B'Siatta D'Shmaya

‫תשפ''א‬

Module G Opinion Writi

A PRACTICAL gUIDE
Goldie Yodelwich

HAREDI DISTRICT

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Table of Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……2
Pre-writing Process……………………………………………………………………..……………………………3
 Understanding the
topic…………………………………………………………………………………..3
 Planning….……………………………………………………………………………………………………….3
 Brainstorming………………………………………………………………………………………………….4
 Structuring the composition…………………………………………………………………………….5
 Gathering vocabulary…………………………………………………………….…………………………6
Writing a Draft………………………………………………………………………………………………………….8
 Writing the main paragraphs……………………………………………………………………………8
 Writing an introduction………………………………………………………………………………….10
 Writing a
conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….11
 Connecting…………………………………………………………………………………………………….12
Reviewing and Upgrading………………………………………………………………………….……………
14
 Content and
organization…………………………………………………………………………….14
 Vocabulary………………………………………………….……………………………………………….15
 Language………………………………………………….………………………………………………….17
 Mechanics……………………………………………………………………………………………………20
Writing the Final
Version………………………………………………………………………………………..21
Appendix: connectors…………………………………………………………………………………………….22
Answer Key…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….27

Before we actually start, I'd like to give credit to those who inspired this project:
Throughout this guide you will find tips and information taken from the Ladders
Handbook.
Aharona Gvarhyahu made invaluable suggestions which are implemented throughout this
guide.

Chani Steiner of the Haredi District gave her time and attention to proofread and upgrade
the material for us.

To all of you –

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B'Siatta D'Shmaya

Thank you!

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Introduction
Welcome to our guide, which will help you prepare for the Module G writing task.

In this task you will write a composition with a beginning, two or three paragraphs in the
middle, and an end, about a specific topic. You will write what your opinion is regarding that
topic, and why you think so.

Examples of topics:
1. Which do you think is preferable: a higher-paying job with long working hours, or a
lower-paying job with shorter hours? Write a composition stating and explaining
your opinion. You may relate to your own experience and / or that of others.
2. Can we trust our first impression of a person? Why or why not?
3. Which profession(s) do you think should get the highest pay? Choose one or two
professions and write a passage explaining your choice.
4. Do you think friends should always share everything with each other?
5. From what age should children be allowed to have their own cellphone?
6. If you could choose whether to attend high school or to study from home, which
would you prefer and why?
7. Some people believe students should be involved in preparing school activities. Do
you agree?
8. Your school newspaper has asked its readers what they think the municipality
should spend more money on. Write a passage for the newspaper stating your
opinion. Give one or two specific examples of where more money should be
invested, and explain why.
9. What job do you hope to get in the future? Write a composition explaining why you
want this job and/or why you would be good at it.
10. What is the most useful thing you've ever learned?
11. Choose a person, a group of people, or an organization you admire, and explain why
you admire them.
12. You are a member of a volunteer organization in your town. Write a formal letter to
the mayor asking for support. Explain why the organization is important to the town
and what kind of support it needs.
13. Your school newspaper has asked readers to write about good or bad advice they
were given. Choose a piece of advice and write a passage for the newspaper
describing the situation in which it was given, and how it helped you, or why it didn't
help you.

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Pre-writing Process
Understand the Topic
In order to write a good composition, we must make sure we write about the required topic.
Therefore, we must make sure we understand every word of the question, and what we are
asked to write.

Practice:
Read the examples of writing topics above,
and make sure you understand the
question and know what you are asked to
write.

For example:

Can we trust our first impression of a

person? Why or why not?

The question:

Is our first impression of people reliable?

We have to write:
Plan
Our time
Taking opinion, and
to plan thecomposition
your reasons for our important. It saves time and you will have
is very
opinion.
better results.

• It helps you calm down.

• It helps you keep track of the time.

• It helps you prepare all the elements you want to include.

• It helps you stay focused.

• It helps you organize your writing.

• It helps you enrich your composition.

Part of the planning is paying attention to the time. You should devote about 45 minutes to
your writing task. Plan ahead how much time you should put into every stage.

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Brainstorm
Write everything you can think about the topic.

For example:

Which profession(s) do you think should get the highest pay? Choose one or two professions
and write a passage explaining your choice.

Doctors

Professions - which
Teachers
should get the highest Babysitters
pay.
Add possible answers:

Choose your focus

Choose one or two options that you are going to focus on in your composition. Write
arguments which explain your choice. Each argument is going to take a whole paragraph, so
make sure you choose carefully. Choose arguments you can easily explain and support.

Practice:
Brainstorm and choose your focus for
the following topic:

 Which profession(s) do you

think should get the highest
pay?

For example:

My opinion: babysitters
Practice:
My arguments:
Brainstorm and
 Babysitters work very hard and choose your focus
deserve high payment. for the following
 High payment will attract the topics:
best people for this important
job. • Can we
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trust our
first
B'Siatta D'Shmaya

Structure the Composition

Decide what you are going to write in each of your paragraphs.

first Introduction - present the topic you are going to write about. If you are
paragraph required to present an opinion, make sure it is VERY clear.

Supporting paragraph - give explanations, descriptions, arguments, and

examples that relate to your topic.

2/3 Supporting paragraph - give explanations, descriptions, arguments, and

paragraphs examples that relate to your topic.

Supporting paragraph - give explanations, descriptions, arguments, and

examples that relate to your topic.

last Conclusion - conclude by restating the introduction in different words,

paragraph summarize your composition or present a solution.

For example:

Which profession(s) do you think should get the highest pay?

Introduction I think babysitters should get the highest pay.

Babysitters work very hard and deserve high payment.

supporting
paragraphs High payment will attract the best people for this important job.

In order to have good, hardworking babysitters, the babysitters' pay

Conclusion
should be the highest pay.

Practice:
Structure a composition for the following
topic:

• Which profession(s) do you think

should get the highest pay?

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Gather Vocabulary
Gather a rich and varied vocabulary of words which you can use in your composition.

Gather associations – words and phrases that come up in your mind when you think about
the topic.

For example:

Which profession(s) do you think should get the highest pay? - Babysitters

Associations:

dedication, care, long hours, hard work, babies, crying, teething, diapers, play, arts and
crafts, food, feed, etc.

Gather adjectives – words which describe the topic.

For example:

Which profession(s) do you think should get the highest pay? - Babysitters

Adjectives:

hardworking, dedicated, patient, caring, nutritious, nurturing, curious, playful, calm,

naughty, etc.

Practice:
Gather vocabulary for the
following topic:

 Which
profession(s) do
you think should
get the highest
pay?
Your answer:
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_____________________
_____________________
B'Siatta D'Shmaya

Practice:
For each of the following topics:

 read closely
 brainstorm ideas
 choose and prepare arguments
 structure a composition
 gather vocabulary

The topics:
 Your school newspaper has asked its readers what
they think the government should spend more
money on. Write a passage for the magazine stating
your opinion. Give one or two specific examples of
where more money should be invested, and explain
why.
 What job do you hope to get in the future? Write a
composition explaining why you want this job
and/or why you would be good at it.
 Which is more important for success in life: a
person's natural abilities or hard work?

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Writing a Draft
Finally, after we finished planning what to write, it is time to start writing!

We start with writing the main paragraphs.

Write Main Paragraphs

The main paragraphs are the supporting paragraphs. They give explanations, descriptions,
arguments, and examples that relate to your topic. Each of the supporting paragraphs
focuses on one argument, explains it and gives relevant examples.

For example:

Which profession(s) do you think should get the highest pay?

Introduction I think babysitters should get the highest pay.

Babysitters work very hard and deserve high payment.

supporting
paragraphs High payment will attract the best people for this important job.

In order to have good, hardworking babysitters, the babysitters' pay

Conclusion
should be the highest pay.

One supporting paragraph:

The babysitter's work is very demanding. She must feed, change diapers and play
with the precious babies for many hours. Sometimes the babies are unhappy or naughty,
and the babysitter has to remain patient and calm. In order to do the job well, she has to be
creative with arts-and-crafts, and know how to prepare nutritious food. For such hard work,
I believe a babysitter deserves the highest payment.

We can see the paragraph is structured:

Topic sentence - The babysitter's work is very demanding.

Supporting sentences - She must feed, change diapers and play with the precious babies
for many hours. Sometimes the babies are unhappy or naughty, and the babysitter has to
remain patient and calm. In order to do the job well, she has to be creative with arts-and-
crafts, and know how to prepare nutritious food.

Conclusion - For such hard work, I believe a babysitter deserves the highest
payment.

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Structure of a paragraph:

Topic sentence - Introduces the main idea of the paragraph. This sentence is
usually written at the beginning.

Supporting sentences - Add supporting details, examples and explanations to the main
idea.

Conclusion – A sentence which summarizes the composition. Not always necessary.

Practice:
Write two supporting paragraphs for the following topic:

Which profession(s) do you think should get the highest pay?

Your opinion: _________________________________________________________

Argument 1: __________________________________________________________

Main paragraph 1 (Copy the parts into one organized paragraph):

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
________________________

Main paragraph 2 (Remember to include all of the parts in an organized way):

_______________________________________________________________________________

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Practice:
Write two supporting
paragraphs for the following
topics:

1. Some people believe

students should be
involved in preparing
school activities. Do
you agree?
Write2. anWhat
Introduction
is the most useful Tip:
thing you've ever
Tell them what you're going to tell them.
learned? Try opening with a question, a statement or a
The Introduction: quote. Such as:
3. You are a member of a
volunteer organization
 Presents the topic.  Have you ever heard of…?
in your town. Write a  Many people \ times …
 States the writer's opinion.
formal letter to the
mayor asking
 Invites for reading.
to continue
support. Explain why
For Example:
the organization is
Which profession(s)
important doto you
the think
town should get the highest pay?
and what kind of
My opinion:
support it needs.
babysitters

Possible introduction:

Many people think that professions which require many years of study should get
the highest pay. But I think that we have to evaluate professions based on their importance
to society and the personality traits needed to perform the job well. According to these
criteria, the babysitter's job should get the highest pay.

Practice
Write an introduction for
compositions about the
following topics:

 Which profession(s) do
you think should get the
highest pay?
 Can we trust our first
impression of a person?
Why or why not?
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 Some people believe
students should be
involved in organizing
B'Siatta D'Shmaya

Write a conclusion
Tell them what you've told them.

The conclusion may:

 Restate the introduction.

 Summarize the composition.

 Present a solution.

 End neatly.

For example:

Which profession(s) do you think should get the highest pay?

My opinion:

babysitters

Supporting arguments:

Babysitters work very hard and deserve high payment.

High payment will attract the best people for this important job.

Possible conclusion:

To sum up, I think parents and governments must take into consideration the high
demands made on babysitters. They should offer babysitters the highest payment they can
in order to attract dedicated, hardworking people to this responsible profession.

Practice
Write a conclusion for
compositions about the
following topics:

 Which profession(s) do
you think should get the
highest pay?
 Can we trust our first
impression of a person?
Why or why not?
 Some people believe
students should be
involved in organizing
school activities. Do you
agree?
 Many people think that
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all types of work are
suitable for an orthodox
B'Siatta D'Shmaya

Connect it all:
Use connectors to show the flow of your ideas. (see appendix)

Connectors are used to show the connections between sentences in paragraphs and
between paragraphs.

For example – we connect the introduction, body and conclusion to a composition about:
Which professions do you think should get the highest pay?

Many people think that professions which require many years of study should get
the highest pay. But I think that we have to evaluate professions with based on their
importance to society, and the personality traits needed to perform the job well.
According to these criteria, the babysitter's job should get the highest pay.

The babysitter's work is very demanding. She must feed, change diapers and play
with the precious babies for many hours. Sometimes the babies are unhappy or naughty,
and the babysitter has to remain patient and calm. In order to do the job well, she has to
be creative with arts-and-crafts, and know how to prepare nutritious food. For such hard
work, I believe a babysitter deserves the highest payment.

To sum up, I think parents and governments must take into consideration the
high demands made on babysitters. They should offer babysitters the highest payment
they can in order to attract dedicated, hardworking people to this responsible profession.

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Practice:
All of the connectors have been removed from the following text and put in
the word bank. Put each one in its appropriate place:

Most of us don't have any memories from the first three to four years
of our lives — ____________, we tend to remember very little of our life
before the age of seven. ___________ the early memories we think we have
may not be the real thing, __________ merely recollections we formed much
later based on photos and on stories we've heard over the years.
____________ the absence of early memories has been documented for over
a century, scientists are still trying to gain an understanding of it.

____________ adults don't generally recall events that happened

during their earliest years, research has shown that very young babies are
capable of forming simple memories. In a recent experiment,
__________________, six-month-old babies discovered that they could make
a toy train run by pressing a lever. When given the train again three weeks
later, they immediately pressed the lever — a clear indication that they
remembered what to do. _________________, when the same experiment
was done with a group of two-year-olds, they could recall the action for more
than a month. All these early memories, _____________, fade after a few
months at most, ______ it is only years later that children begin having
memories they can reliably recall.

Word Bank:

but, while, even, for example, however, and, in fact, furthermore, although

Practice
Write a complete draft for
compositions about the
following topics:

 Which profession(s) do
you think should get the
highest pay?
 Can we trust our first
impression of a person?
Why or why not?
 Some people believe
students should be
involved in organizing
school activities. Do you
agree?
 Many people think that
all types of work are
15 suitable for an orthodox
Jewish woman. Do you
agree?
B'Siatta D'Shmaya

Reviewing and Upgrading

Reviewing and Upgrading Content and Organization
Read your composition and make sure you meet all the necessary criteria; upgrade
whenever it's necessary.

The composition is:

 fully on topic
 fully developed (main idea and supporting details)
 all elements of task are addressed
 information is relevant
 content is understood
 task is well organized and coherent

Practice
Review and upgrade the content
and organization of the drafts you
wrote about the following topics:

 Which profession(s) do
you think should get the
highest pay?
 Can we trust our first
impression of a person?
Why or why not?
 Some people believe
students should be
involved in organizing
school activities. Do you
agree?
 Many people think that all
types of work are suitable
for an orthodox Jewish
woman. Do you agree?

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Reviewing and Upgrading Vocabulary

Read your composition and make sure you meet all the necessary criteria; upgrade
whenever it's necessary:

 correct use of varied and rich vocabulary

 appropriate use of language chunks and phrases
 correct use of connecting words or phrases
 use of appropriate register

How do we upgrade vocabulary?

A. Use band 3 words

For example:

 old – ancient
 helpful – beneficial
 important – crucial, major
 far – distant
 all \ whole \ every – entire
 basic – fundamental
 many – numerous
 calm \ relaxed – peaceful
 last – previous
 new – revolutionary, fashionable

B. Use powerful words instead of 'very', 'nice' or 'said'

For example:

 very little – tiny

 very tasty – delicious
 very angry – furious
 very afraid – terrified
 very tired – exhausted
 very hungry - starving
 very hot – boiling
 very big – enormous
 very good – great
 very bad – awful
 very important – essential
 very funny – ridiculous
 nice – beautiful \ bearable \ boring \ fun, etc.
 said – asked, answered, claimed, explained, etc.

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C. Add adjectives and adverbs to enrich your writing

For example,
enrich the
following
One possible option is: sentence
th with and
My unforgettable 10 grade teacher is my role model for her delicate sensitivity
unfailing honesty. adjectives:

Remember! There is more than one way to enrich a sentence! My 10th grade
teacher is my
D. Use Phrasal Verbs: role model
for her
sensitivity
and honesty.

___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
For example:
___________
Look up in the dictionary phrasal verbs _____
with the following verbs:

 break
 come
 get
 give
 go
Phrasal verbs – a verb with a preposition \ adverb that has meaning as a unit.
 look
 make
Memorize those phrasal verbs and use them in your writing.
 take
 turn

Practice
Review and upgrade the
vocabulary of the drafts you
wrote about the following
topics:

 Which profession(s) do
you think should get the
highest pay?
 Can we trust our first
impression of a person?
18 Why or why not?
 Some people believe
students should be
B'Siatta D'Shmaya

E. Learn phrases and expressions and implement them in your writing to impress
your examiner.

Reviewing and Upgrading Language Use

Read your composition and make sure you meet all the necessary criteria, upgrade
whenever it's necessary:

 correct use of basic tenses and/or language structures

 correct use of advanced language structures

Basic Language Use Practice

Choose the correct form of writing:

(It’s \ its \ it) always (annoys \ annoy \

annoying) me when people tell (each
others \ each other \ one another)
what to do. For example, last week I
just walked on the street and (seen \
saw \ see) a little boy who was
screaming and shouting at his mother.
He wanted to buy something at the
supermarket, and she didn’t (allow \
allowed \ allows) him. All the people
around
 correct(were starting
word order\ start \ started)
to
tell the mother
correct use of what
parts to
of do. One pronouns
speech, said and prepositions
to give him what he (want \ wants \
wanted), one claimed the way to
(react \ reacted \ reacting) is to ignore
the child and another tried to explain to
the little boy (it \ its \ it's) not nice to
shout. However, I (saw \ see \ seeing)
that all these people (did \ will \ would)
not help the mother at all!

Advanced Language Use

Use at least three instances of:

 Perfect tenses
» to add detail and
meaning.
 The passive voice
» when it doesn’t matter
who did it.
 Reported\indirect speech
» to tell what someone else
19 said.
 Conditionals and temporals
» when it depends…
B'Siatta D'Shmaya

Pay attention to
the different
meaning with
different word
order and parts
of speech:

For example:

 Memory
secrets \
Secret Pronouns practice:
memorie
Change the subject of the following paragraph
s \
to 'Sara':
Secretly
I am a family person. Although I have many
memoriz friends, my family relationships are the most
e important to me. I always make sure that my
 I drink family members are happy and fine. I care
water. \ I about them a lot, because they are mine.
water
the ______________________________________
plants. \ ______________________________________
Water is ______________________________________
necessar ______________________________________
y for all ______________________________________
living ____________________
things.
Now, change the subject to 'my grandparents':

______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
____________________

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Pay attention to prepositions!

Preposition - A word or a phrase which

connects a verb \ an adjective to a noun \
pronoun. They are very specific!

For example:

 according to
 apart from
 because of
 contrary to
 in addition to
 in front of
Practice  instead of

Review and upgrade the

language of the drafts you
wrote about the following
topics:

 Which profession(s) do
you think should get the
highest pay?
 Can we trust our first
impression of a person?
Why or why not?
 Some people believe
students should be
involved in organizing
school activities. Do you
agree?
 Many people think that
all types of work are
suitable for an orthodox
Jewish woman. Do you
agree?

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B'Siatta D'Shmaya

Reviewing and Upgrading Mechanics

Read your composition and make sure you meet all the necessary criteria; upgrade
whenever it's necessary:

correct use of:

 spelling
 punctuation
 capitalization
 paragraphing
 no run-on sentences

Practice:
All of the mechanics have been
removed from the following text. Add
it:

how often have you found yourself

ignoring a deadline forgetting to
check your bank account or eating an
extra slice of pizza laziness
carelessness or lack of self control
prevent us from doing the right thing
and it's not only our own lives that are
affected by our behavior but also
society as a whole this may explain
why economists and policymakers
have been showing considerablePractice
interest in the so called nudge theory
Review and upgrade the
which was introduced by researchers
mechanics of the drafts you
richard thaler and cass sunstein in
wrote about the following
their book nudge according to the
topics:
theory simple inexpensive strategies
can be used to subtly guide nudge  Which profession(s) do
people towards making better choices you think should get the
highest pay?
 Can we trust our first
impression of a person?
Why or why not?
 Some people believe
students should be
involved in organizing
school activities. Do you
agree?
 Many people think that
all types of work are
22 suitable for an orthodox
Jewish woman. Do you
agree?
B'Siatta D'Shmaya

Writing the Final Version

As you cannot communicate with your examiners and clarify things as they read your
composition, you should make sure your composition is clear and easily read. In addition,
you want your composition to make a good impression on the examiner.

Copy your final version into a page with lines. Write clearly in neat handwriting. Use short
and clear sentences – not longer than 1½ lines. Use a blue or black pen. Leave wide margins.
Leave an empty line between paragraphs. Put an X over your drafts.

Practice
Write the final versions of the
drafts you wrote about the
following topics:

 Which profession(s) do
you think should get the
highest pay?
 Can we trust our first
impression of a person?
GOOD LUCK!
Why or why not?
 Some people believe
students should be
involved in organizing
school activities. Do you
agree?
 Many people think that
all types of work are
suitable for an orthodox
Jewish woman. Do you
agree?

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Appendix
Connectors
Preparing Students for Writing Tasks, Rina Akotonas, 2009, Israel

Connectors of Addition
The following connectors are used to introduce a new piece of information:

 in addition

 moreover

 furthermore

Use a connector in each of the following sentences:

1. The food was cold. ___________, the service was terrible.

2. Students start the day early, _________________ they leave school late.

3. They claim that the death penalty deters crime. ________________, it saves the state the
cost of keeping criminals in prisons.

Connectors that Introduce Examples

The following connectors are used to introduce examples:

 such as

 for example

 for instance

 like

Use a connector in each of the following sentences:

1. Try a snack _________________fried peanuts or pickled vegetables in hot sauce.

2. Plan a trip for the middle of the winter, _________________, if you want to see the snow
on Mt. Hermon.

3. In the camp, just _____________ in the army, discipline is strict.

4. He felt that more should be written about people living in the modern world.
_________________, the fact that the Chinese are great fans of American football.

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Connectors that Indicate Time Sequence

The following connectors help understand time sequence and can help you list in the order
in which events took place.

 since

 then

 when

 after

 before

 finally

Use a connector in each of the following sentences:

1. _______________ studying for many years, she used her knowledge of Arabic to work as
a translator.

2. I haven't seen Jim ___________ he moved to New York.

3. ____________, after years of saving, Joseph has enough money to buy a car.

4. ______________ the American Civil War, slavery was legal in the United States.

5. We will discuss the problems ___________ I get to the office.

6. First, I will do my homework. ______________ I will play on the computer.

Connectors that Put Ideas in Order

The following connectors help organize the flow of content:

 first /first of all / firstly

 second / secondly

 then

 finally

 to sum up

 in conclusion

Use a connector in each of the following sentences:

1. When taking an examination, ______________ you should read the instructions and
___________________ answer the questions.

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B'Siatta D'Shmaya

2. Many people dream of moving to the U.S. This is for many reasons. _____________,
because salaries are higher in America. _________________, there are better job
opportunities. ___________________, some people think America is a better place to work.

3. France is expensive and I don't know the language. __________________, I don't plan to
visit France anytime soon.

Connectors of Consequence
The following connectors introduce a result or a consequence:

 as a result

 therefore

 consequently

Use a connector in each of the following sentences:

1. The product didn't work, _______________, I am asking for a new one.

2. _______________ of his poor performance, he was fired from the job.

3. Most children spend a lot of time outdoors, ________________ , they should use
sunscreens every day.

4. Mercury and Venus are very hot planets. _______________, no human being could ever
survive on them.

Connectors of Contrast/Opposition
The following connectors contrast people, things or ideas that are different:

 but

 yet

 however

 despite / in spite of

 although

 on the one hand … on the other hand

Use a connector in each of the following sentences:

1. _______________ the movie was made in 1955, it is amazing how relevant it is for
teenagers today.

2. You might think that this is just another party; __________, you would be wrong.

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3. The sun's radiation has both good and bad consequences. _______________, it gives us
warmth and light. ___________________, overexposure to it is dangerous.

4. ______________ the fact that market has been badly damaged many times by
earthquakes and fire, it is still the oldest and largest covered market in the world.

5. _______________ the heavy rain, we took a hike in the forest.

6. There are two reasons why Martin got the job: _____________, he was very talented;
_____________, he was available.

7. The Smiths wanted to build a new garage; ________________, the neighbors complained.

Connectors of Reason, Cause and Purpose

The following connectors indicate the relationship between a cause and its effect:

 because / because of

 since

 in order to

 so / so that

Use a connector in each of the following sentences:

1. I made lunch ________________ because my mother was busy.

2. Sharon went to Washington ______________________ to attend her cousin's wedding.

3. He bought a laptop computer _______________ he could take it to school with him.

4. _________________ I can type faster than you can, I will type the letter for you.

5. Omar flew from Houston to Boston ________________ it was too far too drive.

Connectors for Stating an Opinion

• In my opinion …

• Personally…

• My point of view …

• As I see it …

• I think \ believe \ feel …

Use a connector in each of the following sentences:

1. The situation, ______________________, is complicated.

2. ______________ that we should go to sleep and continue tomorrow. What do you think?

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3. Most people believe that eating chocolate is harmful. __________________ small

amounts of dark chocolate are really good for the body and the spirit.

4. Sara says we practice English too much. __________________________ there is no such

thing as practicing English too much!

5. ________________________________ of the situation is different than yours.

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Answer Key
Connectors, pg. 13

Most of us don't have any memories from the first three to four years of our lives —
in fact, we tend to remember very little of our life before the age of seven. Even the early
memories we think we have may not be the real thing, but merely recollections we formed
much later based on photos and on stories we've heard over the years. Although the
absence of early memories has been documented for over a century, scientists are still trying
to gain an understanding of it.

While adults don't generally recall events that happened during their earliest
years, research has shown that very young babies are capable of forming simple memories.
In a recent experiment, for example, six-month-old babies discovered that they could make
a toy train run by pressing a lever. When given the train again three weeks later, they
immediately pressed the lever — a clear indication that they remembered what to do.

Furthermore, when the same experiment was done with a group of two-year-olds,
they could recall the action for more than a month. All these early memories, however, fade
after a few months at most, and it is only years later that children begin having memories
they can reliably recall.

(Remember When…?, 2019)

Basic language structures, pg. 17

It always annoys me when people tell each other what to do. For example, last week I just
walked on the street and saw a little boy who was screaming and shouting at his mother. He
wanted to buy something at the supermarket, and she didn’t allow him. All the people
around started to tell the mother what to do. One said to give him what he wants, one
claimed the way to react is to ignore the child and another tried to explain to the little boy
that it is not nice to shout. However, I saw that all these people did not help the mother at
all!

Pronouns, pg. 18

Sara is a family person. Although she has many friends, her family relationships are the most
important to her. She always makes sure that her family members are happy and fine. She
really cares about them, because they are hers.

My grandparents are family people. Although they have many friends, our family
relationships are the most important to them. They always make sure that our family
members are happy and fine. They really care about us, because we are theirs.

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Mechanics, pg. 20

How often have you found yourself ignoring a deadline, forgetting to check your bank
account, or eating an extra slice of pizza? Laziness, carelessness, or lack of self-control
prevent us from doing "the right thing". And it's not only our own lives that are affected by
our behavior, but also society as a whole.

This may explain why economists and policymakers have been showing considerable
interest in the so-called "nudge theory", which was introduced by researchers Richard Thaler
and Cass Sunstein in their book Nudge. According to the theory, simple, inexpensive
strategies can be used to subtly guide ("nudge") people towards making better choices.

(A Small Push in the Right Direction, 2016)

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