, our company is the largest manufacturer of sports cars.

  He promised to come by dinner. Moreover, he said he would call before leaving home. - He promised to come for dinner. Moreover, he said that he would call before leaving the house.

  As well as is placed either at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence. And here too is usually located at the end.

  He has worked in the office as well as at the factory. - He worked in the office, and at the factory.

  She was working in the office too. - She Same worked in the office.

  Your teacher will tell you even more about connections that supplement information. Adam.

• Linkers for summarizing information and showing the result- words that allow you to summarize the entire statement or show the result.
  

  Word/Phrase	Translation
  as a consequence	as a consequence, as a result
  as a result	as a result, as a result
  consequently	therefore, as a result of this
  hence
  in brief
  in conclusion	Finally
  in short	in a nutshell, in a nutshell
  in summary	in the end, in short
  so	so, so, therefore
  therefore	That's why
  thus	thus, from which it follows, therefore
  to conclude	drawing conclusions
  to summarize (AmE), to summarize (BrE)	Summarizing

  We usually use these linking words at the beginning of a sentence to give a brief overview of what we have already said or written. As a rule, such connectives are separated by a comma.

  In summary, the negotiations of two companies didn’t reach the final point. – Eventually During the negotiations, the companies did not come to a final decision.

  So, they decided to follow the instructions given by Mr. Smith. – So, they decided to follow the instructions given by Mr. Smith.

  We don't sell this type of phones. Hence, we can't fix yours. – We do not sell such phones. That's why We can't fix yours.

  Another video from the teacher Adam will help you shed more light on the connectives that summarize and show the result.

• Linkers for sequencing ideas- words that allow you to arrange ideas in the desired sequence.
  

  Word/Phrase	Translation
  finally	finally, in the end
  first(ly) ... second(ly) ... third(ly)	firstly... secondly... thirdly / firstly... secondly... thirdly
  lastly	finally, in the end
  the first point ... the second point ... the third point	first... second... third / firstly... secondly... thirdly
  the former ... the latter	first... last
  to begin with ... then ... to conclude	first... then... finally

  First(ly), second(ly), finally, lastly- the most common connectives for listing ideas. There are also words in English fourthly(fourth) fifthly(fifthly), but they are used extremely rarely. Instead, take the first point(first) ... the fourth point(fourth), the fifth point(fifth), etc.

  First, you should cross the road. Second, you need to take a bus. Third, you have to take off at Trafalgar Square. – Firstly, you need to cross the road. Secondly, you need to take the bus. Third, get off at Trafalgar Square.

  The service was awful in that restaurant. We had to wait for the table for an hour, to begin with. Then the waiter served us cold soup. To conclude he brought the spoons in his pocket. – The service was terrible in this restaurant. To start we had to wait an hour for our table. Then the waiter served us cold soup. Finally, he brought the spoons in his pocket.

• Linkers for giving reason- words that can be used to explain the reason for what is happening.
  

  Word/Phrase	Translation
  as	because
  because	because
  because of	because of
  due to / due to the fact that	according to/according to what
  owing to / owing to the fact that	thanks/owing to the fact that
  since	since, since

  After because of, due to And owing to a noun or gerund is used. Constructions due to the fact that, owing to the fact that, since And as are needed if you want to explain the reason with a subordinate clause.

  The flight was canceled due to bad weather – The flight was canceled because of bad weather.

  Owing to the fact that she prepared well, Ashley aced at exam. – Thanks to Ashley prepared well and excelled in the exam.

  Since our company is expanding, we need to hire more employees. – Because Our company is expanding, we need to hire new employees.

• Linkers for contrasting ideas- words that help to contrast one thought with another.
  

  Word/Phrase	Translation
  although / even though	although, even if
  but	But
  despite / despite the fact that
  however	however
  in comparison	compared
  in contrast	in contrast to, in comparison
  in spite of / in spite of the fact that	despite/despite the fact that
  in theory ... in practice	in theory... in practice
  nevertheless	despite, nevertheless
  nonetheless	nevertheless
  on the contrary	vice versa
  on the one hand ... on the other hand	on the one hand on the other hand
  unlike	Unlike
  whereas	while, whereas, since, despite
  while	despite, while

  Although, despite And in spite of are used to contrast two points of view, so they require the presence of two parts of the sentence.

  Although it wasn’t warm, she went out in a light dress. – Although the weather was cool, she wore a light dress.

  While, whereas And unlike show how ideas or objects differ from each other.

  While my mother has blue eyes, mine are green. – Although My mother has blue eyes, I have green.

  Unlike in Europe, Asia has cheap petrol. – Unlike Europe and Asia fuel is inexpensive.

  In theory ... in practice indicates an unexpected result.

  In theory, you should grill the vegetables, in practice, you can just roast them. – In theory vegetables need to be fried on the grill, on practice you can just bake them.

  We invite you to watch another video from the teacher engvid. In him Adam talks about the connectives necessary for oppositions.

There are many other linking words, but we have looked at the most common and necessary for everyday communication. Finally, don't forget to take the test and download the worksheet from linking words.

(*.pdf, 207 Kb)

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Test

Linking words in English

Linking words in English connect sentences, paragraphs and passages of text. They also help make text reading more convenient and easier, and speech smoother and more pleasant to hear. Before you use connective words in English, make sure you understand their meaning correctly. And don’t forget about such a simple but important union and, it is better not to leave simple sentences in complex ones without conjunctions, but to use and.

Let's look at groups of linking words and their translation into Russian. We will divide them based on the purposes for which they can be used.

Note:

• Despite the fact that linking words are distributed among groups, many of them are not synonyms within one group.
• The position of linking words in a sentence can change.
• Each of them can be translated depending on the context and there are quite a lot of translation options - we will provide several of the most used ones.
• It also happens that the same linking words can be used for different purposes.

Types of linking words

For transfer

Firstly he bought the tickets and only then asked me if I want to go with him. “First he bought the tickets, and only then asked me if I wanted to go with him.

To enter examples

Two of my favorite actors, namely B. Willice and G. Oldman, are in this movie. – Two of my favorite actors, namely B. Willis and G. Oldman, star in this movie.

When generalizing

Mr. Jones generally doesn`t speak much. - Mr. Jones is not usually a wordy person.

To enter the result, consequence

As a result of his behavior he had to stay home. – As a result of his bad behavior, he stayed at home.

When moving to another topic

As for your new flat I agree that you better find another one. -As for your new apartment, I agree that you need to find another one.

Summing up

In brief, the trip was very interesting. – In short, the trip was very interesting.

Stating the obvious

She doesn`t want to play football. Obviously, she prefers girly games. – She doesn’t want to play football. Apparently she prefers games for girls.

When comparing

The 1st team was very successful. Conversely, the 2nd one showed very poor results. – The first team was very successful. On the other hand, the second showed very poor results.

In this case, you may also need to emphasize one of the objects being compared.

Focusing attention

Of course, there are a large number of linking words in English; only by composing your own exercises will you be able to gradually remember most of them.

Linking words in English

View more examples in the video tutorial:

Linking words in English(Linking words) formally belong to different parts of speech. Most often these are adverbs, sometimes nouns or phrases with prepositions. There are very short particles and other interjections. But the integrity of the statements, even quite long ones, and inflexibility in tenses, persons and number are characteristic. They're always the same , close in essence to direct quotes.

What are Linking words and what are they for?

“Linkers” start a phrase, end it, or are somewhere in between. Their name is very arbitrary, since not all connecting links consist of one word; there are long expressions. In addition, linkers are divided into several classes that are not at all related to each other. You should familiarize yourself with all the categories to understand how extensive the opportunities are.

Linking Words table in English with translation

Collected linking wordstable in English consists of the most common expressions. In reality there are many more of them, especially taking into account national dialects.

Time and sequence

Sequencing linkers place statements in the correct sequence and define relative time boundaries. They are usually used one per sentence, and are most often found at the beginning, followed by a comma or without it.

– First ( ly ) , you must take a taxi. - First you need to take a taxi.

– Second(ly) , you have to walk on foot. -Then walk.

– To conclude you must cross the stream. - Finally, cross the stream.

In addition to first and firstly, foremost indicates the priority of events. More complex combinations are also used: to begin with or to start with. If instead of “firstly”, then “secondly” you need to clearly say “first”, “second”, they say: the first/second point.

Theoretically, any numerals can be used. For example, “in fifths” would be fifth(ly). But it is better to shorten, as far as possible, the lengthy enumeration in order.

The end of a sequence is denoted finally, lastly. This is not necessarily preceded by a lengthy list of items on what to do next. The context may already be known. If students are writing a test, and the teacher, towards the end of the lesson, suddenly says: “Finally, you have to append signature” - you need to sign your work, then it will be understood without unnecessary explanation. “Eventually” has a slightly different meaning: someday, one day, like “once.”

Indicates the current moment now, at this point.

– Now take your clubs and start to play golf – now take your clubs and start playing golf.

Then corresponds to the Russian “then”, “later”. Next is most accurately translated as “further”, “further”. They use only an adjective, it is not customary to say nextly. “Before” and “before”, on the contrary, are expressed by the adverb previously. After means “after”, “later”.

Addition

Adding information linkers indicate the addition of new statements to previous statements, and a logical or temporal connection between them. Complementary linkers must be placed in the correct location. At the beginning of a phrase they use besides, furthermore, moreover, in addition. And - in the middle or at the beginning, the same applies to as well as, apart from. Only at the end they add too and as well, in the middle or at the end – also.

The conjunction and combines similar concepts or continues a chain of events in time. In listings, replaces the last comma. If used more than once in a sentence (which is not desirable), a comma is also placed before “and” .

Expressing your opinion

These linking words in English emphasize that what is said before or after them is the personal opinion of the speaker. They are a sign of politeness and allow you to avoid too categorical, unproven judgments.

The expressions to my mind, from my viewpoint, in my opinion are also used with other prepositions, especially in colloquial everyday conversations. If you replace the above “in” and “to” with the preposition “on,” ordinary English speakers will not consider this an error.

Link to others

Referring to someone else’s opinion is a way to show yourself as a well-mannered person, and at the same time avoid responsibility for what is said . To this end they say:

• it is said/claimed that - they say that;
• it is believed - they believe that.

In translation, the meaning of all the above phrases is similar: “it is believed that...”. In the same spirit, you can say people often think. People argue that is also a reference to the opinion of an enlightened society.

Example and confirmation

Giving examples linkers support what is said with examples. It is customary to place phrases namely (with a comma), such as (without a comma) and as follows (usually with a colon) at the beginning of the phrase. The placement of the phrases to illustrate, for example/instance in a sentence is more arbitrary. You just need to maintain a clear context and narrative thread.

Comparisons and Contrast

Contrasting and comparison linkers contrast or compare different points of view. Some of them are used only or mainly within the same sentence. Others often start new things that contrast with what has already been said. The first group includes most of the short and simple ones. The second is verbose and more scientific, although there are many exceptions to the general trend. Comparison and contrast linkers are given in the table above.

Cause and effect

The connective following refers to logic rather than to temporal sequence: “as a result”, “as a result”. In scientific literature The introductory words hence, therefore and consequently are widely used. Also accordingly – “accordingly”.

The summary table contains many simpler colloquial expressions that show cause-and-effect relationships.

Focusing attention

These “loud” words only focus attention, but often do not correspond to reality. If someone says “in fact,” in reality the information may be completely unverified, and in fact no one has observed anything like this.

Offering an alternative

Alternative linkers offer to look at the situation from “this” or “that” point of view.

Start with an introduction:

• in this;
• in/on another;
• in/on the other.

Then usually comes a noun (case, situation, etc.). The placement within a sentence is arbitrary.

Bottom line

The most popular ones were considered linking words in English for writing and oral conversation. But these are not all such expressions. Many speech patterns simultaneously perform a connecting function and express the main meaning, and therefore are not included in the summary table.

» Linking words in English

In oral speech it is difficult to do without linking words. They make speech coherent, logical, and understandable. In order to speak English naturally and clearly for the listener, you need to use at least a minimum number of such words, which in English are called linkingwords. We have selected the most necessary connections and grouped them to make it easier to remember.

Proof of point:

Forexample, forinstance - For example

Thatis- that is

Namely- namely

Inotherwords - in other words

To introduce additional information into a speech that confirms the main idea, it is convenient to use these words - first of all, it will be more interesting for the listener to perceive the speech.

Investigation, result:

So- So

Thus- Thus

Accordingly- respectively

Sothat- So

Inthatcase - in this case

Therefore- That's why

Such words show a logical cause-and-effect relationship between statements.

Logical sequence, enumeration:

Firstly,secondlythirdly- Firstly Secondly Thirdly

Next,last– next, last (for example, an item in a report)

To begin,first- for starters, first

To conclude, in conclusion, finally- at the end, finally

Further, in addition- further, in addition.

These words help the speaker not to forget the most important things and to construct his speech correctly. And for the listener, in turn, it is easier to follow the logic of the story and easier to remember what was said.

Accent:

Infact- In fact

Especially- especially

In particular- especially

Generally- at all

These linking words highlight a certain thought from the general flow of speech and emphasize its significance.

Another point of view:

Although- Although

While- while

In comparison- compared

- despite

Ontheotherhand - on the other side

If you express several points of view in a speech, this needs to be indicated using such connecting expressions and words. They contrast two opinions; without such words, speech may seem illogical.

This is a small part of English linking words; in total there are several hundred of them. It is not necessary to know them all - a few dozen basic expressions are enough to make your speech understandable and coherent.