Sentence

Connector

ENGLISH

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Sentence Connector
The topic Sentence Connectors was introduced under the English Language section
in the various banking exams. Here we will discuss Sentence Connectors and the
mantras to go about them.

Sentence Connectors are a great way of improving your English. Why?

Because we use them to express relationships between ideas and to combine

sentences .

When we begin learning a language, we speak in very basic sentences, a bit like
children.

Example:

“London is a very exciting city. London is very expensive.”

As we learn more words and more complex sentence structure , we are able to start
using sentence connectors to make more sophisticated sentences.

Example:

“London is a very exciting city; nevertheless it is also very expensive”

or
“Despite the fact that London is very expensive, it is also very exciting”

First things first, let’s understand the sentence structure.

1. Sentence Structure
1.1 PHRASE
• A phrase is a collection of words that may have nouns or verbs, but it does not have
a subject doing a verb.

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Examples of Phrases

1) Leaving behind the dog

2) Smashing into a fence

3) Before the first test

4) After the disaster

In these examples above, you will find nouns (dog, fence, test, disaster). You also have
some verbs (leaving, smashing), but in no case is the noun functioning as a subject

1.2 CLAUSE
• A clause is a collection of words that has a subject that is actively doing a verb. A
clause is a group of words that contains both a subject and a predicate but cannot
always be considered as a full grammatical sentence.

Examples of Clauses

1) Since she laughs at diffident men

2) I despise individuals of low character

3) When the saints go marching in

In the examples above, we find either a noun or a pronoun that is a subject attached to
a predicate verb in each case.

I. DEPENDENT CLAUSE
• A dependent clause (or subordinate clause) contains both a subject and a verb
but cannot stand alone as a sentence. It must always be a part of a sentence, on
which it depends for meaning. Reading a dependent clause on its own leaves the
reader wondering where the rest of the information is. The following sections
describe the different kinds of dependent clauses.

Example:

1) since she laughs at diffident men

2) when the saints go marching in

These clauses simply do not form complete thoughts or sentences by themselves.

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II. INDEPENDENT CLAUSE

• An independent clause (or main clause) contains both a subject and predicate,
can stand alone as a sentence (a simple sentence), or be a part of a multi-clause
sentence. Coordinating conjunctions ( and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet) are used to
connect elements of equal weight such as two independent clauses, using a comma
before the conjunction .

Example:

1) I despise individuals of low character.

2) We visited Paris last September.

We could easily turn independent clauses into complete sentences by adding

appropriate punctuation marks. We call them independent because these types of
clauses can stand independently by themselves, without any extra words attached,
and be complete sentences.

1.3 TYPES OF SENTENCES

• Clauses of different types can combine to form the four types of sentences in
English writing. Good writers use a variety of sentence types at varying lengths to
make their writing more interesting and dynamic. Remember to use proper
punctuation and a variety of connectors to make logical connections both within and
between sentences.

 A simple sentence is composed of a single independent clause and no dependent

clauses.

Example:

 We had a great visit to Paris and Berlin last September.

2. A compound sentence is composed of two or more independent clauses which

may be connected by a coordinating conjunction ( and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet), a
semicolon alone, or a semicolon and a conjunctive adverb (also called transition).

Example:

 We visited Paris last September, but my sister visited Berlin last summer.

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 Most people enjoy visiting European cities; few do not.

 Most people enjoy visiting European cities; however, few do not.

3. A complex sentence is composed of one independent clause (the main clause)

and one or more dependent clauses. In the following examples, the independent
clause is in bold.

Example:

 While we were walking through the Louvre, we suddenly met our neighbor
John and his family.

 While we were walking through the Louvre, which is one of the most famous
museums in the world, we suddenly met our neighbor John and his
family, who were also on vacation in Paris.

4. A compound-complex sentence combines a compound sentence with a complex

sentence. It contains two or more independent clauses and one or more
dependent clauses.

Example: In the following examples, the independent clauses is in bold.

 While we were walking through the Louvre, which is one of the most famous
museums in the world, we suddenly met our neighbor John with his
family, and all of us went out for lunch at a splendid bistro

 While we were walking through the Louvre, we suddenly met our neighbor
John with his family, and all of us went out for lunch at a splendid
bistro, located in a narrow street on the smaller island in the river Seine.

2. Sentence Connectors
• Another terminology for Sentence Connectors is “synthesis”

• In such type of questions, we are provided with three phrases/connectors. Among

these, we need to find out the correct option which when used in the beginning of
the sentence will help combine the two statements in a coherent manner

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• We need to bear in mind that after using these connectors to connect these
statements, the newly formed sentence should imply the same meaning as
expressed in the statement sentences

• These questions appear somewhat difficult, but are very easy to tackle after some
practice and can help you score good marks in the exam

• The need to join sentences stems from the fact that it will help avoid the monotony
that may result due to the use of brief sentences. Hence, to combine them and give
them rhythm and style of various lengths and structures, we use sentence
connectors.

• Sentence Connectors are words and phrases that are used for the synthesis of
sentences, i.e connect two sentences into one sentence with coherence.
“Coherence” means “the quality of being logical and consistent”

• Hence, the correct sentence connector is one that maintains coherence in the given
two statements.

• Sentence connectors are used to provide coherence to the statement or paragraphs

by presenting a contrast, similarity, consequence, sequence, example,
emphasis, dismissal, etc.

So, before we move on to understanding the types of sentence connectors and how to
solve sentence connector questions based on the new pattern , let us quickly recall
what we know about Conjunctions.

3. What are CONJUNCTIONS?

Before we learn the basics of Conjunctions with a view to understand types of Sentence
Connectors, let’s look at the following statements:

I like to read.

I like to write.

I don’t like to mug up things.

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Such statements are simple and short but expressing every statement this way can
become very tiresome. Conjunctions help us join such statements together to
make one single, coherent statement. So, the above statements would become-

I like reading and writing but do not like mugging up things.

So, in short, conjunctions help us save ink and paper (and our sanity) by helping us link
several short statements into one long one.

3.1 Types of Conjunctions

Correlative Conjunctions:
As the name suggests, these conjunctions are used for statements where there is some
sort of relation between them. Some examples:

 Both/and– want both the book and the novel.

 Either/or– We can either go for the movie or to the amusement park.

 Neither/nor– He neither had the courage nor the will to go on.

 Not only/but also– He not only wanted the best vacation but was also not willing
to shell out money for it.

Subordinating Conjunctions:
These types of conjunctions are used to join dependent and independent fragments.
Here, the fragments may have a cause-and-effect relationship or a sort of contradiction
between them. Some examples:

 Because: The monsoon is critical for 263 million farmers and their
crops because nearly half of the country’s farmland lacks irrigation.

 Since: Since India imports more than 90% of its gold, fluctuations in the
international price translate into fluctuations in the cost of dowry.

 Although: Although it is too early to comment on the processing power of this

device, the chipset does give some good performance when it comes to daily use.

Coordinating conjunctions:
These conjunctions join statements that are equally important. Some examples:

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 And: The pizza is hot and spicy.

 So: The traffic is so bad that it seemed we were crawling.

 But: I love reading but hate writing.

 Yet: I love dogs yet have no love for cats.

 Nor: The President refused to back down nor did he pardon the convicts.

 For: I do not enjoy partying for it is expensive and a waste of time.

Conjunctive adverb:
These adverbs basically join two sentences which are comparative or sequential in
nature or may show a cause and effect relationship. Some examples:

 Otherwise: You need to reach in time otherwise they may disqualify you.

 Therefore: I reached well within time; therefore, I had a lot of time to prepare for
my speech.

 However: We needed to be there; however, we went the other way instead.

 Meanwhile: The sun shone brightly in Delhi; meanwhile, it was raining heavily in
Chandigarh.

Solving Different Types of Sentence

Connectors
We first need to understand the type of various statements in order to understand what
connectors would be suitable for each type. Typically, these are the different types of
statements-

Complementary Statements
• These statements move in the same direction i.e. strengthen each other. The ideas/
theme/subject expressed in such statements supplement/add on to the subject.

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Example 1:

I. Competitive landscape in the global walnut market is high due to the strong
presence of several players.

II. A lack of entry barriers for new players is expected to intensify the competition in the
coming days.

Here, statement II adds on to the first one.

Example 2:

I. Government bodies are creating more and more awareness among consumers
regarding the health benefits of edible nuts.

II. There has been a significant rise in the consumption of tree nuts.

Here, statement I adds on to the second one.

Some possible connectors in this case would be:

Furthermore Moreover In addition

Additionally Also Besides

Contrasting Statements
• These statements, as the name suggests, present contradictory/opposing views.

Example:

 India remains, for the most part, extremely poor.

 Its population is so enormous that even a relatively small middle class is large in
absolute terms.

Here, both the statements state opposite views with one talking about India being poor
while the other stating that even then, in absolute terms, the middle class forms a
substantial part. In such cases, some possible connectors in this case would be:

Even as Although However

On the other hand Notwithstanding Nonetheless

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Comparison Statements
• In such statements, two or more things are being compared and the following
connectors fit in well .

Example:

 In the organized manufacturing sector, the pay gap between genders has narrowed
from 35% in 2000 to 45% in 2013.

 There has been a reduction in the earnings gap in female-dominated industries like
food, tobacco, textiles etc.

Here, both the statements state opposite views with one talking about India being poor
while the other stating that even then, in absolute terms, the middle class forms a
substantial part. In such cases, some possible connectors in this case would be:

Similarly Likewise Equally

Sequential Statements
• These statements talk about a particular chain of events. So, there is a definite order
in which they should proceed. They may be taking place simultaneously or one after
the other.

Example:

 GDP growth had hit a peak of 9.3% in fourth quarter of 2015-16.

 It declined steadily to hit a low of 5.6% in first quarter of 2017-18.

Meanwhile Presently Thereafter

Immediately Subsequently Eventually

Result oriented statements

• One of the statements would talk about the result/outcome of another statement.

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Example:

I. The model code usually comes into force the day EC announces polls and remains
enforced till the electoral process is completed.

II. Neither the caretaker state government nor the central government can announce
any new schemes, projects, etc. or undertake any of the activities prohibited under
the Model Code of Conduct.

Hence Therefore Accordingly

Consequently Thereupon Thus

As a result So

Summary Statements
• One of the statements summarizes the other one or a subject.

Example:

 Cloud security must be an inherent aspect of your cloud provider’s offerings,

enabling you to secure your business at every possible layer with data being secure
at rest, and in motion.

 Security must be core to a cloud provider’s proposition, not an add-on.

In short On the whole In other words

to be sure Clearly In sum

After all So

Now that we understand the types of statements and their corresponding connectors,
let us look at some sample questions and apply the information above.

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Memory Tip
Some important sentence connectors can also be learned by a mnemonic device

i.e “ON A WHITE BUS” is given below.

The letters of this mnemonic stand for subordinating conjunctions of the English
Language:-

O: only if, once

N: now that

A: after, although, as

WH: where, wherever, when, whenever, whether, while

H: How

I: in case, if, in order that

T: though, that

E: even though, even if

B: before, because

U: until, unless

S: since, so that

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Let’s Practice!
Question 1:-

Select the phrase/connector from the given options which can be used to form a
single sentence from the two sentences given below, implying the same
meaning as expressed in the statement sentences.

(A) Akriti needs to learn Chinese.

(B) I will teach her.

1) As

2) Since

3) However

4) Both A and B

5) None of these

TB Solution: The correct answer is option 4.

Only 1 and 2 can be used to begin the sentence correctly, without changing the
meaning of the initial sentences. The words 'as' and 'since' mean 'for the reason that'.
They join the two sentences meaningfully. The correct sentences would be:

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i. As Akriti needs to learn Chinese, I will teach her.

ii. Since Akriti needs to learn Chinese, I will teach her.

Therefore, the correct answer is option 4.

Question 2:-

Select the phrase/connector from the given options which can be used to form a
single sentence from the two sentences given below, implying the same
meaning as expressed in the statement sentences.

(A) I didn’t want to take a side in the argument.

(B) I put my headphones on and listened to some smooth jazz.

1) Since

2) Yet

3) Although

4) Nevertheless

5) None of these

TB Solution:

Only 'Since' can be used to join the sentences - Since I didn't want to take a side, I
put my headphones on and listened to some smooth jazz.

Rest of the options cannot act as a link.

Thus the correct answer is option 1.

Question 3:-

Select the phrase/connector from the given options which can be used to form a
single sentence from the two sentences given below, implying the same
meaning as expressed in the statement sentences.

(A) His story is based on a modicum of truth.

(B) Most of the events he describes are fictitious.

1) Since

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2) Although

3) Hence

4) Because

5) None of these

TB Solution:

The correct sentence is-

Although his story is based on a modicum of truth, most of the events he describes are
fictitious.

Option 1, 3 and 4 cannot act as links.

Thus the correct answer is option 2.

Question 4:-

In each of the questions below, a word is given, followed by four statements.

From the options, choose the one that provides the combination of statements
that can be joined using the given word.

Although

Eucalyptus is an evergreen tree.

It is widely used for its medicinal properties.

This popular tree is native to Australia.

It now grows in many areas of the world.

1) AB only

2) AC only

3) CD only

4) AB and CD

5) AC and BD

TB Solution:

The correct answer is option 3.

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The word although is used to introduce a subordinate clause that indicates contrast with
respect to the main clause. We find that C and D are of contrasting nature which can be
joined using although in the following manner:

Although this popular tree is native to Australia, it now grows in many areas of the
world.

Sentences A and B can be joined using that in the following manner (that is used to
specifically refer to something that has been previously mentioned) :

Eucalyptus is an evergreen tree that’s widely used for its medicinal properties.

Question 5:-

In each of the questions below, a word is given, followed by four statements.

From the options, choose the one that provides the combination of statements
that can be joined using the given word.

Because

A. A hospital in Essex has had to cancel cancer surgery.

B. So many of its anesthetists have stopped working extra hours.
C. Patients turning up for appointments with their specialist are going straight home
again.
D. Their scan has not been read, rendering the consultation pointless.

1) AB and CD

2) AB only

3) AD only

4) BC only

5) BD only

TB Solution:

The correct answer is option 1.

The word because is used when we reason out or provide an explanation for
something. B provides an explanation for why the hospital in Essex had to cancel
cancer surgery. Also, we can connect C and D by using the word because as D
explains why patients are going straight home again.

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A hospital in Essex has had to cancel cancer surgery because so many of its
anesthetists have stopped working extra hours.

Patients are turning up for appointments with their specialist but going straight home
again because their scan has not been read, rendering the consultation pointless.

Question 6:-

Select the phrase/connector from the given three options which can be used to
form a single sentence from the two sentences given below, implying the same
meaning as expressed in the statement sentences.

The gap between the rich and the poor is widening every day. The wealth of politicians
across the spectrum multiplies every five years.

Because the wealth of politicians

Although the gap between

While the wealth of

1) Both (I) and (III)

2) Both (I) and (II)

3) Only (II) and (III)

4) Only (II)

5) None of these

TB Solution:

On a careful reading of the sentences, we can deduce the context. The two sentences
provide a contrast. One tells us that the gap between the rich and the poor is widening
every day. The other paints a different picture- the wealth of politicians across the
spectrum multiplies every five years.

We can use phrases (II) and (III) in the following ways:

Although the gap between the rich and the poor is widening every day, the wealth of
politicians across the spectrum multiplies every five years.

The gap between the rich and the poor is widening every day while the wealth of
politicians across the spectrum multiplies every five years.

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Phrase I connects the sentence in this manner. This does not make any sense.

Because the wealth of politicians across the spectrum multiplies every five years, the
gap between the rich and poor is widening every day.

Thus, the correct answer is option 3.

Question 7:-

Select the phrase/connector from the given three options which can be used to
form a single sentence from the two sentences given below, implying the same
meaning as expressed in the statement sentences.

She was a career woman and mother. She was constantly busy with the multifarious
activities of her daily life.

i. With the multifarious activities

ii. A career woman and mother

iii. Although busy with multifarious activities

1) Only ii

2) Both ii and iii

3) Only iii

4) Only i

5) None of these

TB Solution:

Only ii can be used to begin the sentence- A career woman and mother, she was
constantly busy with the multifarious activities of her daily life.

Options i and iii cannot act as a link.

Thus the correct answer is option 1.

Question 8:-

Select the phrase/ connectors from the given options which can be used to form
a single sentence, implying the same meaning as given by the sentences.

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Jaya lost track of time. She fell asleep. She was sitting on a bench. It was by the
riverside.

1) Sitting on a bench by the riverside, Jaya lost track of time.

2) Falling asleep, Jaya lost track of time on a bench by the riverside.

3) Had fallen asleep on a bench by the riverside, Jaya lost track of time.

4) Jaya lost track of time as she fell asleep, sitting on a bench, which was by the
riverside.

5) Losing track of time on the riverside as Jaya fell asleep,

TB Solution:

The sentences suggest that the resulting sentence should include the context of 'Jaya
losing track of time', which is directly related to her 'falling asleep'. So, they can be
joined using a conjunction like 'as' or 'because'.

The fourth sentence gives the adjective clause to the third noun 'a bench', so they can
be joined using the conjunction 'which' or 'that'.

The only sentence that expresses the given context is option 4.

Therefore, the correct answer is option 4.

Question 9:-

Select the phrase/ connectors from the given options which can be used to form
a single sentence, implying the same meaning as given by the sentences.

The human brain is complex. It never stops working. It only stops working when inside
an exam hall.

1) The human brain, being complex, never stops working inside an exam hall.

2) Until the human brain is complex, it never stops working inside an exam hall.

3) The human brain is complex and never stops working until it is inside an exam hall.

4) The human brain being complex never stops working inside an exam hall.

5) The human brain is complex until it stops working inside an exam hall.

TB Solution:

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The sentences suggest that the resulting sentence should include the context of 'human
brain being complex' 'it never stops working' 'it stops inside an exam hall'.

Also, as the last sentence shows a certain condition under which the brain stops, we
must use the conditional conjunction 'until'.

The only sentence that expresses the given context is option 3.

Therefore, the correct answer is option 3.

Question 10:-

Select the phrase/ connectors from the given options which can be used to form
a single sentence, implying the same meaning as given by the sentences.

Udaipur is about 40 miles from Bhilsa. Bhilsa is in Madhya Pradesh. It is another

ancient historical site.

1) Bhilsa in Madhya Pradesh is yet another ancient historical site.

2) Udaipur being yet another historical site is ancient from Bhilsa in Madhya Pradesh.

3) Bhilsa in Madhya Pradesh is about 40 miles and is an ancient historical site.

4) Udaipur,which is about 40 miles from Bhilsa in Madhya Pradesh is yet another

ancient historical site.

5) Udaipur being about 40 miles from Bhilsa is in Madhya Pradesh.

TB Solution:

The sentences suggest that the resulting sentence should include the context of
'Udaipur being 40 miles from Bhilsa, which is in madhya Pradesh' and 'Udaipur being
yet another ancient historical site.'

The only sentence that expresses the given context is option 4.

Therefore, the correct answer is option 4.

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