Our installments of Feedback, the intermediate writing course of Cambridge University Press, have come to an end. In the new year we might focus on different types of writing tasks and how to deal with them. In the meantime, we will be publishing four blog posts to deal with connectors (also called 'linking words').
Remember that connectors help us structure our writing, as they link together ideas within the same paragraph and connect the paragraphs themselves in the composition.
The examples provided here also give us a good opportunity to revise some grammar points to which some connectors are related.
Personal opinion
In my opinion/view,
To my mind,
It strikes me that,
It seems to me that,
As far as I am concerned,
I think that the economic recession of the previous decade was foreseeable.
To list advantages and disadvantages
One advantage of,
Another advantage of,
The main advantage of,
The greatest advantage of riding a motorbike in a large metropolis is that of not getting caught in major congestion.
One disadvantage of,
A further disadvantage of,
The main disadvantage of,
The first disadvantage of driving a car in a large metropolis is that offinding a parking space.
To list points
To start/begin with
Firstly,
First of all,
In the first place,
Secondly,
Thirdly,
Finally, we have to address the inadequacies within the education system before we can tackle unemployment fully.
To list points in a specific sequence
BEGINNING - First, To start/begin with, First of all, the Home Secretary will make an introductory speech.
CONTINUING - Secondly, After this/that, Afterwards, Then, Next, the Prime Minister will speak.
CONCLUDING - Finally, Lastly, Last but not least, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will announce the new budget.
To add more points to the same topic
What is more,
Furthermore,
Apart from this/that,
In addition (to this),
Moreover,
Besides (this), your choice of career is a fundamental decision which will influence the rest of your life.
Not only is your choice of career a fundamental decision, but it is also one that will influence the rest of your life.
Your choice of career is both a fundamental decision and something that will influence the rest of your life.
Most of the connectors and examples here are taken from Successful Writing, intermediate and upper-intermediate, Express Publishing.
