Updated Oct. 2, 2008
Some words and phrases used to begin a sentence that show linkage to the previous sentence (关联词)
(Also called 'discourse markers')
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1. Stating two contrasting points in a balanced way, not emphasizing the difference
2. Stating two contrasting points and emphasizing the difference
3.
Talking about
Similarity (相似，类似)
4.
Contradicting
(反驳)
5.
Concession (concede (v): 承认某事属实，有效，合理等)
6.
Concession and Counter Argument
7. Persuading (说服)
8.
Dismissal of Previous Discourse (解雇前话语)
9. Adding; Giving More Details
10. Giving Examples
13. Summarizing
15.
Exception
17. Emphasizing
18. Giving Reasons
20. Giving a conclusion based on a logical argument
21. Parallel Time
23.
Returning to
a Previous Subject
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1. Stating two contrasting points in a balanced way, not emphasizing the difference
On
the other hand
(另一方面)
I
can’t decide which country to study in. Britain has many universities and a
long history, so it would be interesting to study there. On the other hand,
Australia has a nicer climate. It’s a difficult decision.
Alternatively
(作为一种选择)
You
could get a degree in accountancy in Britain. Alternatively, you
could do it in Australia or New Zealand.
Then
again
(然而)
(Used when an alternative idea suddenly comes to mind.)
We
might get married this year. Then again, we might delay it for a
year or two – we haven’t decided yet.
2.
Stating two contrasting points and emphasizing the difference
However
I’m
interested in science and computers. However, my sister’s more
interested in art and music.
Nevertheless
(a little formal)
I
wouldn’t say that all advertisements are a bad influence on children – some of
them are quite informative and entertaining. Nevertheless, I think
some advertisements might be detrimental to children. For example, …
Having
said that = That said
(A
little formal. Stress on the word, “said”. Meaning = “Even though I just
said ‘A’, an alternative or opposing idea, ‘B’ is also true.”)
Learning
English isn’t easy; it takes hard work and practice. Having said that,
many people do become quite fluent after a few years of study.
At
the same time (但是， 然而)
I
think good teachers have to be quite strict in order to keep the class under
control. At the same time, teachers should be warm and friendly so
the students can relate to them as human beings.
All/Just
the same
(仍然，尽管如此)
Studying
overseas can be wonderful experience for students. All the same,
they have to work very hard to make up for their language deficiencies.
Mind
you
(你要知道)
(Esp.
British English. Stress on the word, ‘you’. Informal = good to use! Meaning
= “Even though I just said ‘A’, don’t forget this important opposing or
contrasting point, 'B'.”)
To
tell you the truth, I don’t really like my job very much. Mind you,
the salary’s quite good!
Still
(还是，然而)
It’s
going to take me a few years and quite a lot of money before I get my doctorate.
Still, I think it’ll be worth it in the end because …
Yet
(还是，然而)
He
does the least study of any of us, yet he almost always gets the
best grades!
Instead (代替)
Don't overuse any of the examples shown here. Instead, show a variety of ways to express your meaning.
I don't read newspapers very often nowadays. Instead, I either watch the news on TV or I read it on the internet.
In
spite of (this, that); Despite this; Despite that
(但仍然)
The
second hotel was more expensive than the first one, about double the room rate,
in fact. In spite of the cost, we chose to stay at the second one
because we wanted a taste of luxury for a night.
Even
so (尽管情况如此)
(In
writing this is within a single sentence but in speaking it sounds like it is
beginning a new sentence.)
Studying
a foreign language overseas is much more expensive than studying it at home;
(but,) even so, it’s definitely the best way to learn a
language.
Conversely
(相反.
Very good for academic
writing, especially Task 1 in the Writing test, but too formal for everyday speech)
Global
warming will probably result in some farming areas in the warm parts of the
world becoming arid and unusable. Conversely, places that are too
cold for farming now might become suitable for farming as they become warmer.
In contrast (相反)
Young people like films that are full of excitement and romance, reflecting how they feel about things. In contrast, older people prefer more subtle and thoughtful films.
3.
Talking about Similarity (相似，类似)
likewise;
Similarly
(也，同样) (Hard to pronounce!)
Yes,
I think there should be a little more emphasis on practical skills, especially
in primary school. Similarly, in high school and university, there
should be more emphasis on the practical application of what students learn at
school.
In
the same way (Also:
In a similar way)
My
grandmother taught my mother how to cook when she was just a child. In the
same way, my mother taught me when I was about ten years old.
By
the same token (相应地；基于同一理由)
Yes,
I think we should try to follow the advice of our parents. By the same
token, parents should consider what their children really want, not just
what they themselves want.
On
the contrary
Note:
Many students incorrectly think that this means the same as, ‘On the
other hand.’ It does not. There are two usages of, ‘on the contrary’.
Usage
a):
The most common meaning is: “That’s untrue and I’ll tell you the true
situation.” Or, “I disagree and this is what I think.”
Examples:
A:
“I guess you're Canadian.”
B:
“On the contrary, I'm Australian.”
------------------------------
A:
“I heard you live in a big house.”
B:
“On the contrary, I
live in a small apartment.”
------------------------------
A:
“But it was completely unexpected.”
B:
“On the contrary, (I think) it was planned to happen that
way.”
Usage
b):
‘On the contrary’ is also used to emphasize a negative (否定的)
statement you just made by repeating the statement in a positive (正的)and
more emphatic way. That is, the words, “On the contrary” are followed with a statement that means the same
as the negative statement but is expressed in a positive sense and
this statement exceeds the strength of the first statement.
In
usage b, the meaning is similar to saying, “in fact”, “as
a matter of fact” or “actually”.
Examples:
“I
don’t think it’s ugly at all. On the contrary, I think it’s
quite beautiful.”
“I
don’t think it’s boring. On the contrary, I think it’s
absolutely fascinating.”
“Eventually,
I came to believe that I wouldn’t fail. On the contrary, I
became convinced that I would succeed very well.”
In both usage a) and usage b,
“On
the contrary” is used when talking (or writing) about
two ideas (facts, opinions, beliefs or feelings) that are 180°
in opposition to each other.
Usage a) is more commonly used in speech when correcting someone, i.e., telling them that they are wrong, while usage b) is most commonly used to speak or write about one’s personal opinions, beliefs or feelings.
In the following example of usage b), the use of, “On the contrary” is acceptable but it would be more suitable to use, “in fact” or, “as a matter of fact” because the speaker/writer is referring to a fact, not an opinion, belief or feeling.
“A house with a garden in Beijing is not cheap. On the contrary, a house with a garden in Beijing is very expensive.”
However,
the following example of usage a) is suitable: (Speaker 1)
“I was told that a house with a garden in Beijing was quite cheap.” (Speaker 2) “On the contrary, a house with a
garden in Beijing is very expensive.”
5.
Concession (concede (v): 承认某事属实，有效，合理等)
(These
examples of concession are often followed by a counter argument (反论点)
beginning
with 'but' or some similar word or phrase.)
These
beginning words can be used to concede that the other speaker is correct.
Of
course; Admittedly; Naturally; Obviously; Clearly; Undeniably; Undoubtedly
Of
course,
there’s always an exception to the rule but, in general, I still stand by what
I said.
Admittedly,
some people do waste money but I think the majority of people are pretty careful
with their money.
Naturally,
I hope to find a job that’s both interesting and well paid but, realistically,
such jobs are hard to find when a person first starts working.
Obviously,
there’d be fewer cars on the roads if they were much more expensive to buy.
Undoubtedly,
millions
of cars do produce air pollution but I’d say that the thousands of trucks that
come into and leave the city during the night produce a lot of the air pollution
that we see when we wake up in the morning. You only have to see the pollution
produced by one dirty, old truck to know that.
6.
Concession
and Counter Argument
'All
the same'
(see above) is another way to continue defending your opinion after conceding that the other
person is not 100% wrong in his/her opinion.
Yes,
I agree that some young people are spendthrifts but, all the same,
the majority are not like that.
After
all (毕竟，终究，归根结底);
You have to admit
Most
Chinese people about the age of twenty make their own decisions about important
things in life. After all, they’re adults at that age.
8.
Dismissal of Previous Discourse (解雇前话语)
(See also
‘besides’ in 9. Adding, below.)
Anyway = Anyhow (无论如何) = At any rate (无论如何, 不管怎样) = In any case (无论如何, 总之)
Anyway,
I eventually got there and nobody noticed that I was late! (After telling a
story about being late.)
At least (反正, 无论如何)
At
least
I got there before the main part of the ceremony. (After telling a story about
being late.) (Notice no comma used after, ‘At least’)
9.
Adding
Additionally; Not only ..., but also...; Not only, but ... as well;
As
well as that (informal;
good for speaking)
Art
classes for, say, primary school children encourage the development of the
imagination, creativity and self-expression. As well as that,
these art classes provide an opportunity for those who have special artistic
talent to become aware of this talent; they might never have known they had this
talent if they had never had the opportunity to attend an art class.
On
top of that
(informal; good for speaking)
Well,
firstly, emails are much faster and cheaper than handwritten letters. On
top of that, they’re much more convenient –
you can read or write
emails with just a few strokes of the keyboard, without worrying about paper,
envelopes and stamps and going out to mail your letters.
Another
thing is
I
think the latest video technology is in many ways superior to books in
educational value because this technology has written words but also has
information in audio and video form. Another thing is, it’s
easier to store and carry around a disc than a book that holds the same amount
of information.
For
that matter (Similar
to, “As a matter of fact”, “In fact”
and “Actually”)
To
tell you the truth, I’m not very interested in basketball. For that
matter, I’m not very interested in any sport.
Besides
(= “而且”
+ “无论如何” or “而且”
+ “不管怎样”
的意思)
I
haven’t seen that film. Besides, I’ve heard it’s not very
good.
There’s
a restaurant near my home but I don’t often go there because it’s too
expensive and, to be quite frank, I don’t like their service –
they’re much too slow. Besides, right now I’m too busy to eat
out very often.
Note:
‘Besides’ is different to, ‘in addition’ because the word
‘besides’ introduces another idea that is in a different category, or a
different ‘train of thought’ to the other idea(s). In the previous example,
the first two reasons were criticisms of the restaurant; the last reason was
separate from these reasons but, overall, was still an additional reason why the
speaker does not eat at the restaurant very often.
What’s
more
(This sounds a little too formal and unnatural if not spoken in the contracted
form. In other words, don’t say, “What is more”)
Yes,
I think the internet has changed people’s reading habits – for the better. I
say that because now we can tap into a much larger range of, and volume of
reading material than we could when we just relied on our collection of books at
home. What’s more, topics such as current events are being
updated daily so we can always be up to date with the news.
Furthermore
(a
little formal)
Actually,
I think academic skills are more important than practical skills because, if you
have highly developed academic skills you can usually get highly paid work. Furthermore,
I think in the future, society will value those who have brainpower more than
those people who can do practical things with their hands.
In
addition (a
little formal)
Reading
allows people to become aware of their society and, in fact the whole world. In
addition, reading is the main way that people increase their education
and we all need to continually learn in order to make progress in our careers.
Moreover
(Very formal. It is best not to use this in the speaking test but it is suitable for
academic writing)
Advertisements
that glorify violence are a negative influence on children. Moreover,
I think they’re a negative influence on anyone who sees them, not just
children.
For
example; For instance; As an example; To begin with; To start
with; For a start
11. Being More Specific
Specifically; To be more specific; In particular; As a matter of fact; In fact; Actually
I
mean; What I
mean is; To put that
another way; What I'm
trying to say is; My
point is ; In other words;
That is (a little formal);
Overall; On the whole; Basically; Fundamentally;
Generally, In general; Typically
Otherwise
(In
order) to (+
verb); (In order) to achieve this
Above all;
Indeed
Q: Do your friends also like that kind of film?
A: Indeed they do!
In
the first place; For one thing; The main reason why …; One of the reasons why
…; One reason why …
As
a result; As a consequence; Consequently; So; Because of this; In this/that way
So;
Therefore
(a
little formal);
[‘Thus’
and ‘hence’ are too formal even for the Writing test]
(It
is uncommon to suddenly and completely change the subject when you speak in the IELTS test.)
By
the way; Incidentally
23.
Returning to a Previous Subject
As
I was saying; As I mentioned before
24.
Gaining Time to Think (Important
for avoiding long pauses, which decrease your fluency score.)
Let
me see; Let’s see; Well; You know
(Do not emphasize the word
“you” when you say this. Only emphasize “you” when your meaning is,
“你已经知道吧!”)
Last
=
Lastly = Finally = 最后
These
three are used for listing several things that happen in sequence: “First,
….. Next, …. Then, … Last/lastly/finally ….”
Note
1:
Beware
of the following common error:
At
(long) last
= Finally = 终于
Many students write or say “at last” to mean “last”(最后
Examples:
(After
wandering in the desert looking for water.) “At last! Water!”
= “Finally! Water!”
(After
waiting for someone who is late.) “At last! You’ve arrived!”
= “Finally! You’ve arrived!”
(After looking for someone for a long time) “We’ve found you at last!” = “Finally,
we’ve found you!”
|
最后 |
终于 |
|
finally,
lastly,
last |
finally,
at
(long) last |
Note
2:
The expression “Last but not least,” is (rather informal) spoken
English and is not really suitable for academic writing. It is used to place special
emphasis on the importance of the last item of a list, even though it was listed
last. For example, this expression is often used when introducing several
people, one at a time –
we use this expression before introducing the last person in order not to offend
that person by having put him or her last. And in that situation it is often
spoken in a jocular (滑稽的) way.
It
is possible to use “Last but not least,” in the Speaking test
but it has become overused in China and is rarely used in a suitable
situation. It doesn't impress most examiners so it is best to avoid
it even in the Speaking test. It would be better to say, “And
last, but still very important, is ...”