Following last week's lesson, we continue with conjuncts, classifying them by their grammatical roles.

E. Inferential
You haven't answered my question; in other words, you disapprove of the proposal.
(in that case, so, then, otherwise, else)

F. Contrastive
Replacive--She's asked some of her friends--some of her husband's friends, rather.
(better, more accurately, in other words)

Antithetic--They had expected to enjoy being in Manila but instead they both fell ill.
(on the contrary, by contrast, on the other hand, then)

Concessive--My age is against me; still, it's worth a try.
(however, nonetheless, yet, all the same, of course, that said, only, though)

G. Transitional
Discoursal--Let me introduce you to my sister, and by the way, did I tell you that I'm moving?
(incidentally, now)

Temporal--The ambulance got stuck in rush-hour traffic and in the meantime the child became delirious. (meanwhile, originally, subsequently, eventually)

Try these. More than one answer is possible.

1. Last month I ________ thought he was wrong. __________ I agree with him.
originally
Meanwhile, subsequently

2. He asked no questions. ____ was he asleep, or ______ not interested?
So, then, in that case
otherwise, else, just

3. He heated the sample above its glass transition. ___________, to 100 degrees Centigrade.
More accurately, better, in other words, rather

4. I'm giving a talk in Germany next month. __________, I'll be there during a special festival.
Incidentally, by the way, now

5. I expected to have a lot of interest in my talk. ________, no one came.
On the contrary, but instead

6. We disagree with the other group's interpretation. _________, their experimental results are impressive.
Still, however, nonetheless, yet, all the same, of course, that said, only, though

The book "A Student's Grammar of the English Language," by Greenbaum and Quirk, Addison Wesley Longman Limited, 1990, was very useful to this lesson.

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Created November 1, 1998, by Nancy Burnham and Fred Hutson.