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However and Nevertheless: To Express A Contrast: So / in Spite of This She Remains in Good Spirits

This document discusses various transition words and phrases that can be used when writing essays or making contrasting points. It focuses on the words "however" and "nevertheless" which are used to indicate a contrast between two ideas. It notes that "however" is less formal than "nevertheless". It also discusses using words like "moreover", "furthermore", and "in addition" to add supporting information, rather than introduce a contrast. Finally, it recommends concluding an essay by using phrases like "in conclusion" or "to conclude".

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35 views

However and Nevertheless: To Express A Contrast: So / in Spite of This She Remains in Good Spirits

This document discusses various transition words and phrases that can be used when writing essays or making contrasting points. It focuses on the words "however" and "nevertheless" which are used to indicate a contrast between two ideas. It notes that "however" is less formal than "nevertheless". It also discusses using words like "moreover", "furthermore", and "in addition" to add supporting information, rather than introduce a contrast. Finally, it recommends concluding an essay by using phrases like "in conclusion" or "to conclude".

Uploaded by

alessandro
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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However and nevertheless: to express a contrast

We can use either of the adverbs however or nevertheless to indicate


that the second point we wish to make contrasts with the first point. The
difference is one of formality: nevertheless is bit more formal and
emphatic than however. Consider the following:

 I can understand everything you say about wanting to share a flat


with Martha. However, I am totally against it.

 Rufus had been living in the village of Edmonton for over a


decade. Nevertheless, the villagers still considered him to be an
outsider.

Note that however and nevertheless are normally placed in


initial position in a sentence when contrasting two ideas. They
can, however, also come in mid position or end position:

 There will be no more pay increases this year. That is for


sure. We have, however, agreed to carry out a full
review of pay and conditions. We have
agreed, nevertheless, to carry out a full review of pay
and conditions.

 He's still able to get around quite well.


His whole life has been plagued by illness, however.
His whole life has been plagued by illness, nevertheless

Less formal equivalents of however and nevertheless would


be even so, in spite of this, yet or yet..still. These
alternatives would be better suited to spoken English discourse:

 She's really quite ill and has been for some time. Even
so / In spite of this she remains in good spirits.

 He has over a million pounds in his bank


account. Yet he still gets up at six every morning to go
to work.
however and nevertheless: for counter-argument

If you need to write essays, it is also useful to use however,


nevertheless, nonetheless or even so to introduce the final
part of a three-part structure:

* in the first part you might outline an argument, introducing it


perhaps with it is often said;

* in the second part you might indicate that there is supporting


evidence using it is true or certainly to introduce these
ideas;

* in the third part introduce the counter-argument


with howeveror one of the other discourse markers listed
above.

 It is said that water pollution is one of the greatest evils


in this country.

 It is true that more and more factories are being built


along this stretch of the river and that a certain amount
of waste will inevitably be discharged into the river.

 However, in all the discussions that I have had with


these firms' representatives, I have not found one who
does not have a responsible attitude to environmental
protection.

moreover: for adding

I often find when marking essays that moreover is used as an


alternative to however. But be careful here. It does not have
the same meaning. Moreover is the very formal equivalent
of futhermore or in addition which would be the least formal
of these three. These adverbs should be used to support or to
add information to what has already been said:

 The refugees are desperately short of food. They have


very little shelter to protect them from the winter winds
that are now blowing. Furthermore, they are
desperately in need of medical supplies.

 She had noticed that there was a man sitting in the


second row of the stalls to her right who was observing
her, rather than watching the play. Moreover, he
seemed to be smiling at her as if he recognised her.

in conclusion

Finally, remember that if you are writing essays, it is useful to


introduce the final paragraph with one of these expressions: to
conclude, in conclusion, to sum up:

In conclusion, it is clear that pollution will continue to plague


our planet for the foreseeable future. However, if individuals
and governments act responsibly, there may come a day in the
not too distant future when a more optimistic outlook is
justified.

If you would like more practice more please visit our Message
Board in the You, Me and Us part of our website.

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