Get your writing to flow by trying these words and phrases to link words and connect your ideas. Once you are tuned into these words, you will see them throughout academic writing.
Contrasting ideas |
Comparing ideas |
Sequencing ideas |
| However | Similarly /Similar to | At first/Firstly/First of all/Initially/To begin with |
| Nevertheless | More generally | Following this/Prior to this |
| Although | Likewise | Since |
| Alternatively | Just as Smith(2001) claims…, so too does Jones (2004), who… | Before continuing |
| On the other hand | Equally | Subsequently |
| In contrast to this | In the same way | Finally |
| Whereas | Not only…but also… | Lastly |
| While Smith (2009) claims this,studies by Jones (2008) show that… | By comparison | As a conclusion / In summary/ In conclusion |
| Unlike….,Green (2011) stresses that… | In a similar study… | Simultaneously |
Introducing examples |
Cause & effect |
Adding an idea |
| For instance | As a result | Moreover / Furthermore |
| In particular | Thus | Another reason /example / aspect |
| In this case | Consequently | So |
| Especially significant is | Therefore | Indeed |
| As an example | An effect of this is | In addition / Additionally |
| In order to argue this | Otherwise | Relating to this is… |
| For example | Hence | Equally |
| Specifically | Due to this | In the same way |
| By way of illustration | For this reason | Above all |
| In other words | This suggests that… | As well |
Download these on our helpsheet, University Speak.