Text organizers

There are also linking words that join ideas across sentences and paragraphs. These are sometimes called 'text organizers' because they make clear the organization of what we say or write. They are more common in writing or formal speech. They usually come at the start of a sentence and have a comma afterwards, but can come after a comma in the middle of a sentence.

• Sequencing

We often number or order the points we are making.

First (of all) ..., Secondly ..., Next..., Then ..., Finally/lastly/last of all... In narrative, the sequence of events can be introduced by:

First..., Then ..., After that..., Finally/in the end ...

• Adding

We can introduce additional points.

Furthermore ..., Moreover ..., In addition to ..., As well as this ..., Besides this ...

• Giving opinions

We can introduce personal opinions. Personally ..., In my own opinion/view ...

• Giving examples

We can introduce examples. For example ..., For instance ...

We can also use such as to give an example, but it is not used at the beginning of a sentence.

The factory produces electrical goods, such as food mixers and other kitchen appliances.

• Showing a result

Formal ways include: Consequently ..., As a result..., Thus ...

• Making a contrast

Formal ways include: On the other hand ..., However ..., Nevertheless ..., In contrast...,In comparison ...

• Summarizing

We can summarize all the points we have made. In conclusion ..., To sum up ...

1. Underline the most suitable word or phrase in each sentence.

a) Janet went out so that she bought/to buy Harry a present.

b) This food is much too hot to eat/to be eaten.

c) However/Though it was late, I decided to phone Brian.

d) Although/Despite the car was cheap, it was in good condition.

e) Let's check once more, for being/so as to be sure.

f) We could go to the club. Is it worth it, even though/though?

7. It was so windy/such a windy that half the trees had blown down,

8. The batteries were not enough small/too small to fit the radio.

i) Despite of the weather/the weather, we went sailing.

7. Bill had so much/so that fun that he stayed another week.

2. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given.

a) Sue went shopping so she could buy herself a new television. (to)

Sue ………………….new television.

b) You use this to open wine bottles.(for)

This ...............................................................................................wine bottles.

c) I put the food in the fridge because I wanted it to get cold. (would)

I put the food in the fridge .......................................................................cold.

d) Harry left early because he didn't want to miss the bus. (as)

Harry ........................................................................................to miss the bus.

e) I saved up some money to buy a motorbike. (could)

I saved up some money ................................................................a motorbike.

f) Jane gave up smoking because she wanted to save money. (order)

Jane gave up smoking ...........................................................................money.

g) I came here so that I could see you. (to)

I ..................................................................................................................you.

3. Look carefully at each line. Some of the lines are correct, and some have a word which should not be there. Tick each correct line. If a line has a word which should not be there, write the word in the space.

Goodwriters... A course for you!

Jane was one of those students who has problems V

with writing. First, her handwriting it was so bad it

that most teachers couldn't to read it. The letters were 1) …………

so small, that the words were extremely difficult to 2) ………...

read. Even though she tried to change her handwriting, 3)…………

she felt discouraged. Secondly, she made so the many 4)………….

mistakes in spelling and punctuation, so that her work 5)………….

always gave a bad impression. As well as this, she 6)………….

had problems with organizing her writing, in despite 7)…………

making plans and writing notes. One day, though, she 8)…………

took a Goodwriter writing course, so to learn how to 9)…………

be an effective writer. At Goodwriters we taught her 10)………..

how to organize her ideas. Although however she found 11)………..

it difficult at first, so she soon made progress. She 12)………..

learned to revise her writing, so as to improve it. 13)………..

She started reading so too much that her spelling 14)…………

improved, so while her handwriting became clearer too. 15)…………

4. Underline the most suitable word or phrase in each sentence.

a) Many people feel nervous about flying, and worry about the possibility of an accident. Furthermore/However, according to statistics, flying is actually safer than walking down the street.

b) Our local supermarket no longer opens every day, as/on account of very few people live in our village.

c) There are a number of objections to the planned motorway. As well as this/First of all, the new road will destroy valuable farming land. In contrast/In addition to this, it will bring thousands of vehicles and tourists. As a result/h example, our peaceful way of life will be destroyed forever.

d) We conducted a survey of accommodation in the town, and came up with some interesting results. The hotels we saw were rather expensive, and consequently/moreover the actual facilities on offer were not always impressive. Besides this/In contrast, there were many guest houses, offering just bed and breakfast, which were not only good value but also had much better rooms than the hotels did. Finally/Personally, I would recommend The Oaks, a particularly impressive guest house in Long Harbour Road.

e) Owing to/Since the increased demand for parking spaces, the company has decided to enlarge the car park. Consequently/Nevertheless the exit road on the west side of the car park will be closed from Monday to allow building work to begin.

5. Put one suitable word in each space.

a) .................conclusion, I would like to thank you all for your help.

b) ........it's too late to finish the work today, we’ll come back tomorrow.

c) The flight was delayed......................a result of the high winds.

d) This radio is expensive, but...................the other hand it has very good reception.

e) First......................all, I would like to welcome you to our annual dinner.

f) John is a hard worker. As......................as this, he is completely reliable.

g) Science has not entirely changed the way we think...........instance, we still speak of the 'sunrise' although we know it is the Earth that is moving.

h) Although this building project seems attractive, in my................it would be a mistake to spend so much money on it.

6. Decide which answer best fits each space.

Owning a car

Owning a car has several advantages. (1) you can go wherever you want, whenever you want. You don't have to depend on public transport and (2) you feel more independent. (3) you are able to give lifts to friends, or carry heavy loads of shopping. (4) , there can be problems, especially if you live in a city. Running a car can be expensive, and you have to spend money on items (5) petrol, servicing the car, and repairs. You might also have problems with parking, as everywhere is becoming more and more crowded with cars. (6) , most people feel that the advantages of owning a car outweigh the disadvantages.

(7) most young people of my age start driving as soon as they can. (8) , I think that cars nowadays have become essential, but I also feel that they cause a lot of problems, (9) they are noisy and dirty. (10) , the large numbers of cars on the road means that most towns and cities are organized for the convenience of cars, and the needs of pedestrians are ignored.

1)	A	First of all		B As a result		C Personally	D	Besides this
2)	A	however		B personally		C since	D	as a result
3)	A	In contrast		B In my view		C Besides this	D	However
4)	A	On the other hand		B To sum up		C Thus	D	For example
5)	A	as		B such as		C owing to	D	then
6)	A	Finally		B Secondly		C However	D	As
7)	A	For		B Next		C As well as this	D	Consequently
8)	A	For example		B Personally		C Nevertheless	D	In comparison
9)	A	for example		B however		C thus	D	since
10)	A	As a result		B Moreover		C Personally	D	In comparison

Presenting a solution

Fluency Using the framework below, prepare a short presentation of a problem you are interested nowadays. It can be any kind of problem, big or small.

Complete the boxes on the right with brief notes. If you like, prepare simple visual aids based on the information you put in these boxes. Use the language on the left to help you structure your talk, but change it if you need to.

Impact opening (choose one) (Ask a question) Have you ever ...? How would you ...? (Quote some surprising figures) Did you know ...? (Quote someone well-known) (Name) once said ... (Use a newspaper headline) Have a look at this	Title
Give the background to the problem OK. (Time) ago I was having difficulties with ... I couldn’t ... And I wasn’t ...	Background 1 2 3
Ask a rhetorical question So, what was going wrong?
Describe the problem Well, the problem I was facing was not ..., but ... .	Problem
Describe its effects Now, obviously, this was having an effect on ... as well as ... and ...	Effects 1 2 3
Ask another rhetorical question So, how did I deal with the problem?
Describe the action you took Well, basically, there were three things I had to do. My first priority was to ... The next thing was to ... And, finally, I ...	Action 1 2 3
Ask a third rhetorical question The question is, did it work?
Describe the results (perhaps a graph) Have a look at this. Here are the results. As, you can see ...	Results
Close OK, I’m going to break off in a second and take questions. To sum up, ... Thank you.	Summary

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