Linking words

• Organisation is important in B2 First

(FCE) Writing.
 Linking words
• Subject and Object pronouns

• Subject Object
• I me
• you you
• he him
• she her
• it it
• we us
• theythem
 Linking words
• Students sometimes need to contrast
a positive idea with a negative idea.
 Linking words
• Students sometimes need to contrast
a positive idea with a negative idea.
• One word for doing this is despite.
 Linking words
• Students sometimes need to contrast
a positive idea with a negative idea.
• Despite is followed by a:
• noun
• or
• a gerund (verb+ing)
 Linking words
• Think about these two ideas.
• (+) I arrived at the office punctually.
• (-) I had a small accident.
 Linking words
• We can use despite
• at the start of a sentence
• or
• in the middle of the two ideas
 Linking words
• We can use despite at the start of a
sentence:
• Despite a small accident, I arrived at
the office punctually.
• Despite having a small accident, I
arrived at the office punctually.
 Linking words
• We can use despite in the middle of
the two ideas:
• I arrived at the office punctually
despite a small accident.
• I arrived at the office punctually
despite having a small accident.
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• I arrived at the office punctually
despite having a small accident.
• I arrived punctually
• I had a small accident
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• (+) I like my city.
• (-) The weather is bad.
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• (+) I like my city.
• (-) The weather is bad.
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• I like my city despite the bad
weather.
• Despite the bad weather, I like my
city.
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• (-) The weather is bad.
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• (-) The weather is bad.
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• (-) The weather is bad.
• What’s the verb? What’s the gerund?
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• (-) The weather is bad.
• What’s the verb? What’s the gerund?
• The verb=be / The gerund=being
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• X I like my city despite being bad. X
• X Despite being bad, I like my city. X
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• I like my city despite the weather
being bad. √
• Despite the weather being bad, I like
my city. √
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• (+) Everybody was calm.
• (-) I arrived very late.
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• (+) Everybody was calm.
• (-) I arrived very late.
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• (+) Everybody was calm.
• (-) I arrived very late.
• What’s the noun?
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• (+) Everybody was calm.
• (-) I arrived very late.
• What’s the noun? arrival
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• X Despite very late arrival,
everybody was calm. X
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• Despite my very late arrival,
everybody was calm. √
• Everybody was calm despite my very
late arrival. √
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• (+) Everybody was calm.
• (-) I arrived very late.
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• (+) Everybody was calm.
• (-) I arrived very late.
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• (+) Everybody was calm.
• (-) I arrived very late.
• What’s the gerund form?
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• (+) Everybody was calm.
• (-) I arrived very late.
• What’s the gerund form? arriving
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• X Despite arriving very late,
everybody was calm. X
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• (-) I arrived very late
• Despite arriving very late, everybody
was calm.
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• (-) I arrived very late.
• X Despite I arriving very late,
everybody was calm. X
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two ideas
are different then using despite is a
little more difficult.
• (-) I arrived very late.
• Despite me arriving very late,
everybody was calm. √
• Everybody was calm despite me
arriving very late. √
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• (+) Everybody was calm.
• (-) We arrived very late.
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• Despite our very late arrival,
everybody was calm. √
• Everybody was calm despite our very
late arrival. √
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• X Despite arriving very late,
everybody was calm. X
• X Everybody was calm despite
arriving very late. X
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• X Despite we arriving very late,
everybody was calm. X
• X Everybody was calm despite we
arriving very late. X
 Linking words
• If the people or things in the two
ideas are different then using
despite is a little more difficult.
• Despite us arriving very late,
everybody was calm. √
• Everybody was calm despite us
arriving very late. √
 Linking words
• Good news:
• You can use:
• Despite the fact that + clause
(subject + verb)
 Linking words
• (+) I arrived at the office punctually.
• (-) I had a small accident.
 Linking words
• Despite the fact that I had a small
accident, I arrived at the office
punctually.

• I arrived at the office punctually

despite the fact that I had a small
accident.
 Linking words
• (+) I like my city.
• (-) The weather is bad.
 Linking words
• Despite the fact that the weather is
bad, I like my city.

• I like my city despite the fact that

the weather is bad.
 Linking words
• (+) Everybody was calm.
• (-) I arrived very late.
 Linking words
• Despite the fact that I arrived very
late, everybody was calm.

• Everybody was calm despite the fact

that I arrived very late.
 Linking words
• (+) Everybody was calm.
• (-) We arrived very late.
 Linking words
• Despite the fact that we arrived very
late, everybody was calm.

• Everybody was calm despite the fact

that we arrived very late.
 Linking words
• Try to use despite and despite the
fact that in B2 First (FCE) Writing,
especially in more formal writing
such as the Question 1 essay.