Formal
Opens the sentence, followed by a comma. Adds a point of similar or greater weight.
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 · 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.
Now you try · the relationship first
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.
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.
Formal
Same position as “furthermore”. Slightly stronger: it suggests the new point settles the matter.
Neutral
Opens the sentence with a comma. Use “in addition to” + noun when it stays inside the sentence.
Neutral
Opens the sentence. Common in writing, rare in speech.
Neutral
Opens the sentence. Slightly conversational; safe in Task 2 but not in a report.
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.
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
Six more relationships to learn
Contrast
The next idea pushes against the one before it.
7 connectors · 3 exercisesCause and effectWhat comes next is the consequence of what came before.
6 connectors · 3 exercisesExamplesWhat comes next is one case of the claim you just made.
6 connectors · 3 exercisesConcessionYou accept the other side has a point, and you are about to answer it.
6 connectors · 3 exercisesComparisonThe next case behaves like the one before it.
5 connectors · 3 exercisesConclusionThis is the end of the whole text, not of a paragraph.
5 connectors · 3 exercisesConditionThe second idea only happens if the first one is true.
6 connectors · 3 exercisesCorrelative pairsTwo elements are joined as a pair, and the sentence needs both halves.
5 connectors · 3 exercises