Neutral
Opens the sentence with a comma, or sits mid-sentence between commas.
Linking language · Examples
Examples connectors in English
These connectors tell the reader that what comes next is one case of the claim you just made. Use an example connector when you move from a general claim to a specific case. In Task 2 the example does not have to be real — a plausible, concrete situation is enough, and inventing statistics costs more than it gains.
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
Sustained investment in cycling infrastructure changes how a city moves.
For example
Second sentence
Amsterdam now handles a large share of daily trips by bicycle after three decades of dedicated lanes.
The first sentence is a general claim. The second is one case of it. The order matters: claim first, case second. Reversed, the reader gets a fact about Amsterdam with no argument attached to it.
When you need it
Use an example connector when you move from a general claim to a specific case. In Task 2 the example does not have to be real — a plausible, concrete situation is enough, and inventing statistics costs more than it gains.
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: Some subjects reward early specialisation far more than others.
Three sentences could follow. Only one of them what comes next is one case of the claim you just made. 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.
Neutral
Identical in use to “for example”. Alternate between the two rather than repeating one.
Neutral
Sits inside the sentence and is followed by a noun: “countries such as Finland”. It never opens a sentence.
Formal
Narrows to the most important case rather than listing any case.
Formal
Opens the sentence and promises that the example is decisive, so only use it when it is.
Formal
Opens the sentence with a comma. Useful when the example needs a full sentence to land.
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 · For instance
Sustained investment in cycling infrastructure changes how a city moves.
For instance, Amsterdam now handles a large share of daily urban trips by bicycle after three decades of dedicated lanes and secure storage.
Why this one: The general claim comes first, the specific case second. Reversing them leaves the reader with a fact and no argument attached to it.
Worked example · such as
Inside the sentence, not opening it.
such as, Countries such as Finland and South Korea have restructured teacher training over the past twenty years.
Why this one: “Such as” attaches to the noun it exemplifies. Writing “Such as Finland, the country restructured…” is a sentence fragment.
What goes wrong
The two mistakes this family produces
Such as, Japan has an ageing population.
“Such as” is not a sentence opener; it needs a noun in front of it to exemplify.
Repaired: Countries with ageing populations, such as Japan, face rising pension costs.
For example, a study by researchers proved that 87% of people agree.
An unnamed study and an invented figure add a second problem on top of the first. Task 2 rewards your reasoning, not fabricated evidence.
Repaired: For example, a commuter who saves an hour a day gains an entire working week over a month.
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.
Sustained investment in cycling infrastructure can transform how a city moves. _______, Amsterdam now handles a large share of all daily urban trips by bicycle following three decades of dedicated investment in cycle lanes.
Some subjects reward early specialisation more than others. _______, a violinist or a gymnast who begins at fifteen has already lost the years that decide the outcome.
Several countries have restructured teacher training in the last two decades, _______ Finland and South Korea, both of which now recruit from the top of the graduate pool.
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 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