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English Conjunctions

Paragraph Linkers

Paragraph Linkers are often referred to as "discourse markers".

Discourse means "pieces of language longer than a sentence" - and a discourse marker is a word or a phrase that shows how sentences are logically combined into larger wholes such as paragraphs and how paragraphs are combined into larger wholes such as essays.

 

Used correctly, discourse markers - or paragraph linkers - will greatly improve the argument and logic of an essay. They will help the reader understand the structure of your argument, they will make your points clearer - and they will make the connecting thread ("den røde tråd") in your essay more easily visible.

The list below is by no means an exhaustive list of discourse markers. It is merely a short list of tools to improve your essay and argument structure.

 

on the other hand	Dickens' text, on the other hand, seems very dark.
while/whereas	While/whereas Dickens uses imagery, Jason Kennedy uses irony.
however	The narrator, however, reads Camus.
nevertheless	Nevertheless, the text ends on a hopeful note.
similarly	Similarly, the Kinks' song deals with a man who has a very repetitive job.
on the contrary	The narrator is not like the other workers. On the contrary, he is an individual.
first of all...secondly...finally	There are several themes in the text. First of all, the text is about...secondly it deals with...and finally it comments upon...
furthermore	He is unsatisfied. Furthermore, he is intelligent.
on the whole	On the whole, the text deals with themes such as...
in general	In general, factory work is described as uninspiring.
apart from	Apart from the narrator, all the workers seem strange.
for instance	He shows his discontent. For instance, he says that "..."
therefore	He is unhappy. Therefore he quits.
in other words	He reads Camus. In other words, he is interested in existentialism.
to sum up	To sum up, the texts all deal with the problems of a mechanised existence.
in short	In short, the theme is man vs. machine.