Formal
Opens the sentence with a comma. The two cases must be genuinely parallel, or the sentence overclaims.
Linking language · Comparison
Comparison connectors in English
These connectors tell the reader that the next case behaves like the one before it. Use comparison when two different situations follow the same pattern. It is not the same as addition: addition piles up points, comparison claims that a pattern repeats — which is a stronger and more falsifiable claim.
5 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
Nordic countries reached the top of international rankings by investing in teacher training.
Similarly
Second sentence
South Korea and Singapore did the same and got the same result.
Two different places, the same mechanism, the same outcome. That repetition is the argument: it suggests the result came from the policy and not from local luck. Addition would just list them; comparison claims the pattern.
When you need it
Use comparison when two different situations follow the same pattern. It is not the same as addition: addition piles up points, comparison claims that a pattern repeats — which is a stronger and more falsifiable claim.
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: A city that removes cars from its centre recovers space for people on foot.
Three sentences could follow. Only one of them the next case behaves like 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
Opens the sentence. Interchangeable with “similarly”; slightly more compact.
Neutral
Opens the sentence. Useful when the shared mechanism, not just the outcome, is the point.
Formal
Opens the sentence. Signals a measured difference of degree, so it sits between comparison and contrast.
Formal
Splits across the sentence: “Just as cities need parks, so towns need public squares.” Formal and emphatic.
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 · Similarly
Nordic countries reached the top of international rankings through sustained investment in teacher training.
Similarly, East Asian systems such as South Korea and Singapore have prioritised educator quality and curriculum design.
Why this one: Two different regions, the same mechanism. That parallel is the argument: it suggests the result comes from the policy, not from local circumstances.
Worked example · Just as … so
Same pattern, one sentence.
Just as … so, Just as a city needs green space, so a school day needs unstructured time.
Why this one: The construction states the pattern once and applies it twice. It is emphatic, so use it for the point you most want remembered.
What goes wrong
The two mistakes this family produces
Free tuition widens access. Similarly, it costs the state a great deal.
The two facts are not parallel — one is a benefit, the other a cost. This is a contrast wearing a comparison connector.
Repaired: Free tuition widens access. It does, however, cost the state a great deal.
Similarly to Finland, the country invested in teacher training.
“Similarly” does not take an object. The phrase that does is “like” or “as in”.
Repaired: As in Finland, the country invested in teacher training.
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.
The Nordic countries have consistently achieved high scores on global education rankings through sustained investment in teacher training. _______, East Asian nations such as South Korea and Singapore have reached the top of international tables by prioritising educator quality and curriculum design.
A city that removes cars from its centre recovers space for people on foot. _______, a school that protects unstructured time recovers attention for learning.
Rural clinics in the study reported a fifth of the region’s consultations. _______, the two urban hospitals handled more than half.
The other families
Six more relationships to learn
Addition
The next idea goes the same way as the one before it.
6 connectors · 3 exercisesContrastThe 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 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