Linking word for contrast

Many words connect sentences, clauses, and phrases. But only contrast linking words can express two different ideas. The previous sentence uses the linking word of contrast but two connect it with the first sentence.

Learn the different linking words of contrast in the article and how to use them in sentences. I’ll show you how to position them in sentences and whether to use a comma.

What Are Contrast Words?

Linking words for contrast or contrast words are words that show contrasting ideas. These English linking words connect two statements that are different from each other. For instance, one may be a positive idea, while another is a negative idea.

Here’s a list of contrast words in English.

• Although
• Even though
• Though
• Yet
• However
• Despite
• But
• Despite
• In spite of
• While
• On the other hand

How to Use Contrast Words in a Sentence

Let’s look at the different contrast words and how to use them in sentences.

But/However

However is a sentence starter that shows a contrast between two separate sentences. Place the contrast word at the start of the second sentence, the end, and after the subject. Below are some examples of sentences.

• I love this city. However, the roads are too narrow.
• I love this city. The roads, however, are too narrow.
• I love this city. The roads are narrow, however.

But is more informal than however. Don’t put a comma after it; instead, put a comma before it when it’s used to connect two independent clauses. For example:

• I love this city. But the words are too narrow.
• I love this city, but the roads are too narrow.

Although/Even Though

While however doesn’t connect two clauses, we use although and even though at the beginning of a complete sentence with subject and verb. You can also use them in the middle of a sentence. Here are some examples.

• Although the book was long, I enjoyed reading it the entire weekend.
• I enjoyed reading the book the entire weekend, although it was long.

Though

Though is a looking word found between two phrases. It means despite this or but in the English language. For example:

• I feel down today. I’m still attending the event, though.
• She will be my professor this semester, though I don’t know which subject.

Yet

Use the linker yet when expressing an idea that is surprising because it contradicts what has been mentioned earlier. For example:

• I helped her, yet she betrayed me.
• He’s already 94 years old, yet somehow, he is still fit and healthy.

Despite/In Spite Of

These linking words of contrast are used to contrast ideas. We can also place a noun phrase or an -ing form of the verb after them. For example:

• Despite her suggestions, Mike still played by his own rules.
• In spite of being the top artist in the country, she still feels lonely.

Despite the Fact That/In Spite of the Fact That

Statements like despite the fact that and in spite of the fact that are similar to despite and in spite. But these phrases have a subject and verb after them. For example:

• I enjoyed the party despite the fact that we arrived late.
• He was grateful in spite of the fact that he lost the competition.

While/Whereas/Unlike

While, whereas, and unlike show two things that differ. Use whereas and while with two complete clauses and unlike with a noun. Consider these sentences.

• Joan is happy, while John is excited.
• Whereas Kat looks excited in this photo, Sheila seems upset.
• Unlike Michael, Miguel excels in performing arts.

On the Other Hand

The contrast linking word on the other hand compares two different ways, facts, or ideas of the same situation. Here are some examples.

• On one hand, I want to be an engineer. But on the other hand, I also like my current education degree.
• I enjoy jazz music, but on the other hand, my friend loves rock music.

Practice Using Contrast Linking Words

Contrast linking words join contradicting ideas, whether they’re clauses, sentences, or phrases. These words may have similar uses but different meanings and placements in sentences.

Some contrast words like although and however can be at the beginning of a sentence. Meanwhile, on the other hand, although, and other words can be in the middle of a sentence.

Слова-связки, которые используются для противопоставления:

despite/in spite of – несмотря на

• Be careful how use these words:

Despite/in spite of + ing-form

Despite being tired, I carried on working. — Несмотря на усталость, я продолжила работать.

Despite/in spite of + noun (существительное)

We carried on playing despite the rain.

But: despite/in spite of + noun + verb

although/even though – хотя

although/even though + noun + verb

Although he was tired, he carried on working.

although/even though + ing-form

Although being extremely wealthy, he lived modestly. — Несмотря на баснословное богатство, он жил очень скромно.

while/whereas – в то время как

While my brother is a rocket scientist, I’m hopeless at maths.

Some people work better to music while others do not.

My friends would rather go on on a beach holidays whereas I like going camping.

In contrast ~ в отличие от этого, в то же время (used when you are comparing two things or people and saying that the second one is very different from the first)

Our life in the country was very quiet. In contrast, here, in the city, my lifestyle is hectic.

However – однако (used to introduce a statement that contrasts with something that has just been said)

It was late, and we were getting tired. However, we were not going to give up.

I do understand your point of view. I’m totally against your plan, however.

• Be careful! We need to use commas with “however”.

Слово “however” всегда выделяется запятыми.

But vs However

We prefer to use “but” within one sentence. We usually use “however” when we have two sentences.

I like rock-music, but I don’t like rap.

I’m into rock-music. However, rap isn’t to my liking.

Choose the right option:

Введите ваше имя:*

Необходимо указать текст.

Похожие записи:

Linking words ( or transitional words, conjunctions) are words or phrases that connect ideas or sentences within a text. Using linking words helps your text more readable and allows the reader to comprehend the opinion or information you’re representing. In this post, we’re going to learn some useful linking words for comparison and contradiction.

But

But is coordinating conjunction used to connect contrasting ideas. Coordinating conjunctions connect items that are the same grammatical type.

For example:

• She always wants to be successful but she is so lazy.
• I’m not sure what you are planning to do but I will always support you.

However

However, is more formal than but. You can use however at the beginning of a sentence, yet you can’t use but at the beginning of a sentence (in written English).

For example:

• We have failed many times; however, we still keep trying.
• I want to come to your party tonight. However, I have to visit my parents. (In case you use but, the sentence should be:  “I want to come to your party tonight but I have to visit my parents.”)

Nevertheless

We can use either however or nevertheless to indicate the second point we wish to make contrasts with the first point. The difference is that nevertheless is a bit more formal and emphatic than however.

For example:

• Milos said his English is terrible. Nevertheless, he got an 8.0 on his IELTS Writing test.
• I knew a lot about the subject already, but his presentation was interesting nevertheless.
  

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Although / even though

These linking words are the same, and they are both followed by a clause (subject + verb). Even though is stronger, more emphatic than although.

Besides, even though is used when the given condition is negative but the outcome/result is positive.

For example:

• Even though Ram hadn’t studied, he passed the exam.
• She still loves him, even though he treated her very badly.

On the other hand, although is used when the given condition is positive while the outcome/result is negative.

For example:

• Although Ram had studied very hard, he did not score well.
• Although he’s trying to be more healthy, he finds it easier to eat fast food.

Despite /in spite of

In spite of and despite having a similar meaning to although or even though. They both are more common in writing than speaking and are used to show a contrast between two things. They are both more common in writing than in speaking. These two prepositional expressions are followed by nouns or gerunds (verb + ‘ing’). They are not followed by clauses (subject + verb). Despite is a little more formal than in spite of.

For example:

• Despite being one of the most successful people in the world, Mike has never felt happy.
• In spite of studying hard, Mike didn’t get a good grade on the final exam.

If you want to use a clause with despite and in spite of, you need to add the fact that.

For example:

• Despite the fact that Mike is one of the most successful people in the world, he has never felt happy.
• In spite of the fact that Mike studied hard, he didn’t get a good grade on the final exam.

While / Whereas

We use the conjunctions whereas and while to indicate a contrast between two facts or ideas in one sentence. These words can be placed at the beginning of the sentence or in the middle.

For example:

• While I accept that she’s not perfect in many respects, I do actually like her.
• He must be about 60, whereas his wife looks about 30.
• She likes going to parties whereas I prefer somewhere quiet.

On the other hand

You use on the other hand to introduce the second of two contrasting points, facts, or ways of looking at something.

For example:

• She lacked experience, but on the other hand, she was hard-working and willing to learn.

Yet

Yet as a conjunction means ‘but’ or ‘nevertheless‘. We use it to show contrast. It often occurs after ‘and’.

For example:

• So many questions and yet so few answers.
• It’s hard to stay focused. And yet, we know we’ll only do our best work if we stay focused.

By contrast / In contrast

These two conjunctions are exactly the same and are used in a similar way to however or on the other hand to introduce a contrast or a comparison. Put By / In contrast at the beginning of a sentence, with a comma (,) after contrast.

Example

• Unemployment rose in the UK. By contrast, the number of unemployed people in Canada fell.

On the contrary

We use “on the contrary” to deny that something is true and to explain that the opposite is true.

For example:

– Mike:  “You didn’t like the movie, did you?”
– Lauren: “On the contrary, the movie was great. I think I’ll watch it again.”

So far, you’ve just learned some of the most common linking words for comparison and contradiction. Now it’s time to put them into practice. Don’t forget to check out our post about linking words for adding information to improve your writing!

And now, make a sentence with one of those linking words and share it with us in the comments below.

>>> Learn more linking words to perfect your English writing here!

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Сегодня в нашей третьей статье, посвященной Linking Words for Contradiction, вы познакомитесь со словами-связками для говорения задание 4 (while, whereas, unlike) и для эссе по английскому ЕГЭ (on the one hand,… /on the other hand,…/on the contary etc.). Кроме того, знание всех этих слов-связок поможет вам правильно выполнять задания 32-38. Ниже вы найдете Linking Words в таблице с переводами, примерами и пояснениями.

While, whereas, unlike: разница в использовании

Linking words/phrases	Перевод	Пример	Пояснения
While	В то время как/пока	While his sister was reading a book, he was painting. He was painting, while his sister was reading a book.	Союзы while и whereas используются, чтобы показать контраст между двумя фактами или идеями в рамках одного сложноподчиненного предложения. Оно может начинаться с придаточного или заканчиваться им. Запятая будет ставиться в обоих случаях: 1) если предложение начинается с придаточного, то перед главным нужно поставить запятую. 2) если предложение начинается с главного, то перед придаточным нужно поставить запятую.
Whereas	В то время как	Living in the city is more exciting, whereas in a rural area life is boring. Whereas in a rural area life is boring, living in the city is more exciting.
Unlike	В отличие от	Unlike him, she is keen on pop music. She is keen on op music, unlike him.	Как и союзы while и whereas, unlike показывает контраст. Важно! Unlike – это предлог. После него нужно использовать существительное, местоимение в объектном падеже или имя собственное (unlike+dad/him/Bill) Чаще с unlike начинается предложение, тогда оборот обособляется запятой, но может стоять и в середине предложения, тогда перед unlike тоже нужно поставить запятую.

On the contrary, in contrast to, in/by contrast

Linking words/phrases	Перевод	Пример	Пояснения
On the contrary,	Наоборот	My friend told me that the book was a real page-turner. On the contrary, I fell asleep while reading.	Вводное выражение стоит в начале предложения и обособляется запятой.
In contrast to	В отличие от	In contrast to England, the number of accidents in Germany has sharply declined.	После данного выражения ставится запятая.
In contrast,	Зато/напротив/наоборот	The majority of employees in Cambodia worked in agriculture in 2010. In contrast, only 10% worked in business.	In contrast и by contrast – синонимичны. Данные вводные выражения стоят в начале предложения и обособляются запятыми.
By contrast,	Зато/напротив/наоборот	Africa had about 5% annual urban growth. By contrast, in Europe the annual urban growth was only 1,5%.

Except for, in theory….in practice, on the one hand…on the other hand, otherwise

Linking words/phrases	Перевод	Пример	Пояснения
Except for	За исключением	Sally likes all the school subjects, except for Maths.	Перед предлогом ставится запятая.
In theory, …..in practice,…	В теории… На практике…	In theory, it’s easy to knit a scarf, in practice, it’s more difficult.	Показывают неожиданный результат.
On the one hand,… On the other hand,…	С одной стороны…С другой стороны	On the one hand, the Internet helps to do work faster and better. On the other hand, lots of people become addicted to it.	Стоят в начале предложения и обособляются запятой и противопоставляют одну идею другой.
Otherwise	Иначе	Hurry up, otherwise you’ll miss the bus.	Перед этим союзом всегда ставится запятая.

Мы рассмотрели основные слова-связки в английском, которые служат для выражения противопоставления (Linking Words for Contradiction: 1 часть, 2 часть).

В следующей статье мы предложим вам попрактиковаться в их использовании и выполнить тест. Следите за обновлениями и совершенствуйте свой английский вместе с языковой школой АВС.