Connective English: Overview & Use

Connectors, or connectives in English, are conjunctions that can be used to link two or more parts of a sentence.

With the help of connectors, more complex sentences can be formed, connections can be made and sentences or texts can be better structured.

Use of connectives in English

Many texts with the same sentence beginnings appear boring. the Connectives help you to make these texts more interesting and varied. Connectives can be adverbs, conjunctions or prepositions. They are especially useful for writing the following types of text:

  • Summary (summary)
  • text analysis (text analysis)
  • Essay or essay (essay)

Connectives You can of course also use it in other types of texts, including an English drama analysis or poetry analysis.

Features of Connectives in English

There are numerous connectors and they each serve a purpose or function. For example, connectors are used to…

  • to compare things (comparative connectives)
  • to justify something (causal connectives)
  • to express conditions (qualifying connectives)
  • give examples (exemplary connectives)
  • to establish a chronological order (temporal connectives)
  • to set up an order (sequencing connectives)
  • to add or add something new (adding connectives)

Connective English – list and examples

For illustration you will find various in the tables below Connectives with translations and example sentences in English.

rephrase something (to reformulate/restate something)

This Connectives help you to reformulate sentences or ideas, or in other words to express:

ConnectiveTranslationExample sentencein other wordsHe is my sister’s son, in other words, my nephew.that meansthat meansThat means that I have to rely on myself now.to put it in other wordsTo put it in other words, if we don’t take this opportunity, we will lose.

draw a conclusion (to infer something)

To draw conclusions, you can use the following connectives in English:

ConnectiveTranslationExample sentencethis indicates thatthis indicates thatYou made a lot of mistakes. This indicates that you were not prepared for the exam.thusdamit; thusHe hit a classmate, thus he got into trouble.as a result; as a resultHe practiced a lot and won the contest as a result.in conclusionfinallyIn conclusion, we can say that it was worth it.all in all; in a nutshellall in all, the project was very successful.to sum up in this case, he didn’t meet the requirements. consequently; consequentlyHe killed her and consequently he was charged with murder.this implies; that meansYou didn’t pass the exam. That means that you have to retake the exam next year.

To refer to something (to refer to something)

The following connectors will help you refer to a statement:

ConnectiveTranslationExample sentenceaccording tocommonAccording to my doctor, I should eat less junk food.regardingbeglich; I have a bad feeling regarding the exam.with reference toDear Mr. Smith, I am writing to you with reference to your last email.with regard toWith regard to the project, the group has made great progress .the latterThe latter part of the essay was well written.the former»Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former» – Albert Einstein

If you want to learn more vocabulary to link your sentences, then the Linking Words English post will be very helpful for you!

admit something (to concede something)

If you want to admit something, you can do so using these connectives in English:

ConnectiveTranslationExample sentencein any caseauf definitely; AnywayIn any case, I will tell you everything tomorrow.even thoughEven if she keeps yelling at you, just ignore her.even thoughalthough; even though you promised you wouldn’t leave me alone, you did.anyhow; anyway; anywayI don’t care about what you say, I will go to the party anyway.though, although although he had studied a lot, he didn’t pass the exam.

Express a condition (to express a condition)

If you want to express a condition or prerequisite, the following connectives in English will help you:

ConnectiveTranslationExample sentenceon condition thatI will do the dishes on condition that you prepare the dinner.unlessif not; except; unless you don’t have to do it unless you want to. provided that on condition; provided that the plane doesn’t have a delay, we will arrive there on time.in case ofIn case of an emergency, you are prepared.as long assolangeAs long as you don’t bother your classmates, you can do whatever you want.ifwenn/fallsIf you agree with the terms and conditions, please sign below.

express time (to express time)

If you want to set up a chronological order, then use the following connectors:

ConnectiveTranslationExample sentenceat firstzuerst; initiallyAt first, I didn’t like him, but now I love him.recentlyI have been working out a lot recently.simultaneously at the same timeI can talk and drive simultaneously.meanwhileMeanwhile, a lot of things have changed.at the same timeBoth of them screamed at the same time. later; afterwards laterI woke up and brushed my teeth afterwards.lately recentlyI have been feeling very tired lately.beforebevorI have to brush my teeth before I go to bed.previouslybeforeDon’t buy anything without previously informing yourself.whenwenn; alsI will text you when I’m at home.forseitI have been exercising for about 3 months.sinceitI have known her since I was born.while; during during our tour, I learned a lot about France. after all; sometimeBe patient, eventually, the bus will arrive.as soon as soonPlease call me as soon as possible.

to express place and space (to express place and space)

These connectives in English will help you organize things by place and space:

ConnectiveTranslationExample sentenceon the right/leftrechts/linksPeople in the UK drive on the left side of the road.in front ofvorI embarrassed myself in front of everyone.in the backgroundin the backgroundThere is a cat in the background of the picture.nearbynächieIs there any supermarket nearby ?on the other side

The grass is greener on the other side.

amongamong; unterThere was only one boy among all the girls.belowunder; belowAll the available options are listed below.behindhinten; (da)behindI hid the ball behind the tree.betweenbetweenI was sitting between a girl and an old man.

arrange order (to create an order)

To put arguments or statements in an order in terms of content, you can use the following connectives in English:

ConnectiveTranslationExample sentencefirst of all zuallerstFirst of all, you shouldn’t be here at all.to begin withzunächt (once) …To begin with, what you said was very hurtful.first / firstlyzuerst, dortFirstly, she decided to move out.secondlyzzweitensSecondly, she cut her hair.thirdlydrittensThirdly, she met new people.moreoverzudemMoreover, I have always been there for you.furthermore; in addition Furthermore, she blamed her for being late.in conclusionIn conclusion, we need to work harder.finallyI finally got my driver license.

Compare something (to compare things)

You can use these connectives in English to compare two or more things with each other, or to express opposites and contrasts:

ConnectiveTranslationExample sentence despite; in spite oftrotzDespite being far away from each other, we still find ways to communicate.as wellauch; also My professor teaches English as well as French.instead of instead of talking to me, she keeps ignoring me.on the one handon the other handeinerseitsandererseitsOn the one hand, I want to buy that dress but on the other hand, I need to save money.( al)though although I hurried up, I missed the bus.whereasduring; whereasI finished all my assignments, whereas you haven’t even started yet.neverthelessnonetheless; neverthelessI didn’t study, nevertheless, I passed the exam.except forexcept Everyone fell asleep, except for me.unlikeanders alsUnlike you, I care about her feelings.in contrast toIn contrast to Anna, Ariana is very shy.in the same mannerin the same wayYou should treat everyone in the same manner.apart fromApart from one mistake, you did everything right.

express reason and purpose (to express a reason or purpose)

If you want to justify something in English, then you can use the connectors listed below:

ConnectiveTranslationExample sentencebecauseI couldn’t fall asleep because of you.that is whydashalb ist; that’s why people can be very mean sometimes. That is why you shouldn’t listen to them.due towegen; due to my knee injury, I couldn’t go to school. for that/this reasonI stole the trophy. For that reason, I was kicked out of school. thereforeThere are many bad people, therefore you should be careful.as; sinceda, becauseWe ordered three pizzas since we were hungry. consequently I had the highest score and consequently won the competition.

Add/supplement (to add something)

To add or supplement new ideas and information, the following connectives in English may be helpful:

ConnectiveTranslationExample sentencebesidesaucherAnd besides, I don’t feel like going out.tooauchYes, I like animals too.andundI bought a dress and a pair of jeans today.alsoauchI am also interested in this course.furthermoreauch, weiterfurthermore, she forgot where she left her keys. in addition (to); additionally, the conditions were not fulfilled.

to give examples

With the following connectors you can introduce various examples in English:

ConnectiveTranslationExample sentencefor instance/for examplefor example; e.g. Anna, for example, doesn’t like meat.such as I have traveled to a lot of places such as France and Spain.in particular; especially I love languages, in particular French.

Connective English – The most important things

  • Connectives are English connectives that can be used to link two or more parts of a sentence.
  • With the help of Connectives more complex sentences can be formed, connections can be made and texts can be better structured.
  • Connectives are used for various purposes: expressing conditions, giving examples, drawing conclusions, etc.
  • Connectives are often used in text analysis, summaries and essays to make the text more interesting and varied.