Linking Words and Phrases – List & Examples

Are you an English learner looking to improve your language skills? Or maybe you’re an IELTS student aiming for a top band score?

In this detailed guide, we delve into the world of linking words and show you how they can improve your language skills and IELTS performance.

Linking words and phrases are the glue that holds a piece of writing together. They make your sentences flow seamlessly and guide the reader through your ideas. So it is very important that you use them in your essays and reports.

In IELTS, effective use of linking words can significantly improve your Task Achievement and Coherence and Cohesion scores.

Linking Words and Phrases List

Linking Words – Result

Linking Words – Emphasis

Linking Words for Addition and Reason

Addition	Reason
Additionally/an additional	Because of
Along with	For the purpose of
Also	Given that
And	Granted that
Apart from this	In fact
As well as	In order to
As well as that	In view of
Besides	Owing to
Coupled with	Provided that
Finally	Seeing that
First	So that
Further	With this in mind
Furthermore	With this intention
In addition	With this purpose
In addition to this
In the same fashion
Last
Moreover
Not only…but also
Not to mention
Second
Similarly
Third
Together with
Too

Linking Words for Illustration and Contrast

Illustration	Contrast
As an example of	Alternatively
For example/ For instance	As opposed to
For one thing	Contrarily
Illustrated by	Contrary to
In another case	Conversely
In the case of	Despite/in spite of
In this case	Differing from
In this situation	Even so
Including	However
Like	In contrast (to)
Namely	In opposition
On this occasion	Instead
Proof of this	Nevertheless
Specifically	Nonetheless
Such as	Nor
To clarify	Notwithstanding
To demonstrate	On the other hand
To simplify	Rathe

Linking Words for Comparison and Order

Comparison	Order
Alike	First/ firstly
As with	Second/ secondly
Both	Third/ thirdly
By the same token	Finally
Compare / compare(d) to (with)	At this time
Correspondingly	Following
Either	Previously
Equal	Before
Equally	Subsequently
In a similar manner
In common
In like manner
In the same way
In the spitting image of
Just as
Just as…so too
Just like
Likewise
Most important
Resembles
Same as
Similar to
Similarly
Still another

Linking Words for Summary and Condition

Summary	Condition
All things considered	Although this may be true
Altogether	As
As demonstrated above	Because of
As noted	Even if
As shown above	Given that
As you can see	Granted that
Briefly	If
By and large	In that case
Generally speaking	In the event that
Given these points	Lest
In a word	On the condition that
In any event	Only if
In brief	Since
In conclusion	Then
In essence	Unless
In short	When
In summary	Whenever
In the end	While
In the final analysis

Linking Words for Concession and Generalisation

Concession	Generalisation
Admittedly	As a rule
Albeit	Broadly speaking
All the same	Commonly
Although	For the most part
Although/Even though	Generally speaking
And still	In general/ Generally
And yet	In most cases
Be that as it may	Mainly
Even if	More often than not
Even so	Mostly
Even though	Normally
However	Often
In spite of	On the whole
Nevertheless	Overall
Nonetheless	Predominately
Regardless of this	Regularly
Up to a point	Typically

Linking Words for Restatement and Reference

Restatement	Reference
Alternatively	As applied to
Alternatively stated	As far as
Expressed simply	Concerning
In a nutshell	Considering
In other words	In connection to
In short	In terms
In simple language	Pertaining to
In simple terms	Regarding
In summation	Some examples of these might be:
Namely	Speaking about/of
Otherwise stated	The fact that
Put differently	With regards to
Put in another way	With respect to
Reiterated
Said differently
Simplified
Simply put
That is to say
To put it differently

Linking Words for Clarification & Space/ Location

Clarification	Space/ Location
I mean	Across
In explanation	Adjacent
In lay terms	Around
In other words	At the rear
In simple terms	Below
Simply put	Beneath
Simply stated	Near
That is to say	Nearby
To break it down	Next to
To clearly define	On bottom
To explain	On top
To make plain	Opposite
To put it clearly	Over
To put it in another way	Surrounding
To simplify	To the left

Linking Words and Phrases List and Examples

Linking Words and Phrases	Examples
Addition	– Moreover, the research findings indicated a significant improvement in patient outcomes.
– In addition, we need to consider the economic implications of this policy.
– Furthermore, the company plans to expand its market presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
Contrast	– However, despite the challenges, we remain committed to our mission.
– On the other hand, some argue that social media has detrimental effects on mental health.
– In contrast, the previous year’s sales figures were considerably higher.
Result/Consequence	– As a result, the company faced severe financial losses and had to lay off employees.
– Consequently, traffic congestion in the city increased due to the road construction.
– Therefore, we recommend a change in the current pricing strategy to boost sales.
Time	– Firstly, we will discuss the historical context of the topic.
– Subsequently, we can examine the implications of these changes on the environment.
– Next, let’s explore the practical applications of this scientific discovery.
Illustration/Example	– For instance, consider the case of a student who excelled academically while working part-time.
– In particular, this is evident in the case of the endangered species we’re trying to protect.
– Namely, the core issues revolve around environmental sustainability and social equity.
Comparison	– Likewise, this concept applies to the digital marketing landscape.
– Similarly, the two theories have commonalities, but they also have key differences.
– In the same way, our results mirror those of previous studies in the field.
Emphasis	– Indeed, this is a critical issue that requires immediate attention.
– Certainly, we must address this problem to prevent further environmental degradation.
– Above all, we should prioritize the safety and well-being of our employees.