Sentence ConnectorsTable 1: Academic English Connectors and
Their Meaning (Adapted from Swales and Feak 1994)Subordinators
Sentence Connectors Phrase Linkers
Addition Furthermore, ...In addition, ...Moreover, ... In
addition to..., ...
Adversative ..., althoughAlthough ..., ...Even though ____,
...Despite the fact that.. However, ...Nevertheless, ... Despite
..., ...In spite of ..., ...
Cause and Effect...because...Since..., ......, since ...
Therefore, ...As a result, ...Consequently, ......, hence...Thus,
... Because of...Due to...As a result of...
Clarification In other words, ...That is, ...i.e., ...
Contrast While ..., ......, whereas ... In contrast, ...However,
...On the other hand, ...Conversely, ... Unlike ... , ...
Illustration For example, ...For instance, ...
Intensification On the contrary, ...As a matter of fact, ...In
fact, ...
Uses of ConnectorsDifferent points of view can be taken and
different arguments can be built from any given piece of
information, depending on which part is emphasized or
de-emphasized. This is a matter of deciding on one's stance and
then using the appropriate logical connectors that help express
this position. This can be demonstrated by showing them the example
below.
Information: John is very old and ugly, John is filthy rich. No
point of view? John is very old, ugly, and filthy rich. Different
Points of View Using Connectors: John is old and ugly. However , he
is filthy rich John is filthy rich. Nevertheless , he is old and
ugly. Despite the fact that John is old and ugly, women love him
because he is filthy rich. John has some qualities, for example ,
he is filthy rich. On the other hand , he has the unwanted
characteristics of being old and ugly. While Peter is young and
handsome, John is old and ugly. In fact , John's appearance is
disgusting. Unlike John, who is filthy rich, Peter is an
abbreviated piece of nothing. As a result , women prefer John. John
is filthy rich and, although he is old and ugly, women love him. We
could come up with endless examples looking at the same information
from different points of view. At this point students will be ready
to do some exercises related to actual theory.Using Connectors to
Express One's Point of View about the LiteratureIn the following
exercises, students are asked to manipulate the information to
express different points of view, using support from
sources.Integrating Ideas from SourcesHandling and presenting
information from different sources can be really difficult.
Students must know that: They must clearly distinguish between
their own opinions, ideas, and words, and those of others
(citations, quotations). As citing somebody else's work and using
their concepts is the main characteristic of the literature review,
reported speech is used very often.
Below is a list of common verbs and expressions students can use
to cite the authors' work. Verbs: Page 3 of 3
State Maintain Remark Propose Observe Suggest Declare Define
Emphasize Comment Report Assert Claim Contend Point out Argue Imply
Explain
Phrases:The blank space represents the name of the author(s).
According to _____, ... According to Jones (2013),.. In the opinion
of _____, ... In the opinion of Jones (20130), _____ expresses the
view that... Jones (2013) expresses the view that _____ holds the
view that... Jones (2013) holds the view that As _____ states, ...
As Jones (2013) states, As reported by _____, ... As reported by
Jones (2013), As stated by . , As stated by Jones (2013),
Expressions Referring to Previous Research: _____'s study shows
that ... _____'s research suggests that ... _____s results
demonstrate that ... _____s research provides evidence of ... From
'__s results, it may follow that ... As shown in ___'s research,
...Reference:Criollo, R. (2003) 'Teaching TESOL Undergraduates to
Organize and Write Literature Reviews', The Internet TESL Journal,
vol. IX, April.
