TEXT ORGANIZERS

Linking words can also be used to connect ideas between sentences and paragraphs. These words are often called text organizers because they help to show how a text or speech is structured. They are mainly used in written texts or in more formal speech. In most cases, they appear at the beginning of a sentence and are followed by a comma, although they can also be placed after a comma within a sentence.

SEQUENCING: We often number or order the points we are making.

First (of all), Secondly, Next, Then, Finally / Lastly / Last of all

In narrative, the sequence of events can be introduced by:

First, Then, After that, Finally / In the end

ADDING: We can introduce additional points.

Furthermore, Moreover, In addition to, As well as this, Besides this

GIVING OPINIONS: We can introduce personal opinions.

Personally, In my opinion / view,

To be honest, this music is boring.

GIVING EXAMPLES: We can introduce examples: For example, For instance

We can also use ‚such as‘ to give an example, but it is not used at the beginning of a sentence.

Example sentence: The factory produces diary products , such as butter, yoghurts and heavy cream.

SHOWING A RESULT:

Formal ways to show a result include: thus, consequently, as a result

Examples:

  1. Many companies have introduced flexible working hours and consequently / as a result / thus, employee satisfaction has increased.
  2. The government reduced taxes on electric cars and consequently / as a result / thus, more people decided to buy environmentally friendly vehicles.

MAKING A CONTRAST:

Formal ways to make a contrast include:

On the other hand, However

  1. Living in a big city offers more job opportunities. On the other hand / However, the cost of living is usually much higher.
  2. Using artificial intelligence increases efficiency at work. On the other hand / However, it may reduce the number of available jobs.

Nevertheless, even so

  1. The exam was extremely difficult. Nevertheless / Even so, most students managed to pass.
  2. It was raining heavily all afternoon. Nevertheless / Even so, the match continued as planned.

In contrast

  1. The northern region is densely populated. In contrast, the southern region has vast rural areas.
  2. Public transport in large cities is efficient and affordable. In contrast, it is limited in many rural areas.

SUMMARIZING

We can summarize all the points we have made.

In conclusion, To sum up, In the end, All in all

Text organizers