Selecting the Right Joining Words

     Varying the length and structure of your sentences is an important part of making your writing more interesting.  Since this necessarily involves creating complex or compound sentences, it’s important to know which words to use when joining a clause to the main part of the sentence.

     Here is a simple guide to choosing the right joining words for the right occasions.  It isn’t, by any means, all the joining words you can use, but it’s some of the more commonly used joining words and how they are used. 

     First, let’s look at the differences between such cause-and-effect words as and, but, and although.  A simple formula may serve as a shortcut to learning the differences:

1.        + and + (Example: He was wise (positive), and he was diligent (positive)

2.        – and - (Example: He was foolish (negative), and he was lazy (negative).

3.        + but -  (Example: The hare was fast (positive), but he was not persistent (negative).

4.        – but + (Example: The tortoise was slow (negative), but he was persistent (positive).

5.        > although <  (Example: Although he studied very hard (a cause leading you to expect a positive result), he failed the test (an unexpected negative result).)

6.        (Example: Although he could neither read nor write (a cause leading you to expect a negative result), he was an eloquent speaker (an unexpected positive result).)

7.        >because>, >through>, >as a result of>  (Examples: He did well on the test (positive result) because he consistently studies (a cause leading you to expect a positive result).  Through careful and patient study, he succeeded in learning the material and passing the test.  As a result of his good study habits, he passed the test.) 

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 Now let’s look at a few joining words related to time.

1.      After (A later than B, or B later than A)  Examples: After he went to the zoo (A), he wrote an article about it (B).  He wrote an article about the zoo (B) after he had visited it (A).

2.      Before (the reverse of #1)  Example: Before he could write the article (B) he had to visit the place and gather facts about it (A).

3.      When (A and B about the same time) (usually a shorter period of time than #4) (Example: When the train arrived, I climbed aboard.)

4.      As (A and B at the same time) (always a short time) (Example: As the firecracker exploded, the cat started in fright.)

5.      While (A and B at the same time) (usually a longer period of time than #3) (Example: While George was playing computer games, Nancy was checking her email.)