English · Grammar · SSC & HSC
Connectors — Rules, List & Exercise
Linking words and sentence connectors: what each one signals and how to pick the right one for a gap.
A connector is a word or phrase that joins ideas and shows the relation between them — addition, contrast, cause, result, sequence or example. Filling a connector gap is a reading task before it is a grammar task: work out what relation the two ideas already have, then choose a connector that signals exactly that relation and fits the position in the sentence.
Where it is set: SSC & HSC English 2nd Paper — Grammar
A connector names a relationship
Filling a connector gap is a reading task before it is a grammar task. The two ideas around the blank already stand in some relationship — one adds to the other, contradicts it, causes it, follows from it, or illustrates it. Your job is to identify that relationship and then choose a word that signals exactly it.
Students lose marks by choosing a connector that is grammatically possible but signals the wrong relationship — putting therefore where the sentence needs however, for instance. Read both sides of the blank before you write anything.
- ✓ He studied hard. ___ he failed. → However — the second idea contradicts the first
- ✓ He studied hard. ___ he passed. → Therefore — the second idea results from the first
Connectors grouped by the relationship they signal
Choose the group first, then the word
| Relationship | Connectors | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Addition | and, also, besides, moreover, furthermore, in addition, what is more | He is poor. Moreover, he is ill. |
| Contrast | but, however, yet, still, nevertheless, on the contrary, on the other hand | He is rich. However, he is unhappy. |
| Concession | though, although, even though, in spite of, despite | Though he is poor, he is honest. |
| Cause | because, since, as, for, due to, owing to | He failed because he was careless. |
| Result | so, therefore, thus, hence, consequently, as a result | He was careless. As a result, he failed. |
| Purpose | so that, in order that, lest | Walk fast so that you can catch the train. |
| Condition | if, unless, provided that, in case | Unless you work hard, you will fail. |
| Time / sequence | first, then, next, after that, finally, meanwhile, as soon as | First, boil the water. Then add the tea. |
| Example | for example, for instance, such as, namely | Some fruits, such as mangoes, are sweet. |
| Summary | in short, in conclusion, to sum up, on the whole | In short, honesty pays. |
- ✓ The road was blocked. ___, we took another route. → Therefore — result
- ✓ She is intelligent. ___, she is lazy. → However — contrast
Where each connector can stand
Connectors are not interchangeable in position, and putting one in the wrong slot is a grammatical error rather than a stylistic one. Three groups behave differently.
- Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, so, yet, for) join two independent clauses inside one sentence, with a comma before them: He tried hard, but he failed.
- Subordinating conjunctions (because, although, if, when, since, unless) introduce a dependent clause, which may come first or second: Although he tried hard, he failed.
- Conjunctive adverbs (however, therefore, moreover, nevertheless, consequently) join two sentences, and take a full stop or a semicolon before them and a comma after: He tried hard. However, he failed.
- 🚨 Writing He tried hard, however, he failed is a comma splice and is marked wrong.
- ✗ He was tired, therefore he went to bed. ✓ He was tired; therefore, he went to bed. — therefore is an adverb, not a conjunction
- ✓ He was tired, so he went to bed. — so is a coordinating conjunction and takes a comma
Pairs that must be used together
Correlative conjunctions come in fixed pairs. Using one half with the wrong partner is a common and easily avoided error.
| Pair | Example |
|---|---|
| either … or | Either he or his brother will come. |
| neither … nor | Neither the teacher nor the students were present. |
| both … and | He is both intelligent and hard-working. |
| not only … but also | She not only sings but also dances. |
| no sooner … than | No sooner had he arrived than it began to rain. |
| hardly / scarcely … when | Hardly had we started when it rained. |
| so … that | He is so weak that he cannot walk. |
| such … that | It was such a hot day that we stayed indoors. |
| as … as / so … as | He is as tall as his brother. |
| lest … should | Walk carefully lest you should fall. |
- ✗ No sooner had he come when it rained. ✓ No sooner had he come than it rained. — no sooner pairs with than
- ✗ Neither he or his friend came. ✓ Neither he nor his friend came.
Method for a connector passage
The board sets connectors as a continuous passage with several blanks, which means the answers interact: a contrast in one blank makes a contrast in the next unlikely. Work through the passage rather than blank by blank.
- Read the entire passage once without filling anything, to get its overall direction.
- Mark, in the margin, the relationship at each blank — add, contrast, cause, result, time — before choosing a word.
- Fill the blanks you are certain of first; the remaining choices narrow themselves.
- Check the punctuation each connector needs, and adjust the sentence around it.
- Read the finished passage aloud in your head — a wrong connector almost always sounds wrong on a second reading.
- Avoid repeating the same connector; the board expects variety and marks it.
- ✓ He is poor. ___, he never begs. → However / Nevertheless
- ✓ Read attentively ___ you can understand. → so that — purpose
Practice
Work through these before you check the answers — the reasoning matters more than the answer.
- He worked hard. ___, he could not succeed.
- ___ he was ill, he attended the class.
- Walk fast ___ you can catch the bus.
- ___ you work hard, you will not pass.
- No sooner had he left ___ the phone rang.
- He is not only intelligent ___ also industrious.
- The weather was bad. ___, the match was cancelled.
- Many fruits, ___ mangoes and jackfruits, grow in Bangladesh.
Answers
- However — the second idea contradicts the first.
- Although / Though — concession.
- so that — purpose.
- Unless — negative condition.
- than — the fixed pair is “no sooner … than”.
- but — the fixed pair is “not only … but also”.
- Therefore / As a result — result.
- such as — example.
Frequently Asked Questions
They signal the same relationship but belong to different grammatical classes. Although is a subordinating conjunction and joins two clauses inside one sentence: “Although he is poor, he is honest.” However is an adverb and joins two separate sentences: “He is poor. However, he is honest.” Using however like although creates a comma splice.
In everyday and journalistic writing, yes, and good writers do it often. In a board answer it is safer not to: examiners still treat it as informal. Use moreover or in addition for and, and however or nevertheless for but, when a new sentence has to begin with the connection.
Because therefore is a conjunctive adverb, not a conjunction, so it cannot join two independent clauses with only a comma — that is a comma splice. Write either “He was tired; therefore, he went to bed” or “He was tired, so he went to bed”, since so is a real conjunction.
Enough that the ideas link, but not so many that every sentence opens with one. A useful target is a connector roughly every second or third sentence, varied rather than repeated. Examiners reward the variety specifically, so using moreover, however and consequently once each scores better than using and five times.
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