Unit 4: Linking words and phrases

although/ even though/ though + clause

at the beginning of a sentence or between two clauses

(đặt đầu câu hoặc giữa 2 mệnh đề)
e.g. Although her job is hard, her salary is low.

e.g. Her salary is low although her job is hard.

in spite of/ despite + noun

at the beginning of a sentence or between two clauses

(đặt đầu câu hoặc giữa 2 mệnh đề)
e.g. In spite of/ Despite her good qualifications, she can’t find a job.

in spite of/ despite + Ving

Gerund is used if the subject of both clauses are the same.

(Động từ V-ing được sử dụng khi chủ ngữ cả hai mệnh đề giống nhau)

e.g. In spite of/ Despite leaving early, I arrived late.

in spite of/ despite + the fact that + clause

In spite of/ Despite the fact that they live near me, I don’t see them very often.

however/ nevertheless/ on the other hand

at the beginning of a second sentence

(đặt đầu câu thứ hai)
e.g. Her job is hard. However/ Nevertheless/ On the other hand, her salary is low.

however/ though/ even so

at the end of a second sentence

(đặt cuối câu thứ hai)
e.g. Her job is hard. Her salary is low though/ however/ even so.

while/ whereas

to compare and contrast facts

(so sánh và tương phản sự thật)
e.g. My brother is good at science while/whereas I’m good at languages.
e.g. While/Whereas I like sports, my friends hate it.

because + subject + verb

at the beginning of a sentence, or between two clauses

e.g. We couldn’t travel because the weather was bad.

since/as + subject + verb

often used at the beginning of a sentence

e.g. Since/As we don’t have much time, we’ll have to hurry.

because of/ due to/ owing to/ in view of/ on account of + (the fact that) + noun/ pronoun

at the beginning of a sentence, or between two clauses
e.g. The event has been cancelled because of/ due to/ owing to/ in view of/ on account of lack of interest.

so

used between two clauses, after a comma or with and
e.g. I wasn’t listening, so I don’t know what he said.

e.g. I was tired and so I went to bed.

therefore

• used more formally than so

• used at the beginning of a second sentence followed by a comma or between two clauses with and

e.g. We’d lost our tickets. Therefore, we couldn’t see the show.

e.g. We’d lost our tickets and therefore we couldn’t see the show.

then

• to respond to something with what the speaker believes to be the result of it

• used at the beginning or end of the response

e.g. “There are no buses at this time of night.” - “Then we’ll have to get a taxi”/ “We’ll have to get a taxi then”

as a result + subject + verb
as a result of + V-ing
as a result of + noun/ pronoun

used at the beginning of a second sentence followed by a comma or between two clauses with and

make + noun/pronoun + infinitive without to

to a cause with a result

(khiến ai/ cái gì làm gì)

e.g. It was a sad story and it made me cry

make + it + adjective + for someone + infinitive with to

often used with the following adjectives

(thường sử dụng với các tính từ sau đây) easy, difficult, possible, impossible

e.g. His attitude made it easy for me to relax.

make + noun/pronoun + adjective

used with many adjectives describing feelings, attitudes, and characteristics
e.g. The failure made her determined to succeed.

lead to/ result in + noun

have as a result

e.g. The bad weather led to/resulted in an increase in fruit and vegetable prices.

mean that + subject + verb

introduce a result that is certain
e.g. They’re extremely rich, which means that they don’t have to worry about paying their bills.

instead of/ rather than + V-ing/ noun/ pronoun/ infinitive without to

to introduce a possibility, choice or idea that is preferred to something also mentioned

(đưa ra một khả năng khác được mong đợi hơn)

e.g. Instead of/Rather than taking a bus, I walked.

e.g. Let’s sit at that table instead of/rather than this one.

e.g. I gave up rather than waste any more time.

otherwise/ or else

if not (nếu không .... thì ...)

e.g. If I see her today, I will call her. Otherwise, I’ll call her later.

e.g. I’d better leave now or else I’ll be late.

else

something different (một cái khác)

often used in the following structures (thường được sử dụng trong các cấu trúc sau): something else, nothing else, nowhere else, where else
e.g. Is there anything else you’d like to know?

whether ... or (not)

to talk about two possibilities

(nói về hai khả năng)

e.g. I’ll have to pay whether you like it or not

whether + subject + verb + or + subject + verb

to talk about two possibilities

(nói về hai khả năng)
e.g. Whether I go way this weekend or I stay here depends on how much money I’ve got.

either … or

to link two possibilities

(liên kết hai khả năng)
e.g. You either love her or you don’t.