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How to Use Contrast and Concession Linkers _ EnglishClub.com
How to Use Contrast and Concession Linkers _ EnglishClub.com
com/search)
Alex Case
Reviewing connectors of contrast and concession, with important differences between: however,
but, although, though, even though, while, whereas, in spite of, in contrast, on the other hand, on
the contrary
Expressions connecting contrasting points like “However” and “Though” are vital for looking at both
sides of an argument, politely disagreeing, etc. However, they can be difficult to use correctly,
especially due to the differences between them. This article reviews and contrasts the most common
such linking words and phrases.
“However” vs “but”
“However” and “but” are the most general contrasting connectors, and so can be used to replace of a
of the linking expressions below. Their main difference is that “However” links two sentences (as in
“His garden is beautiful. However, his house is a mess/ His house, however, is a mess/ His house is a
mess, however”), so “However” often starts with a capital letter. In contrast, starting sentences with
“But” is informal and often considered wrong. Instead, “but” links two ideas in one sentence (often
after a comma, as in “There are three students, but only two chairs”).
“Although” vs “but”
The most obvious difference between “Although” and “but” is that “Although” can be used at the
beginning of the sentence contrasting the two things, as in “Although we wanted to go somewhere
hot, we could only afford a weekend in Brighton” to mean “We wanted to go somewhere hot, but we
could only afford a weekend in Brighton”.
Another difference is that “Although” only links things which are logically connected (making it a
connector of concession rather than contrast). For example, you can say “My friends are all tall, but I
am short” but you can’t say “Although my friends are all tall, I am short” X. In contrast, “Although my
parents are both tall, I am short” might be okay, because there is a connection between heights of
family members.
“Although” vs “Though”
“Though” can be used in every example with “Although” above. In addition, it can be used to link two
sentences and/ or at the end of a sentence, as in “I didn’t mean to hurt him. I couldn’t help it, though”.
Related pages
How to use although, though and even though