Linking language · Addition

Addition connectors in English

These connectors tell the reader that the next idea goes the same way as the one before it. Use an addition connector when your second point supports the same conclusion as your first. If the second point pulls against the first, you need contrast instead — that swap is the single most common linking error in Task 2.

6 connectorseach with where it goes and how it is punctuated

2 worked examplesthe relationship, explained

2 common mistakeswith the repair

4 exercisesrelationship first, then the word

Start here · the long version

What addition connectors really claim

Addition connectors tell the reader that the next idea travels in the same direction as the one before it — that you are piling on, not turning.

What “the same direction” actually means

Two sentences point the same way when they support the same conclusion. “Remote work removes the commute” and “it lets people live further from expensive centres” are both arguments for remote work, so an addition connector is honest between them. The test is not whether the sentences are about the same topic — they usually are either way — but whether a reader who agreed with the first would be moved further along by the second.

This is why the commonest error with this family is not a misspelling or a comma. It is using “furthermore” to join a benefit and a drawback. The reader has been told to expect more of the same and receives the opposite, and the paragraph reads as though the writer lost track of their own argument halfway through — which, from the reader’s side, is exactly what happened.

The second thing worth knowing is that these connectors do not all behave alike grammatically. “Furthermore” opens a sentence and cannot take an object; “in addition to” takes a noun and cannot open a clause on its own. Two words that mean the same thing, two different structures, and swapping them produces a fragment.

Same direction

Both sentences support the same conclusion. If the second qualifies the first, you need contrast instead.

Weight, not just quantity

“Moreover” suggests the new point settles the matter. Use it for your strongest addition, not your third.

Clause or noun

“Furthermore, X happened” takes a clause. “In addition to X” takes a noun. They are not interchangeable.

Inversion after “not only”

“Not only does it cost more…” — the verb moves in front of the subject, and forgetting it is the classic slip.

What it costs you to skip this

An addition connector in front of a contrasting idea is worse than no connector at all: with nothing there, the reader works out the relationship for themselves; with the wrong one, they are actively misled and then have to reread. It lands on Coherence and Cohesion, which is assessed on whether the signposting matches the logic — not on whether signposting is present.

Where it stops applying

Adding is not developing. A paragraph of four ideas joined by “furthermore” and “moreover” is a list with connectors on it, and it scores as a list: the criterion rewards an idea followed through, not several announced. If you find yourself needing a third addition connector in one paragraph, the paragraph probably has one idea too many and no development of any of them.

Examples · what these words actually do

A connector joins two sentences and names the relationship between them

That is the whole job. The words are not decoration and they are not interchangeable: each one makes a claim about how the second sentence relates to the first, and the reader will read it that way whether you meant it or not. Here is what this family claims.

First sentence

Remote work removes the daily commute.

Furthermore

Second sentence

It lets people live further from expensive city centres.

Both sentences say something good about remote work. The second one does not change direction — it piles a second benefit on top of the first. That is all “addition” means: keep going the same way.

When you need it
Use an addition connector when your second point supports the same conclusion as your first. If the second point pulls against the first, you need contrast instead — that swap is the single most common linking error in Task 2.

The connectors

Where each one goes, and how it is punctuated

They do not all behave the same way. Two connectors can mean the same thing and still be written differently — that is where most linking errors come from.

Furthermore

Formal

Opens the sentence, followed by a comma. Adds a point of similar or greater weight.

Moreover

Formal

Same position as “furthermore”. Slightly stronger: it suggests the new point settles the matter.

In addition

Neutral

Opens the sentence with a comma. Use “in addition to” + noun when it stays inside the sentence.

Additionally

Neutral

Opens the sentence. Common in writing, rare in speech.

What is more

Neutral

Opens the sentence. Slightly conversational; safe in Task 2 but not in a report.

Not only … but also

Formal

Splits across the sentence. If “not only” starts the sentence, the verb inverts: “Not only does it cost more, but it also takes longer.”

Watch one · then do three

See the relationship before you choose the word

The connector is not a decoration. It is a claim about how the two halves relate, and the reader will hold you to it.

Worked example · Furthermore

Remote work removes the daily commute, which returns several hours a week to the employee.

Furthermore, it allows people to live further from expensive city centres, which lowers their housing costs.

Why this one: Both sentences argue that remote work benefits the employee. The second adds a different benefit, not a qualification, so addition is the right relationship.

Worked example · Not only … but also

The policy reduced peak-hour traffic by a fifth.

Not only … but also, Not only did it reduce peak-hour traffic, but it also cut public spending on road repair.

Why this one: Two results of one policy, both positive. Note the inversion after “Not only”: “did it reduce”, not “it reduced”.

What goes wrong

The two mistakes this family produces

Public transport is cheap. Furthermore, it is often unreliable.

“Unreliable” argues against public transport; “cheap” argues for it. The reader is told to expect more of the same and gets the opposite.

Repaired: Public transport is cheap. However, it is often unreliable.

Furthermore of the cost, the scheme takes years to build.

“Furthermore” cannot take an object. The phrase that can is “in addition to”.

Repaired: In addition to the cost, the scheme takes years to build.

Now you try · with the scaffolding on

Build it one step at a time

Build the addition properly: check the direction first, then choose the word, then write it.

The material

You have written: “Free museum entry raises visitor numbers among low-income families.” You want to add a second point in favour.

Step 1Write a second sentence that goes the SAME way

It must support the same conclusion — that free entry is a good thing. Do not write the connector yet.

Your version0 words · minimum 8

8 more words before you can compare. Writing it yourself first is the whole exercise.

Step 2Choose the connector, and check what it takes after it

Step 3Write both sentences together

Exercises · step 1, the relationship

Before the word, the direction

Choosing the connector is the second decision. The first one is noticing where the next sentence is going.

Step 1 · the relationship

Which sentence comes next — and why that one?

The sentence you have: Free museum entry raises visitor numbers among low-income families.

Three sentences could follow. Only one of them the next idea goes the same way as the one before it. Choose it before you think about any connector.

Exercises · step 2, the word

Choose the connector the sentence actually needs

Now that you can see the direction, pick the word that announces it. The first wrong answer gives you a hint and a second attempt, and every wrong option explains what it would have signalled instead. Nothing here is scored.

Online education has made university courses accessible to students in remote regions. _______, it has opened professional development pathways for working adults who cannot attend traditional campuses.

Free museum entry raises visitor numbers among low-income families. _______, it encourages repeat visits, which is how a collection becomes part of someone’s education rather than a single outing.

The new cycle network cut journey times for commuters. _______ did it cut journey times, but it also reduced the number of collisions at the city’s busiest junctions.

The other families