What are linking words? Part 2

Usage of Transition Words in Essays

Transition words and phrases are vital devices for essays, papers or other literary compositions. They improve the connections and transitions between sentences and paragraphs. They thus give the text a logical organization and structure.

All English transition words and phrases (sometimes also called 'conjunctive adverbs') do the same work as coordinating conjunctions: they connect two words, phrases or clauses together and thus the text is easier to read and the coherence is improved.

Usage: transition words are used with a special rule for punctuation: a semicolon or a period is used after the first 'sentence', and a comma is almost always used to set off the transition word from the second 'sentence'.

Example:
People use 43 muscles when they frown; however, they use only 28 muscles when they smile.

However, transition words can also be placed at the beginning of a new paragraph or sentence - not only to indicate a step forward in the reasoning, but also to relate the new material to the preceding thoughts. Use a semicolon to connect sentences, only if the group of words on either side of the semicolon is a complete sentence each (both must have a subject and a verb, and could thus stand alone as a complete thought).

LINKING WORDS = VERBINDUNGSWÖRTER QUIZLET FLASHCARDS

Spelling rule tip number 2 - Using capital letters

You should always use a capital letter in the following situations:

In the names of people, places, or related words

Use a capital letter when you are writing the names of people, places, and words relating to them:

Africa, African
Buddha, Buddhism
Shakespeare, Shakespearean

At the beginning of a sentence

Use a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence:

The museum has huge potential. It will be a great boost to the area and we are really excited about it.

In the titles of books, films, organizations, etc.

Use a capital letter in the titles of books and other publications, films, organizations, special days, etc. In such cases, you need a capital letter for all the main words but not for the connecting words such as a, an, the, or, and, etc.:

Pride and Prejudice
Christmas Day
the Houses of Parliament.

In abbreviations

If you’re using the first letter of the abbreviated words, every letter should be a capital, e.g.:

BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)
USA (United States of America)
MP (Member of Parliament)

People often don’t use capital letters when they’re writing emails or other informal messages, but it’s important to use them in formal writing.

What are linking words? Part 1

A linking word is a word which shows a connection between clauses or sentences. `However' and `so' are linking words.

It is fundamental to understand how Linking Words, as a part of speech, can be used to combine ideas in writing - and thus ensure that ideas within sentences and paragraphs are elegantly connected - for the benefit of the reader. This will help to improve your writing (e.g. essay, article, comment, summary (scientific) review, (research) paper, letter, abstract, report, thesis, etc.). It is also important to be aware of the sometimes subtle meaning of these "small" words within the English language. 

Linking words and phrases are used to show relationships between ideas. They can be used to join two or more sentences or clauses (a clause is a group of words which contains a subject and a verb). Linking words and linking phrases can be used to add ideas together, contrast them, or show the reason for something.

Using the right linking words helps you to organize what you have to say about a text. It also helps you introduce and develop the essential ideas that will form the basis of your essay in a tightly connected structure and as short a space as possible.

Linking words and other connecting devices help you carry over from one sentence to another, from one paragraph to another, in a way that allows the reader to better understand your ideas. Since your reader does not see the world exactly as you see it and does not necessarily make the same mental connections you make, linking words also help you to articulate your ideas and communicate them to other people in a way that supports a clear and persuasive argument. Note that connecting words and phrases are aids to writing, not ends in themselves. Therefore, they should not be used excessively.

Conjuction Junction - What's your funtion?

"Linking Words" is used as a term to denote a class of English words which are employed to link or connect parts of speech or even whole sentences. They are also called connecting words. There are two categories of Linking Words:

 Conjunctions and Transitions

Conjunctions & Cohesive Devices

In grammar, a conjunction is a part of speech that connects words, sentences, phrases or clauses. A discourse connective is a conjunction joining sentences. This definition may overlap with that of other parts of speech, so what constitutes a "conjunction" must be defined for each language. In general, a conjunction is an invariable grammatical particle, and it may or may not stand between the items it conjoins.

The definition may also be extended to idiomatic phrases that behave as a unit with the same function, eg "as well as", "provided that".


Many students are taught that certain conjunctions (such as "and", "but", "because", and "so") should not begin sentences. But authorities such as the Chicago Manual of Style state that this teaching has "no historical or grammatical foundation."

Words that link two parts of a sentence are called conjunctions (see "to conjoin"). The most common ones are 'and', 'or' and 'but'. There are three basic types of conjunctions:

coordinating conjunctions

used to connect two independent clauses

subordinating conjunctions

used to establish the relationship between the dependent clause and the rest of the sentence

correlative conjunctions

used to join various sentence elements which are grammatically equal

Coordinating Conjunctions

Comes usually in the middle of a sentence, and a comma is used before the conjunction (unless both clauses are very short). They join individual words, phrases, and independent clauses.
Whereas coordinating conjunctions join parts of a 'sentence', the purpose of transitional words and phrases usually is to join two 'sentences'.

And, but, for, nor, or, so, and yet — are the seven coordinating conjunctions. To remember them, the acronym FANBOYS can be used.

Subordinating Conjunctions

Also called subordinators, introduce a dependent clause. These adverbs that act like conjunctions are placed at the front of the clause - and a comma is needed at the end of the adverbial phrase when it precedes the main clause. 

In other West Germanic languages like German and Dutch, the word order after a subordinating conjunction is different from that in an independent clause, e.g. in Dutch want ("for") is coordinating, but omdat ("because") is subordinating. The clause after the coordinating conjunction has normal word order, but the clause after the subordinating conjunction has verb-final word order. Compare:

Hij gaat naar huis, want hij is ziek. ("He goes home, for he is ill.")

Hij gaat naar huis, omdat hij ziek is. ("He goes home because he is ill.")

Similarly, in German, "denn" (for) is coordinating, but "weil" (because) is subordinating:

Er geht nach Hause, denn er ist krank. ("He goes home, for he is ill.")

Er geht nach Hause, weil er krank ist. ("He goes home because he is ill.")

Correlative Conjunctions

They are always used in pairs and denote equality; and show the relationship between ideas expressed in different parts of a sentence - and thus make the joining tighter and more emphatic. When joining singular and plural subjects, the subject closest to the verb determines whether the verb is singular or plural. 

Conjunctive Adverbs

They are often used as a linking device between ideas. They show logical relationships expressed in clauses, sentences or paragraphs.
Conjunctive adverbs are very emphatic, so they should be used sparingly.

Spelling rule tip number 1 - Plurals of nouns

Most nouns make their plurals by simply adding –s to the end (e.g. cat/cats, book/books, journey/journeys). Some do change their endings, though.  The four main types of noun that do this are:

1 Nouns ending in -y

If the noun ends with a consonant plus -y, make the plural by changing -y to -ies:

singular	plural
berry	berries
activity	activities
daisy	daisies

2 Nouns ending in -ch, -s, -sh, -x, or -z

If the noun ends with -ch, -s, -sh, -x, or -z, add -es to form the plural:

singular	plural
church	churches
bus	buses
fox	foxes

There’s one exception to this rule. If the -ch ending is pronounced with a ‘k’ sound, you add -s rather than -es:

singular	plural
stomach	stomachs
epoch	epochs

3 Nouns ending in -f or -fe

With nouns that end in a consonant or a single vowel plus -f or -fe, change the -f or -fe to -ves:

singular	plural
knife	knives
half	halves

4 Nouns ending in -o

Nouns ending in -o can add either -s or -es in the plural, and some can be spelled either way.

•  As a general rule, most nouns ending in -o add -s to make the plural:

singular	plural
solo	solos
zero	zeros
avocado	avocados

•  Those which have a vowel before the final -o always just add -s:

singular	plural
studio	studios
zoo	zoos
embryo	embryos

• Here’s a list of the most common nouns ending in -o that are always spelled with -es in the plural:

singular	plural
buffalo	buffaloes
domino	dominoes
echo	echoes
embargo	embargoes
hero	heroes
mosquito	mosquitoes
potato	potatoes
tomato	tomatoes
torpedo	torpedoes
veto	vetoes

• Here are some of the common nouns ending in -o that can be spelled with either -s or -es in the plural:

singular	plural
banjo	banjos or banjoes
cargo	cargos or cargoes
flamingo	flamingos or flamingoes
fresco	frescos or frescoes
ghetto	ghettos or ghettoes
halo	halos or haloes
mango	mangos or mangoes
memento	mementos or mementoes
motto	mottos or mottoes
tornado	tornados or tornadoes
volcano	volcanos or volcanoes