While, whilst, when, as : to express things that happen at the same time
Hardly + when; on + -ing verb; no sooner + than: to express things that happen immediately after the previous action
by which time; at which point: to express things that happen when other longer actions are finishing/have finished
Examples:
As the plane took off, she felt free.
On hearing of the crash, he ran straight to the hospital.
Hardly had she arrived home, when her child finished her homework.
Adding a point
As well as the obvious dangers, there was the weather to be considered.
In addition to the obvious dangers, there was the weather to be considered.
Not only were there the obvious dangers, but there was also the weather to be considered.
Developing a point
Besides / Furthermore / In addition / Moreover / What’s more / On top of that / To make matters worse, smoking has been directly linked to lung cancer.
Contrast
- Sentence. However / nevertheless / all the same, sentence
The identity of the attacker is known to the police. However, no name has been released.
The identity of the attacker is known to the police. No name, however, has been released.
-Although / Though / Even though / While / Despite the fact that / In spite of the fact that sentence, sentence
Although the identity of the attacker is known by the police, no name has been released.
Remember: In spite of / Despite can also be followed by a noun or –ing verb.
In spite of the rain, we played tennis.
In spite of raining, we played tennis.
- Adjective / adverb + as / though + subject + verb (to emphasise contrast)
Much as I like television, even I can’t watch form more than three or four hours.
Hard though we tried to finish our work on time, it was not possible.
Other
- The identity of the attacker is known to the police. A name has none the less / still not been released.
-No, I didn’t say the President got it wrong. On the contrary, I think he’s handled the affair superbly.
-I prefer city life as opposed to country life.
-I prefer city life, whereas Sally prefers county life.
-Donahue established his reputation as a novelist. In contrast, his new book is a non-fiction work.
Explaining reasons
John has decided not to buy a new car. As a result / Accordingly / Thus / Hence / Consequently / For that reason, he will be able to go on holidays.
The employers have promised to investigate these complaints, and we in turn have agreed to end the strike.
Making generalisations
Broadly speaking, generally speaking, on the whole, by and large, to a large extent, this has been an encouraging year for the company.
Starting
For a start / First of all / In the first place / For one thing, I don’t agree with the government’s policy.
Giving new information
She then turned to Henry, who incidentally / by the way is now about two metres tall, and said…
By the way / Incidentally, do you remember the pub we used to go to as teenagers? …
Concession
Smith is a man of great personal integrity. Having said so / Even so / All the same, I don’t think he’d make a good chairman.
Activities: exercise 6, p. 83 / worksheet
