Podcast 98 - Linking words

Story starts at 11:09

Today I'm going to talk to you about some linking words. And those linking words are: also, too, as well as, however and despite and in spite of. This is a B1 session. And there'll be a little story at the end for you to enjoy as well. So here we go...

Linking words: also, too and as well as

So first of all, I'm going to talk about those words which are used when we add information: also, too, as well as. I'll start with 'also'. I think sometimes 'also' is used too much. We usually use 'also' in more formal English, but let's see how we use it anyway.

It often comes before the verb, so we can say,

Dave plays the guitar, and he also plays the piano.

And here's another example.

B1 Linkers Paris cafe

I've been to Copenhagen, and I've also been to Paris and London.

So notice that it's before the verb, or, if it is a compound verb, for example, 'I've been', then 'also' comes after the auxiliary and before the verb. In fact, we can use 'also' to refer to any part of the sentence. Here's another example.

Steve's an excellent gymnast, and Mike is also very good.

And another one,

Mary went to the conference, and Steve was also there.
I enjoy dancing, but I also like going to the opera.

What's interesting about 'also' is that it refers to, usually it refers to, what comes after the subject and not the subject itself. So when I say, 'Dave also plays the piano', I don't mean that,

Steve plays the piano, and Dave also plays the piano.

I mean, 'Dave plays the guitar and also plays the piano'. And when I say, 'I've also been to Paris and London', I don't mean that,

Mary has been to Paris and London, and I've also been to Paris and London.

I mean, 'I've been to Copenhagen, and I've also been to Paris and London'. So it doesn't refer to the subject, it refers to what comes after the subject. I hope you understood that! :-)

In fact, if we want to talk about the subject, instead of 'also', we usually use too. So using those examples, I would say that,

Steve plays the piano, and Dave plays the piano too.
I've been to Paris and London, and Mary has been to Paris and London too.

So the meaning is the same, but 'too' often refers to the subject, and that is why we usually say,

Me too!

And not,

Me also!

'I'm going to the cinema this evening to see a good film.'
'Me too!'

Now, there is another use of 'also', perhaps not so common, but it can come at the beginning of the sentence [clause. But if we do put it at the beginning, we must use a comma. For example,

There's a lot of pollution in the city, also the traffic is very bad.

Okay, so the next one is as well as, which again is added information. It means 'also'. Here are some examples.

He's got a yacht as well as a motorboat.

So he has both of those things.

Mary is clever, as well as beautiful.

So she has both those qualities. If we put 'as well as' before an infinitive, then the infinitive will be with 'ing'. So for example,

She sings as well as playing the guitar.

So remember, this means that she does both those things. And it's not a comparative. For example,

She sings as well as she plays,

which has a completely different meaning, saying that she does those two things with the same quality.

At the end of a sentence, 'as well as' becomes as well. So we might say,

She plays the guitar as well,

which means the same as,

She plays the guitar too.

Linking words: however, although, despite

I'm going to talk about the other words, the other linkers which I'm discussing today, however, although, despite. What these do, are to contrast two phrases. So 'however' introduces a statement or a phrase that contrasts with the one just said. Here is an example.

He was feeling sad. However, he went to work and tried to forget his problems.

There are two forms of punctuation that you can use with 'however'. You can say,

He was feeling sad. However, he went to work and tried to forget his problems.

or you can say,

He was feeling sad, however, he went to work and tried to forget his problems.

So 'however' is quite straightforward to use, I think. And it has this general meaning of but and is also more formal than 'but'.

I'm now going to talk about although and though. These words are used to introduce a phrase or statement that make the main phrase sound surprising.

Although the sun was shining, it was really cold.

So we've got a contrast there, where it is surprising that the sun was shining, but it was actually quite cold. We can turn that around. So that 'although' is in the middle of the sentence,

It was really cold, although the sun was shining.

And we can use though in exactly the same way,

Though the sun was shining, it was really cold.
It was really cold, though the sun was shining.

I suppose 'though' is less formal and more colloquial or more informal than 'although'. Here's another example.

Although very clever, he doesn't get good marks at school.

And we can use 'though' in that situation as well.

One difference between 'although and 'though' is that we can use 'though' (and not 'although') to mean 'however'. So we can use it at the end of the sentence.

The food of the wedding was excellent. I didn't feel like eating though.

So here we could put 'however' instead of 'though'.

I didn't feel like eating however.

And then finally, I'm going to talk about despite and in spite of. These connectors are used to show that something is true. Although something else happened, or happens to stop it. So for example, Despite studying... so notice 'ing' - the structure after 'despite',

Despite studying hard for his exams, he failed all of them.

We could also say,

In spite of studying hard for his exams, he failed all of them.

And here's another example.

She was shaking, despite her efforts to stay calm,

or,

She was shaking, in spite of her efforts to stay calm.

So there, we have the noun after 'despite', or 'in spite of'.

Now, the best way I think, to show the meaning of grammar is to put it into context. And I'm going to read you a story, a Nasreddin story. It will bring in some examples of all of these connectors. So it's your task then to listen carefully and identify (you can write them down as well) connectors that I use while I'm talking. So here we go! Enjoy the story!

The small house (Nasreddin story) - examples of connectors

B1 linkers nasreddin story

Nasreddin, or Mullah Nasreddin, lived in a small town during the 13th century in the country, which is now called Turkey. He was a wise man, and people often came to him to ask his advice about problems they had.

One day, a poor man came to visit Nasreddin and asked to speak to him. Nasreddin invited him into his home and gave him some tea. Then they both sat down on a luxurious carpet opposite each other and drank the tea.

'What can I do for you, my good man? You look quite upset!' said Nasreddin.

'I am just a poor man, Mullah,' said the poor man. 'I have very little wealth. However, despite being poor, I am very lucky. I have a beautiful wife and four wonderful children too.'

'Yes, you are a very lucky man, then,' said Nasreddin. 'A beautiful wife as well as four wonderful children! You seem very upset though. Why is that?'

'My good Mullah,' said the poor man. 'In spite of having such a wonderful family, my house is very small. My children are growing bigger too. I need a larger house. However, I cannot afford this luxury. What can I do? We are going crazy! Six of us in this very small house!'

Nasreddin drank a little of his tea and pulled gently at his long beard while he thought. Eventually, he said 'May I ask, do you have any chickens?'

The poor man was surprised at this question. 'Well, yes, I do. I have twelve chickens, and I also have a turkey. Why do you ask, most excellent Mullah?'

'Go back home,' said Nasreddin. 'Despite having little space in your home, take in your twelve chickens and the turkey too.'

'But, Mullah!' the poor man said. 'I don't understand! How...?'

'Do as I say. Although you don't understand now, one day you will. I promise.' Nasreddin answered.

The poor man said no more. He got up and said goodbye to Nasreddin and promised he would do as Nasreddin had asked. When the poor man got home, he went to fetch his chickens and turkey and brought them into the house. However, the situation was now worse. Despite Nasreddin's promise, there was even less space in the house and the poor man, his wife, as well as his four children felt worse than before.

The next day, the poor man went back to see Nasreddin again at his home.

'Mullah,' said the poor man. 'What have you done? The situation is terrible now. In spite of trying to help me, my house now has less space. There are chickens everywhere!'

Nasreddin was calm. 'My dear man,' he said. 'Do you have any goats?'

"Well, yes!' said the poor man. 'I have four goats too. But why do you ask?'

'Fetch your goats and take them into the house with you. You must now also live with the goats as well as your chickens, the turkey, your wife and your four children.'

'My good Mullah!' said the poor man. 'The idea is very strange. My house is too small to put four goats in it as well.'

'Do as I say,' said Nasreddin. 'Despite my strange words, you must follow my instructions.'

So the poor man went back home. He was now very upset. He went to look for the goats in the garden, though, and took them into his house. That evening, the poor man and his family had a terrible time. The chickens were eating the cereals in the cupboard. The turkey was eating the bread. And although the poor man's wife tried to stop them, the goats began eating the sheets off the beds.

The next day, the poor man returned to Nasreddin's house. He fell on his knees and cried in front of the Mullah's door. Nasreddin opened the door and came out. 'Why are you so upset, my good man?' asked Nasreddin.

'Mullah, Mullah!' answered the poor man. 'What have you done? Despite being so intelligent and clever, your plan has failed. My house is a disaster. As well as having a house that is smaller than before, the animals are not only eating all our food but also the beds. Please, please do not ask me to bring in my sheep too!'

Nasreddin smiled. 'My good man. Now go home and take out the chickens from the house, take out the turkey and take out the goats. Tomorrow, I'll come and pay you a visit.'

The poor man did as he was told. He took out all the chickens from his house. He took out the turkey and the four goats too. Then he went back inside the house... and smiled!

The next morning, Nasreddin came to visit the poor man. The poor man and his wife and four children came out to welcome him.

'Please, good Mullah,' said the poor man laughing. 'Come in and have some tea with us!'

'But, my good man,' said Nasreddin pretending to be surprised. 'You told me you have no space in your house!'

'No space?' said the poor man. 'We have lots of space! This must be the biggest house in the neighbourhood!'

And that's all for today. Thank you very much. Until next time!