Identifying and Analyzing Connectives In Texts

Connectives are the glue that holds a text together. They join clauses together in a sentence, and the join sentences in a long piece of writing. Connectives don’t have to be just one word. They can be phrases like ‘in other words’ or ‘just after that’.

Note: Some connectives can be used to express more than one idea.

Connectives connect and relate sentences and paragraphs. They assist in the logical flow of ideas as they signal the relationship between sentences and paragraphs. In prose, the material is supported and conditioned not only by the ordering of the material (its position) but by connectives which signal order, relationship and movement.

Some of the more commonly used connectives are listed below. Note especially how these connections function to develop, relate, connect and move ideas.

Other words which contribute to the cohesion of the text are the text connectives. These are often called >connectors=, >discourse markers= or >signal words=. They provide the reader with signposts indicating how the text is developing. If the writer wants to show that a summary is coming up, for example, a phrase such as >In short ...= or >Briefly ...= can be used. If the text is giving a sequence of points, these can be highlighted by the use of such words as >To begin ...=, >Secondly ...=, >In conclusion ...=.

USAGE	CONNECTIVE WORDS
addition of ideas	and, also, besides, further, furthermore, too, moreover, in addition, then, of equal importance, equally important, another
time	next, afterward, finally, later, last, lastly, at last, now, subsequently, then, when, soon, thereafter, after a short time, the next week (month, day, etc.), a minute later, in the meantime, meanwhile, on the following day, at length, ultimately, presently
order or sequence	first, second, (etc.), finally, hence, next, then, from here on, to begin with, last of all, after, before, as soon as, in the end, gradually
space and place	above, behind, below, beyond, here, there, to the right (left), nearby, opposite, on the other side, in the background, directly ahead, along the wall, as you turn right, at the top, across the hall, at this point, adjacent to
to signal an example	for example, to illustrate, for instance, to be specific, such as, moreover, furthermore, just as important, similarly, in the same way
results	as a result, hence, so, accordingly, as a consequence, consequently, thus, since, therefore, for this reason, because of this
purpose	to this end, for this purpose, with this in mind, for this reason(s)
comparison	like, in the same manner (way), as so, similarly
contrast connectives	but, in contrast, conversely, however, still, nevertheless, nonetheless, yet, and yet, on the other hand, on the contrary, or, in spite of this, actually, in fact
to summarize or report	in summary, to sum up, to repeat, briefly, in short, finally, on the whole, therefore, as I have said, in conclusion, as you can see

·         Using Connectives

Connectives are words and sometimes short phrases which we use to link or connect sentences, ideas and sometimes whole paragraphs together. We can also use connectives to introduce quotations or give an example which is particualrly useful when building an essay in which you need to provide examples and/or evidence that you are arguing is plausible (believeable). We can use connectives to introduce an alternative point of view or add a contrasting example to our work, which has the added bonus of making our writing sound more balanced and objective.

·         Examples:

1.    Reading widely is an excellent way of developing your creative writing since it allows you to explore another writer's style as it develops on the page.

2.    Eating too many sweets is bad for your teeth and what is more can also lead to weight gain over time.

NB: Tugas Reading Comprehension