Meaning & use
linking words
Last updated
Meaning
nounplural
Words or short phrases, such as however, because and in addition, that connect ideas, sentences or paragraphs and show how they relate.
Grammar: Plural noun: linking words help writing flow.
Patterns
- use linking words to do something
- linking words such as something
Good writers use linking words such as however and therefore to guide readers.
The teacher marked where the student needed more linking words.
Linking words like because and so show cause and result.
Common combinations
- use linking words
- Try to use linking words in your essay.
- common linking words
- And, but and so are common linking words.
- add linking words
- Add linking words between your paragraphs for smoother reading.
- linking words of contrast
- However and although are linking words of contrast.
- linking words for addition
- Moreover is one of the linking words for addition.
Synonyms and how they differ
- connectives
- Connectives is the usual term in school grammar and covers the same words, but it sounds more technical.
- transition words
- Transition words stress moving from one idea or paragraph to the next, and are common in essay-writing advice.
- conjunctions
- Conjunctions are a narrower grammatical class that joins clauses, while linking words also include adverbs such as however.
- discourse markers
- Discourse markers is a linguistic term that also covers spoken fillers like well, so it is broader and more academic.
Word family
Commonly confused: linking words or linking verbs?
linking words vs linking verbs
Linking verbs, such as be and seem, connect a subject to a description. They are different from linking words, which connect ideas.
Practice
Which of these is a linking word showing contrast?
Choose one answer.
However shows contrast between ideas. Moreover adds, therefore shows result and firstly shows order, so they do not mark contrast.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “linking words”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.