Sentence starters are the words or phrases that begin a sentence and are usually separated by commas. Some of the most important words in writing are those that begin a sentence: They state the topic of the sentence so the reader knows what to expect.

Conjunctions and connectors, in general, describe the relationship between two statements. These statements can be written without linking words, but linking words can often convey more information more succinctly. Conjunctions grammatically connect two clauses (independent or dependent, depending on the conjunction) to form a single sentence. Connectors are used between two separate sentences.

What are connectors?

A word or phrase that introduces a clause or sentence and serves as a transition between it and the one before it, as in I’m buying eggs and also looking for a dessert for tonight. It could be preceded by coordinating conjunction like in the example above.

In English grammar, connectors are conjunctive words that are used to link together similar elements in a sentence. In English, there are various connectors that can be used to express your thoughts better. Linkers can be used to eliminate the need for single sentences and help connect sentences in a more logical manner.

It is another name for sentence connectors. There are several types of sentence connections, including.

When should sentence starters be used?

Sentence starters are not required in all sentences. In fact, using them too frequently can cause your reader to become distracted.

  • It’s not clear how one sentence relates to the others.
  • You’re introducing a new concept, like at the start of an essay or a paragraph.
  • You’re giving a summary or conclusion, such as at the end of an essay.
  • You’d like to emphasize a specific sentence or point.
  • To entice readers, you’ll need to write a hook.
  • The sentence necessitates some context, such as background knowledge.

When to use sentence starters and when to avoid them is a grey area. If you’re still undecided, go back and reread your last few lines to see how they sound. You don’t need sentence starters if your sentences flow well together. If something is off, jarring, or missing, try adding one to see if it makes a difference.

Sentence connectors

are used to link ideas from one sentence to the next and to give paragraphs coherence. Sentence connectors perform different functions and are placed at the beginning of a sentence. They are used to introduce, order, contrast, sequence ideas, theory, data, etc.

Useful sentence connectors

Logical/sequential order

  • Firstly, secondly, thirdly, etc
  • Next, last, finally,
  • In addition
  • Furthermore
  • Also
  • At present

Result

  • As a result
  • As a consequence
  • Therefore
  • Thus
  • Consequently
  • Hence

Order of importance

  • Most / more importantly
  • Most significantly
  • Above all
  • Primarily
  • It is essential / essentially

Contrast

  • However
  • On the other hand
  • On the contrary
  • By (in) comparison
  • In contrast

Examples of connectors 

  • Alice appears to be intelligent; however, she consistently receives poor grades.
  • I tried to smile even though I was miserable.
  • My sister works three jobs a day, but she doesn’t make a lot of money.
  • We went out in the cold weather
  • He is a dangerous driver who has never been in an accident.
  • I’ve never visited the United States despite having friends and relatives there.
  • This restaurant employs some of the city’s best chefs, and their customer service is outstanding.

When to use conjunction and when to use a connector

There are two main considerations to keep in mind:

  • When conjunctions are used, it means that the statement after the conjunction is relaying information that the reader already knows. 
  • When the information is presented in the preceding, connectors are used.

Conclusion

Connectors are important in English grammar because they aid in the logical formation of sentences. There are several types of complex sentence connectors or phrase connectors, each with its own set of functions. Connectors are conjunctive words that are used to link together similar elements in a sentence. In English, there are various connectors that can be used to express your thoughts better. Linkers can be used to eliminate the need for single sentences and help connect sentences in a more logical manner.