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Language, when you need it
Search concise B2 First grammar, vocabulary, functional phrases and exam strategy — without leaving the course to hunt through past lessons.
Practise thisOpen cloze — grammar words under pressureKey word transformations — 10 extra itemsCommon errors — spot and fixExtra Practice
What it is
Words and phrases that show the reader or listener how one idea relates to the next. Each type has its own punctuation and register.
Form
| Type | Pattern | Model sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Sentence linker | Linker, + clause | However, the price has since risen. |
| Conjunction | clause + although/while/whereas + clause | Although it rained, the event went ahead. |
| Preposition phrase | Despite/In spite of + noun/V-ing | Despite the rain, the event went ahead. |
| Result | clause; as a result, + clause | Costs rose; as a result, tickets went up. |
| Example | such as + noun · for instance, + clause | Skills such as note-taking matter. |
Use it when
- You want an essay or report to read as one argument, not a list.
- You need a more formal alternative to but, so or and.
- You signal a change of direction in speaking.
Examples
- Furthermore, the scheme costs almost nothing to run.
- Whereas older users prefer email, teenagers rarely use it.
- Consequently, the council postponed the decision.
- On the whole, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
Watch out
Despite it was late, we carried on.
Despite the late hour, we carried on. / Although it was late, we carried on.
Despite takes a noun or -ing, not a clause.
However the weather was bad, we went.
However, the weather was bad. We went anyway.
However links sentences and takes a comma.
- Don't overload an article with Firstly / Secondly / Lastly — it reads like a list.
Remember
Although + clause. Despite + noun or -ing.
Quick check
- 1.___ working hard, she didn't pass.
- 2.The train was late; ___, we missed the talk.