CONNECTORS

TYPE EXAMPLES
It was late, so I decided to take a taxi home.
So His wife left him. As a result, he became very depressed.
RESULT Consequently / As a result / Therefore The storm was so terrible that the roofs were ripped off.
So / Such (a) ........... that He was such a handsome man that she fell in love
immediately.
CAUSE AND Because / Since / As Since we arrived late, all the best seats had been taken.
REASON Because of / Due to We were unable to go by train because of the rail strike.
Although / Even though / But Although the car is old, it is still reliable.
Despite / In spite of + noun/-ing Despite / In spite of the rain, I went for a walk.
CONTRAST
However / Nevertheless/ On the Buying a house is expensive. However, it is a good
other hand investment.
When / While / After / Before / As While I was driving home, I saw a terrible accident.
TIME
soon as / Until / By the time He went out after he had finished work.
And I don´t feel like going out tonight. Besides, there is a good
In addition / Furthermore / Moreover film on.
ADDITION / Besides She writes novels. In addition, she also writes poetry.
In addition to / As well as They robbed a bank as well as a post office.
Also / Too They adore Indian food. I like Indian food, too.
Anita phoned me in order to recommend a film she had
In order (not) to / So as (not) to + inf just seen.
PURPOSE
So that + subject + modal verb + inf I left early so that I would meet Dan at the cinema on
time.

A. Fill in the blanks with the suitable connector.

1. Despiste their parents opposition, Tom and Ann decided to get married.
2. We’ll leave the note on the table so he can see it.
3. Even though I have a great respect for him, I don´t particularly like him.
4. Tim isn´t suitable for the job. He´s too old. Besides he isn´t interested.
5. Since there are no more questions to discuss, we can finish the meeting.
6. Brian is leaving the company due to his age.
7. The sweater was so big that I couldn’t wear it.
8. He worked for the same company all his life until he retired.
9. Linkers are quite difficult to learn. However, they are worth studying.
10. The temperature in Saudi Arabia can reach 50º C. Therefore , a lot of business is done early in the day.
11. I failed the exam precisely because I didn´t have time to study.
12. John, since you speak French, I wondered if I could ask you some words.
13. Nora eats green vegetables because they are good for her health.
14. It was such wonderful view that we were left speechless.
15. When the teacher was out of the class, some pupils wrote a message on the board.
16. There´s time to get a sandwich from the cafeteria before the next class begins.
17. The president was very unpopular. Therefore , his resignation did not come as a surprise.
18. Tim has to go to the dentist because of an infected tooth.
 19. I didn’t tell you in order to not make you angry.
20. It was such a good cake that I couldn’t help eating it.
21. I´ll look after the children while you are making dinner.
22. She walked carefully since the streets were covered in ice.
23. Even though he lost a lot of blood, he is in stable condition.
24. She went to the supermarket in order to buy an ice- cream.
25. I understand your point of view. However I don´t agree with it.
26. You know what is in the letter, so I won´t read it to you.
27. He raised his voice so that he could be heard.
28. While we are here, let’s enjoy ourselves.
29. The rent for the building was reasonable. Besides , the location was perfect.
30. He sat down so that he would have a rest.

B. Rewrite the following sentences using the connectors in brackets.

1. Since Bill had lived in Spain for six years, he spoke Spanish fluently. (so)
Bill lived in Spain for six years, so he spoke Spanish fluently.

2. I am sick and tired of people phoning me during my favourite TV programme. ( while)

3. I don´t know Helen very much. Nevertheless, I like her. (in spite of )
In spite of not knowing Helen very much, I like her.

4. The weather was very hot, so we all felt tired. (because)

5. If you don’t want to wake up the baby, speak softly. (so as to)
Speak softly so as to not wake up the baby.

6. We are old but we enjoy life. (despite)

7. The game was so easy that even a child could play it. (such)
It was such a easy game that even a child could play it.

8. They opened the window because they didn’t want the smoke to go in the kitchen. (so that)
They opened the window so that the smoke wouldn’t go to the kitchen.

9. He speaks Chinese and he can also read it. (furthermore)

10. I‘m going to do more sport because I want to lose some weight. (in order to)
 I´m going to do more sports in order to lose some weight.

11. I worked hard although I didn´t get the results I expected. (nevertheless)
I worked hard. Nevertheless, I didn´t get the results I expected.

12. It’s such a fantastic story that I can’t believe it. (so)
The story is so fantastic that I can’t believe it.

13. They acted quickly because they wanted to avoid confusion. (so that)
They acted quickly so that they avoid confusion.

14. You seem to know so much about it. For this reason, I would like to hear your version of the incident. (as)
As you seem to know so much about it, I would like to hear your version of the incident.

15. You may not feel like doing it but you should visit your aunt. (however)
You may not feel like doing it, however, you should visit your aunt.

16. Let’s take a taxi. I want to arrive in time. (so that)

17. The paintings were so beautiful that I went to the museum twice. (such)
They were such beautiful paintings that I went to the museum twice.

18. The T-shirts were so cheap that we bought quite a lot. (such)
They were such cheap T-shirts that we bought quite a lot.

19. Tom is such a bad player that nobody wants him in their team. (so)
Tom plays so bad that nobody wants him in their team.

20. Sara is so intelligent that everybody asks for her advice. (such)
Sara is such an intelligent person, that everybody asks her for advice.

Patrícia Valadares

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