Connectives List

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.

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