Saint Gaspar College Misio nero s de la Precio sa Sangre F o r m a n d o P e r s o n a s Í n t e g r a s ENGLISH DEPARTEMENT LIST OF CONNECTORS AND TRANSITIONAL WORDS - 2017 Student s name: Grade: 8º How can I express correct ideas in English? If you want to express complete ideas in English, it is convenient to take into consideration some aspects concerning grammar. a) The subject (or personal pronoun) must be present in the sentence. A person who speaks Spanish generally deletes pronouns, just because Spanish verb conjugation is different, so the "person" we are referring to as the subject of the sentence can be easily identified. In English, the same verb conjugation is used for more than one subject, that's why it is so important to establish clearly about who we are talking about. b) Sentences must sound logical in context, content and time. This means that they have to be expressed with pertinent changes in tenses. We can't start an idea in past and suddenly change it to present tense or future without any logic. Grammar elements as auxiliary verbs, time expressions, singular and plural forms, must agree within the sentence. The position of the different elements must be the correct one: frequency adverbs generally go before the main verb, except to be; adjective are placed before nouns; time expressions generally go at the end of the sentence, etc. COMPLETE IDEA STRUCTURE Sentence # 1 Sentence # 2 Sentence # 3 subject- verb compl. Subject - verb Compl. Subject- verb compl. I couldn t study English because my sister was so sick that we had to take her to the doctor. Connector Connector The following words and expressions are very useful to write complete ideas or create cohesive texts. I. ADDING IDEAS (THEY PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION) AND : Y... (to join two sentences) - She went to the university and I went to the museum. BESIDES : ADEMÁS (TO ADD INFORMATION) - I don't like so much the new dictionary, besides it's too expensive. 1
IN ADDITION: ADEMÁS. (FOLLOWED BY A COMPLETE SENTENCE) - We went to the supermarket and bought food and vegetables. In addition, we took some time to visit my aunt who was sick. IN ADDITION TO: ADEMÁS DE. (FOLLOWED BY A NOUN PHRASE) - In addition to the supplies they gave us, they sent us some money to buy food for the children. MOREOVER : MÁS AUN, ADEMÁS QUE. TO GIVE FURTHER INFORMATION - I don t want to go, moreover, I don t have the money to go. 2. CAUSE AND REASON (THEY EXPLAIN THE CAUSE OR GIVE REASONS) BECAUSE OF : DEBIDO A (FOLLOWED BY A NOUN PHRASE : SOMETHING) - We couldn't go because of the rain. - Henry was accepted immediately because of his knowledge. DUE TO: DEBIDO A (FOLLOWED BY A NOUN PHRASE : SOMETHING) - Due to a lack of time, we couldn t finish our scientific project. AS : DADO QUE, VIENDO QUE (CAUSE) - As he wasn t ready in time, we went without him. - As he felt tired he went to bed early. SINCE: DADO QUE, (CAUSE) - Since nobody had a better idea, David took some photos and prepared for the Art class. - Since most university students have a notebook, many classes are covered with on-line materials. BECAUSE : PORQUE, YA QUE FOLLOWED BY A COMPLETE SENTENCE - He couldn't go to the cinema because he had to prepare a test. - I'm good at English because I like it. FOR THIS (THAT) REASON: POR ESTA RAZÓN, DADO ESTO PERHAPS : QUIZÁS, TAL VEZ (TO EXPRESS PROBABILITY) - Susan didn't call me up last night, perhaps she was very busy. THAT : QUE (IT CAN BE OMMITTED) - Everybody knew (that) she would be here soon. - He told me (that) he had just got married. 2
3. CONTRAST (THEY CONTAIN NEGATIVE IDEAS, IN OPPOSITION) BUT : PERO - I went to the mall but I didn t buy anything. ALTHOUGH: AUNQUE (IT CONTAINS A NEGATIVE IDEA, IN OPPOSITION) THOUGH - She made it, although she didn't like it. - Although we knew (that) the test could be difficult, we didn't prepare it. HOWEVER : SIN EMBARGO (IT CONTAINS A NEGATIVE OR OPPOSITE IDEA) - They knew the problems (that) we had; however, they didn't help us. - He promised me to be there on time; however, he didn't do it. NEVERTHELESS : NO OBSTANTE, SIN EMBARGO - The air of Santiago is polluted; nevertheless, not all the people worry about it. IN SPITE OF DESPITE A PESAR DE (FOLLOWED BY A NOUN PHRASE- SOMETHING) - Robert went to the stadium in spite of the rain. - We went to the mountains despite the cold wind. IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT : A PESAR DE QUE ( FOLLOWED BY A COMPLETE SENTENCE) - In spite of the fact that it was raining, we went to the stadium. - Alice chose a very expensive dress for the party, in spite of the fact that she knew (that) her father didn t have enough money to pay for it. 4. RESULT (THEY EXPRESS CONSEQUENCES OR EFFECT) THEN : ENTONCES - Pablo didn't study enough for the exam, then he got a bad mark. SO : ASI ES QUE, POR LO TANTO - We didn t have more classes, so we went home. THEREFORE : POR LO TANTO (AS A RESULT) - We ll have many tests next week, therefore we must begin to study right now. 3
5. COMPARISON (THEY ESTABLISH SIMILITUDES OR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TWO SITUATIONS) ON THE CONTRARY : POR EL CONTRARIO - I'm not saying that you don't need help with your problems, on the contrary, I think that we have to work together to find out a solution. LIKEWISE: ASIMISMO; DE IGUAL MANERA - Pet food which contains fats can be recommended for growth; likewise, food rich in nutrients but reduced in fats is convenient for adult pets. WHILE: MIENTRAS - While my sister went to the cinema with her friends, I decided to stay home and study. - Some students prefer to study alone, while others prefer to study with friends. 6. SUMMARY OR CONCLUSION. (THEY CLOSE A DESCRIPTION IDENTIFYING CENTRAL ELEMENTS) IN FACT : EN REALIDAD, DE HECHO - They brought many of the things we need for the project. In fact, they brought almost everything - I think she is qualified for the job, but she got nervous in her first interview. In fact, she needs another opportunity. IN BRIEF : EN BREVE, EN RESUMEN (TO MAKE A SUMMARY) - All students must show responsibility, punctuality and creativity. In brief, the whole group must adapt to the new rules. - You can t just take something which is not your own, or be disrespectful or plagiarize academic material. In brief, you re expected to behave according to the rules. IN SHORT: EN POCAS PALABRAS, EN BREVE - They didn t bring the book, they lost their list of verbs, and they didn t have a single dictionary. In short, the class couldn t be developed as it was expected. IN SUMMARY: EN RESUMEN - We didn t have a guitarist, the drummer left the city, our vocalist quitted. In summary, the band didn t exist any longer! IN CONCLUSION: EN CONCLUSIÓN - To become an Air Force pilot, you have to demonstrate good general and technical knowledge, be ready to practice a lot and count on good mental and physical health. In conclusion, it is a demanding career. 4
7. CONDITION (THEY SET A WARNING OR A CONDITION) OTHERWISE : SI NO, DE OTRA MANERA (TO WARN SOMEBODY) - You have to learn all the new verbs and expressions; otherwise you won't obtain a good mark in the test. UNLESS : A MENOS QUE - Daniela won't go to the party unless you go with her. - I won't be able to buy the book unless you give me the money. 8. TIME AND SEQUENCE. (THEY PROVIDE ORDER OF TIME AND SEQUENCE TO A NARRATIVE TEXT OR DISCOURSE) AS : MIENTRAS, CUANDO (TIME) - I saw her as she was getting off the bus. - They saw the thieves as they ran away. - As he grew older he became less active. WHILE: MIENTRAS - While we were walking by the seashore, we found an old bottle with a message inside. THEN : LUEGO, DESPUÉS - Catalina went to the cinema, then she went home. SOON: PRONTO - It was almost dark. Soon, there was nobody in the street. FIRST: AL INICIO, PRIMERO ( SECOND, THIRD) - First, he tried to remember where he was. Second, he lit a match to see something around. Finally, he remembered he had been attacked in the alley. LATER: MÁS TARDE, DESPUÉS - They got up very early and had a light breakfast. Later, they went downtown to buy some souvenirs. FINALLY: FINALMENTE, AL FINAL - At the beginning, she felt alone in town. Few days later, she met some new friends and started going out to parties. Finally, she discovered she belonged to that place. 5
9. EXAMPLES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. FOR EXAMPLE: POR EJEMPLO - There are many things (that) you can do to improve your English. For example, you can watch films on TV without subtitles, play video games with indications in English, read novels or magazines in English, etc. FOR INSTANCE: POR EJEMPLO - If you want to avoid gaining weight, you can do many things. For instance, establish clearly the meals you ll eat during the day, do physical exercise, drink much water, avoid unhealthy food, etc. SUCH AS: TAL(ES) COMO - My uncle usually buys cars of prestige brands; such as Audi, BMW, Lexus, or Mercedes-Benz. 10. INTERRUPTION BY THE WAY : A PROPÓSITO (IDIOM USED TO INTERRUPT AN IDEA) - I can t understand why Pamela gets so bad marks in math, because she is so responsible... by the way, have you seen her? INTERROGATIVE WORDS AND RELATIVE PRONOUNS : (WITHIN THE SENTENCE, THEY MAKE REFERENCE TO SUBJECT OR ANOTHER ELEMENT IN THE SENTENCE) THAT : QUE (RELATIVE TO A PRONOUN) (IT CAN T BE OMITTED) - The woman that lives next door is very tall indeed. - The first book that we read was really boring! WHICH : EL QUE, LA QUE, LOS (LAS) QUE. LOS (LAS) CUALES. (IT CAN BE OMITTED) - Those are the books ( which) they sent us. - That is the car (which) she bought. WHO(M) : QUIEN(ES), A QUIEN(ES) (IT CAN T BE OMITTED) - Try to guess who he is. - It was Alice who was behind the door. - Guess who(m) he will marry. 6
WHAT : LO QUE (WITHIN A SENTENCE) (IT CAN T BE OMITTED) - Now I clearly understand what you tried to say to me. - He didn t tell us what he was doing there. WHERE : DÓNDE. (IT CAN T BE OMITTED) - I can t remember where I put it. - That is the restaurant where we met the first time. WHY : POR QUÉ (IT CAN T BE OMITTED) - We can't understand why Simon acts that way. - It isn t so easy to understand why she acts like that. HOW : CÓMO (IT CAN T BE OMITTED) - I don't know how you will prove it. - It s hard to explain how they got caught by the drugs. WHEN : CUÁNDO (IT CAN T BE OMITTED) - I won't be here when he arrives. - We can make the party when the weather becomes warmer. WHENEVER : CUANDO SEA (FUESE) QUE, SIEMPRE QUE. (IT CAN T BE OMITTED) - I was by his side whenever he needed me. - They went there whenever she invited them. WHEREVER : DONDE SEA (FUERA) QUE. (IT CAN T BE OMITTED) - Wherever you go, I'll go with you. - The poor dog followed him wherever he went. WHOEVER : QUIEN SEA (FUESE) QUE - You can help whoever you want. - They promised to pay $2000 dollars whoever gave them some information. WHATEVER : LO QUE SEA (FUESE) QUE. (IT CAN T BE OMITTED) - You can do whatever you want. WHICHEVER : EL QUE SEA, CUAL SEA (FUESE) QUE. (IT CAN T BE OMITTED) - You can buy whichever you want. - We have so many Cds so you can take whichever you need. 7