Linking words & phrases

1.- To express personal opinion

In my opinion...in my view….to my mind….(personally) I believe that….I feel (very) strongly that….it seems to me that...I think that…

… vaping - electronic cigarettes- should be banned in public places.

2.- To list advantages & disadvantages

One advantage of...

Another advantage of...

One other advantage of...

The main advantage of...

The greatest advantage of...

The first advantage of…

...living in a small town is that you know all your neighbours.

One (dis)advantage of...

Another (dis)advantage of...

One other (dis)advantage of...

The main (dis)advantage of...

The greatest (dis)advantage of...

The first (dis)advantage of...

…living in a small town is that all your neighbours know you!

disadvantage: drawback

3.- To sequence a paragraph

First(ly),

First of all,

In the first place,

To start with,

To begin with,

Secondly,

Thirdly,

Finally,

... it is well known that some dogs may be aggressive and must be kept on a leash.

4.- To show sequence

BEGINNING CONTINUING CONCLUDING

First,To start with,To begin with,First of all,

...close all doors and windows

Secondly,After this/that,Then,Next,

...call the fire brigade

Finally,Lastly,Last but not least,

...make sure everyone’s out

5.- To add more points on the same topic

What is more,

Furthermore,

Moreover,

Apart from this/that,

In addition (to this),

Besides (this),

...dogs are very useful in police work.

Dogs are also very useful in police work.

Dogs are very useful in police work too.

Not only do dogs help the blind, but they are also very useful in police work.

Not only do dogs help the blind, but they are very useful in police work as well.

6.- To show reasonbecause

because of

due to the fact that

since

as

For this reason,

Therefore,

The BBC decided not to show the programme because/due to the fact that/

since/as it would upset many people

The BBC decided not to show the programme because of its content, which might upset many people.

The programme would upset too many people; for this reason/therefore the BBC decided not to show it.

7.- To show result or consequence

Therefore,

So,

Consequently,

As a consequence,

As a result,

For this reason,

She was caught using a hand-held phone while driving; therefore,/ so, consequently,/ as a consequence,/ as a result,/ for this reason, she got 3 penalty points on her licence and a fine of £100.

8.- To show purpose

so thatso as toin order to

We left the hotel very early so that we could have time to visit all the monuments.

We left the hotel very early so as to have time to visit all the monuments.

We left the hotel very early in order to have time to visit all the monuments.

10.- To give examples

For instance,For example,such aslike

There are many ways to keep fit; for instance/for example, by going to the gym regularly or by jogging three times a week.

There are many ways to keep fit like/ such as going to the gym regularly or jogging three times a week.

11.- To show contrast (1)

Although

Even though

Though

In spite of the fact that

Despite the fact that

Although / Even though/Though/In spite of the fact that/Despite the fact that young people know alcohol is harmful, some go binge drinking every weekend.

In spite of + ING

Despite + ING

In spite of + noun

Despite + noun

In spite of/ Despite knowing alcohol is harmful, some young people go binge drinking every weekend.In spite of/ Despite the harmful effects of alcohol , some young people go binge drinking every weekend.

12.- To show contrast (2)Yet,However,Nevertheless,ButNonetheless,On the one hand,On the other hand,

Young people know alcohol is harmful. Yet,/However,/Nevertheless,/Nonetheless,/ But some go binge drinking every weekend.On the one hand, we tell young people alcohol is harmful. On the other hand, we let them go binge drinking every weekend.

13.- To show time

when

whenever

before

as soon as

Turn off the gas when/whenever/before/as soon as/ you hear the kettle whistle.

sincefor

I haven’t been to the cinema since last month.I haven’t been to the cinema for a month.

aswhile

I cut my finger as/while I was chopping onion.

now that I can go on holiday now that I’ve passed all my exams.Now that I’ve passed all my exams,I can go on holiday.

14.- To concludeFinally,

Lastly,

All in all,

Taking everything into account,

On the whole,

All things considered,

In conclusion,

To sum up,

To put it in a nutshell,...

… there are many good different ways to conclude an essay in English.