TRANSITIONS AND CONJUNCTIONS PART 3

TRANSITIONS AND CONJUNCTIONS PART 3

Lessons 21-30

21 as
22 as soon as
23 instead
24 meanwhile
25 besides
26 nevertheless
27 whenever
28 wherever
29 now that
30 provided

Lesson Twenty-One

as

"As" is similar to "while." When used as a conjunction, It indicates that
two things happen at the same time. The word "as" is also used for
comparisons and as a preposition.

examples

1. They talked about their
future together as they sat in
the restaurant and ate their
lunch.

2. This baby started to cry
just as this picture was taken.

3. As he was ice fishing, he
suddenly remembered he had
forgotten to bring his cell
phone.

4. As they were walking
together, Fred's mother told
him about an upcoming
operation she needed on her
knee.

5. A vampire tried to bite the
neck of this young
woman as she was sleeping.

6. As she was lying in the
hammock, she thought about
how her life had changed over
the last ten years.

7. She pointed her finger at
him as she told him how
disappointed she was in his
behavior.

Lesson Twenty-Two

as soon as

"As soon as" is used with time. You can use it in front of a
single word, phrase, or clause. It's similar to the word
"when."

examples

1. She will get a degree in
accounting, and she hopes to
start working as soon as she
graduates.
You can also say...
She wants to start working as
soon as possible.

2. As soon as he left the
meeting, he called his wife.

3. The snowman started to
melt as soon as the sun came
out.

4. Their flight doesn't leave
until 1 p.m., but they'll need to
get to the airport as soon
as 10:30 a.m. because they
need to go through security.

5. Many young women from
her country get married as
soon as they turn 18.

6. As soon as he starts
walking, we'll have to watch
him more closely.

7. He started making money
at his new company as soon
as he was hired.

Lesson Twenty-Three

instead

"Instead" is similar to "or." It describes a substitution
or an alternative situation. "Instead" is often followed
by the preposition "of."

examples

Candy tastes good, but it isn't
good for you to eat too much.

Instead, consider eating fruit
if you want something that's
sweet.

Newspapers aren't as popular
as they used to be.

Instead, many people are
going online for their news.

Instead of entering a career
as a stockbroker, he decided
to become a professional
skateboarder.

He should have gone to
sleep. He stayed awake all
night instead.

Ron was supposed to leave at
5:00; instead, he has to stay
in the office and finish some
paperwork.

Lesson Twenty-Four

meanwhile

The word "meanwhile" is a conjunctive adverb that joins two
clauses together. It's similar to "as" and "while." It's useful
in describing two things happening at the same time.

examples

1. He's cleaning the
house; meanwhile, his wife is
away at work.

2. Kimlan is studying Kimlan
engineering; meanwhile, her
friend Hoang is in the United
States studying English.

Hoang

3. Sue is vacationing in
Hawaii; meanwhile, her
coworkers in Chicago are
hard at work inside their
offices.

4. The beekeeper checks his
hives to see how his bees are
doing; meanwhile, the bees
continue to do their work.

5. A high school band
marches in a
parade; meanwhile, the truck
behind them entertains the
crowd with a flame thrower.

6. Hanging clothes outside to
dry saves me money on
electricity; meanwhile, the
environmental benefits of not
using electricity for such a
simple task should be
obvious.

7. The tomatoes in the front ripe
yard are almost
ripe; meanwhile, the tomatoes tomatoes
in the backyard aren't even
close to being ripe.

unripe

tomatoes

Lesson Twenty-Five

besides

As an adverb, "besides" is similar to "in addition." As a preposition,
it's similar to "in addition to." Don't confuse this word with the
preposition "beside." The meaning for that word is completely
different.

examples

1. She doesn't want to move to San
Francisco because it's too expensive to live
there; besides, she likes living in a cold-
weather state.

2. He doesn't mind being
unemployed right now; besides, it
gives him more time to ride his
skateboard.

* When used as a conjunctive adverb
"besides" often expresses a benefit
in contrast to a negative situation.
The first two sentences demonstrate
this usage.)

3. Besides windsurfing, he likes
swimming and skiing.

(In this sentence "besides" is used as
a preposition.)

4. Besides going to the state fair,
they've been to the zoo and the
beach this summer.

Notice the use of a gerund after
"besides." This is very common.

5. Thomas Jefferson was a great
philosopher and
thinker besides being the third
President of the United States.

6. Besides a headache, she also has
a cold.

7. He likes to dance but not much
else besides that.

Lesson Twenty-Six

nevertheless

This strange-looking conjunctive adverb is similar to
"however," "yet" and "even so." We use "nevertheless" to
present a fact that is in contrast to some other fact.
"Nevertheless" usually goes in front of an independent
clause, but it can also be used at the end of a clause. It's also
frequently used alongside "but."

examples

1. Owning a house can cost a lot of
money; nevertheless, home
ownership is a big part of living the
American dream.

2. Asparagus is an unusual

but, nevertheless, tasty

vegetable. or.....

Asparagus is an unusual vegetable
but tasty, nevertheless.

3. Prehistoric writing and drawings
reveal a simple but, nevertheless,
fascinating view of the world.

4. No one likes to feed parking
meters. Nevertheless, they are a low-
cost alternative to parking garages,
and they help keep city streets free
of abandoned vehicles.

5. Kurtis was told not to go out
fishing before the
storm; nevertheless, the coast
guard came to his assistance when
he called for help.

6. It's important to be cautious
when using a chainsaw. Accidents
and injuries still
happen, nevertheless.

7. Her singing abilities aren't as
good as the others in the choir, but
she enjoys singing nevertheless.

Lesson Twenty-Seven

whenever

The word "whenever" is a subordinating conjuction that
goes before a dependent clause. It's very similar to "when."
We use "whenever" to mean "at any time" or "at the precise
time." You can also use "whenever" as a single word in a
response to a question.

examples

1. Her mother buys ice
cream for
her whenever they go to
the beach.

2. Whenever Barney goes
golfing, he brings his cell
phone out onto the golf
course.

3. People are amazed by
the beauty of the Taj
Mahal whenever they see
it up close.

4. Whenever it's really
cold outside, he wears a
hat, a scarf, boots,
mittens, and a heavy coat.

5. Maria gets very
embarassed whenever she
makes a mistake.

6. Whenever she's
handling bees, she's very
careful not to disturb them
too much.

7. Oxana calls her friends
for help whenever she has
trouble understanding her
English homework.

Lesson Twenty-Eight

wherever

"Wherever" can be used as a conjunction or as an
adverb. It describes a location. It's similar to the word
"anywhere."

examples

1. You can get fresh
bread wherever there's a
bakery.

2. Wherever we went in
Europe, we saw old
buildings.

3. Cockroaches can be
found wherever there's
water, food, and a place
for them to hide.

4. Lions will
go wherever they can in
search of food.

5. You can
live wherever you want to
if you have a recreational
vehicle like this.

6. Wherever you go in the
United States, there are
many interesting places
to visit and things to see.

7. I bring my
cellphone wherever I go.

Lesson Twenty-Nine

now that

"Now that" describes a situation that is true and
allows for the possibility of something else to
happen. It's often used to describe a cause and
effect relationship.

examples

1. Kevin believes he's a
more responsible
person now that he's a
parent.

2. Now that Angie's
English has improved, she
feels more confident at
work.

3. Tim's hands don't hurt
him any more now that he
uses an electric staple gun
at work.

4. Now that I've gained over
20 pounds in the last year,
I've started to eat more fruit
and less ice cream.

5. Hosni doesn't feel as
lonely and depressed now
that he has a dog to keep
him company.

6. Now that gas prices are
rising, people are looking for
less expensive ways to get
around town.

7. Wanda believes she's
more productive now
that she has a laptop
computer.

Lesson Thirty

provided

The word "provided" is very similar to "if." Don't
confuse this with the past tense of the verb
"provide." This is a subordinating conjunction
that presents a condition that must exist for
somthing else to happen. It's not easy to use, but
you will hear "provided" in conversation. You can
use a clause or a phrase after the word
"provided."

examples

1. Provided he gets enough
love and nurturing from his
parents, he'll grow up to be
a successful person.

2. These wind turbines can
produce a lot of
energy provided there's
enough wind.

3. Provided enough air
support from N.A.T.O., the
rebels in Libya might be
able to push back on the
government forces.

4. We're going to make a
big batch of
salsa provided we get a
good crop of tomatoes.

5. Provided adequate
money for research and
development, doctors may
one day find a cure for
cancer.

6. This horse could be a
great
contender provided she
gets enough practice and
training.

7. Provided there's enough
interest and support from
the general public, we may
one day be able to set up a
permanent human colony
on the moon.