GRAMMAR

Linking words:

contrasting ideas

But/ However

Although/ Even though

Despite/ In spite of

While/ Whereas/ Unlike

How and When

to use them???

But is more informal than however.

You can use however at the beginning of a sentence, but you can’t

use but at the beginning of a sentence (in written English).

'however' isn't used to connect two clauses. Instead, we usually put

the two ideas in two separate sentences. We put 'however' in the

second sentence, and we can put it at the beginning, at the end, or

after the subject.

• I tried to lift the box, but it was too heavy for me.

• I tried to lift the box. However, it was too heavy for me.

Although the weather is bad, I love London.

I love London, although the weather is bad.

Although I exercise every day, I can’t seem to lose any weight.

She still works hard, even though her salary is not high.

• These linking words are the same, and they are both

followed by a subject + verb.

• We can use 'although' at the beginning or in the middle of a

sentence. It is used in front of a clause (a clause has at least

a subject and a verb that agrees with the subject).

- Our plane arrived on time in spite of the delay during takeoff.

- We won the game despite having two fewer players.

- Our plane arrived on time in spite of the fact that it left 30 minutes late.

- We won the game despite the fact that we had two fewer players.

These linking words are the same, and they are followed by a noun or

a gerund (-ing form of the verb, which can function as a noun).

• We use 'despite' or 'in spite of' before a noun or a gerund. It can also

go in the middle or at the beginning of a sentence. 'Despite' and 'in spite

of' mean exactly the same thing. You can choose whichever one you

like! If you want to use 'despite' or 'in spite of' before a clause, you need

to add 'the fact that'.

While / Whereas / Unlike

These linking words are used to make

contrasts. While and whereas are usually used between two

complete phrases. Unlike is typically used with only a subject.

• I like tennis, while my brother prefers bowling.

• This cell phone plan costs $0.05 per minute, whereas that one gives you up to 800 minutes per month for a fixed price.

• His boss allows him to work from home, unlike mine.

• She’s very friendly, unlike her sister.

Practice

Choose ‘however’, ‘but’, ‘although’ or ‘in spite of’,

‘despite’:

1. ___________ the rain, we still went to the park.

2. ___________ it was raining, we still went to the park.

3. It was raining. ___________, we still went to the park.

4. John bought the watch, ___________ the fact that it

was expensive.

5. John bough the watch. ___________, it was expensive.

6. ___________ it was expensive, John bought the watch.

7. I finished the homework. It, ___________, wasn’t easy.

8. I finished the homework, ___________ it wasn’t easy.

9. ___________ the fact that it wasn’t easy, I finished the homework.

10. She went for a long walk, ___________ being cold.

11. We called her five times, ______ she didn't pick up the phone.

12. He followed his dream of being an actor ____________ his parents

wanted him to be an engineer.

13. The disease is spreading ________ efforts to control it.

14. You need only one year of training to be a technician, _________ you

need more than 7 years of study to be a doctor.

15. An intensive course is a great way to learn English fast, ________ it

can be very tiring at times.

Comparison

Comparative & Superlative

How and When

to use them???

We use comparative adjectives to describe

people and things:

- This car is certainly better but it’s

much more expensive.

- I’m feeling happier now.

- We need a bigger garden

We use than when we want to compare

one thing with another:

- She is two years older than me.

- New York is much bigger than Boston.

- He is a better player than Ronaldo.

- France is a bigger country than Britain.

We use the with a superlative to

compare one person or thing with

every other member of their group:

It was the happiest day of my life.

Everest is the highest mountain in the

world.

That’s the best film I have seen this

year.

I have three sisters, Jan is the

oldest and Angela is the youngest .

Practice

Put the adjectives between brackets in the correct form

My brother has a (tidy) room than me.

Australia is (big) than England.

I'm (good) now than yesterday.

She's got (little) friends than you, but she doesn't care.

He thinks Chinese is (difficult) language in the world

Valencia played (bad) than Real Madrid yesterday.

Cats are not (intelligent) as dogs.

Show me (good) restaurant downtown.

(hot) desert of all is the Sahara and it's in Africa.

Who is (talkative) person in your family?

THE ENDThanks for watching!!!