¿Para qué sirven?
Los conectores son las palabras que unen ideas: contraste, causa, resultado, ejemplo, orden. Usarlos bien es lo que separa un texto de nivel CLB 5 de uno de CLB 7. En CELPIP Writing y en las lecturas académicas los ves en todas partes.
Truco de nivel: en tu Writing Task 1 y 2, incluye al menos 4 conectores distintos. Sube tu nota sin que tengas que escribir más difícil.
Contraste (cuando dos ideas se oponen)
| Conector | Cómo se usa | Ejemplo |
|---|
but | Informal, conecta dos frases | I studied hard, but I failed. |
however | Formal, al inicio con coma | I studied hard. However, I failed. |
although / even though | + oración completa (sujeto + verbo) | Although she was tired, she kept working. |
despite / in spite of | + sustantivo o gerundio | Despite the rain, we went out. / Despite being tired, she kept working. |
whereas / while | Compara dos cosas distintas | He likes tea, whereas she prefers coffee. |
nevertheless | Muy formal, "sin embargo" | The plan was risky. Nevertheless, we tried. |
✗ Despite she was tired, she kept working.
Despite va con sustantivo/gerundio, no con oración. Correcto: Although she was tired, o Despite being tired.
Causa (por qué pasa algo)
because | + oración completa | I was late because the traffic was heavy. |
because of / due to | + sustantivo | I was late because of the traffic. |
since / as | Formal, sinónimos de because | Since the report is due, we should hurry. |
✗ I was late because of it rained.
Because of va con sustantivo. Correcto: because of the rain o because it rained.
Resultado (lo que sigue de una causa)
so | Informal | It was raining, so we stayed home. |
therefore | Formal, al inicio con coma | The results were positive. Therefore, we will continue the study. |
as a result | Formal | Sales dropped. As a result, some staff were laid off. |
consequently | Muy formal, académico | Prices rose. Consequently, demand fell. |
Adición (agregar otra idea)
and | Informal, conecta dos frases | She sings and plays guitar. |
also | Dentro de la frase | She sings. She also plays guitar. |
in addition / moreover | Formal, al inicio con coma | The plan is cheap. In addition, it's fast. |
furthermore | Muy formal, académico | The evidence is strong. Furthermore, it's consistent with past studies. |
Condición y propósito
if | Condición | If it rains, we'll stay. |
unless | "a menos que" (= if not) | I won't go unless you come with me. |
provided that | Condición formal (siempre y cuando) | You can borrow it provided that you return it Friday. |
in order to / so that | Propósito | I work hard in order to save money. |
Ejemplos y aclaración
for example / for instance | Introduce un ejemplo | Many fruits are healthy. For example, apples and berries. |
such as | Introduce ejemplos dentro de la oración | Fruits such as apples are healthy. |
in other words | Reformula, aclara | He is bilingual — in other words, he speaks two languages. |
Regla de puntuación (importante para writing)
Los conectores formales (however, therefore, moreover, furthermore, consequently, in addition, nevertheless) van al INICIO de una oración nueva, con coma después. NO conectan dos frases con una coma sola.
✓ I was tired. However, I finished the report.
✓ I was tired; however, I finished the report.
✗ I was tired, however I finished the report.
Solo una coma no basta con however. Necesitas punto o punto y coma.