Hey, everyone, welcome to another English grammar lesson. Today we're going to be cover
a specific set of conjunctions called “THAMO” conjunctions.
Okay, so “THAMO” is an acronym
for “therefore,” “however,” “also,” “meanwhile,” and “otherwise.” And
these are all conjunctions that can be placed in the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence.
In this video, we’re just going to talk about how to use these conjunctions at the
beginning of a new sentence. So let’s take a look… “I was late. Therefore, I got
in trouble.” Now, just to make sure, the word “therefore” is what we call a "cause
and effect" word. So, something happens or something is true; therefore, something else
happens or something else is true. When you think of the word “therefore,” think of
the phrase "because of that." I was late. Therefore, I got in trouble. I was late. Because
of that, I got in trouble. Another example could be “We won the game. Therefore, I
was happy.” We won the game. Because of that—or as a result of that—I was happy.
Cause and effect. Now let’s look at “however.” “I like cats. However, I don't like dogs.”
Notice, and I forgot to say this after the first one—but notice how, when we start
a sentence with each of these THAMO conjunctions, we need to put a comma after them, and that's
because they kind of work like introductions or transitions. So remember that comma—it’s
very important. Anyway, just to be sure, “however” is a “different” or sometimes "opposite"
word. So you might like this; however, you don't like that other thing. You might be
good at this. However, you might be bad at that. So it's a contrasting or a different
or an opposite-type energy. Another example with “however” could be something like
this: “It was raining earlier. However, it’s snowing now.” So, again, there’s
a contrast there; there’s a difference. Now let's take a look at “also.” “I
play football. Also, I play soccer.” Same thing here—put a comma in after the THAMO
conjunction because it works just like an intro or a transition. And, of course, just
to be sure—“also” basically means “as well as” or “in addition to”—kind
of but not exactly like the word “and.” So you like this; also, you like that. You've
seen this movie; also, you’ve seen that movie. Another example with “also” could
be something like this: “I bought a pair of shoes. Also, I bought a pair of pants.”
So it’s kind of an add-on. Now let's take a look at “meanwhile.” “I washed the
car. Meanwhile, my dad mowed the lawn.” Same thing here with the comma after the conjunction,
and, again, just to be sure, “meanwhile” is a word that shows two things happening
at the same time, right? Like, I was at the mall. Meanwhile, my friends were at school.
So, at the same time I was at the mall, my friends were at school. So that's kind of
how it works. And another example of it could be something like “I play basketball; meanwhile,
my sister plays softball.” Now, these two activities don’t have to be occurring at
exactly the same time, but I spend my time doing this, and she spends her time doing
that. And finally, we have “otherwise.” “You need to pay attention. Otherwise, you
might fail.” Remember that comma, and as always, just to be sure, “otherwise” is
kind of like “therefore” in that it's a cause-and-effect type of thing, but it actually
has a very different meaning. When you use “otherwise,” you're basically saying “If
this first part doesn't happen, then the second part is going to happen.” Like, you need
to get enough sleep. Otherwise, you're going to be really tired. So, if you don't get enough
sleep, this will happen to you. And another example of “otherwise” could be “You
need to take a shower. Otherwise, you’re going to smell.” So, if you don’t take
a shower, then you will smell. Okay, so let’s look at one more example of each THAMO conjunction
at the beginning of a sentence. “I don’t have to work this weekend. Therefore [comma]
I am going to the beach.” I don’t have to work. Because of that, I’m going to the
beach. Cause and effect. “I have a B in English. However [comma] I have an A in math.”
My English grade is this, but my math grade is this—showing that contrast there. “I’ll
be quitting my job soon. Also, I’ll be moving to Canada.” I will be quitting my job, and
I will be moving to Canada. So, again, it’s an additional thing I’m going to do. “I
play the piano. Meanwhile, my brother plays the guitar.” So, I play the piano, and at
the same time, my brother plays the guitar. And, again, it doesn’t have to be exactly
the time. It just means you spend your time on this, and he spends his time on that. And
finally, “You need to watch the next video in this series. Otherwise, I will be sad.”
So you need to watch the next video we put out, and if you don’t, I’ll be sad. Cool!
Well, remember, that was just part one of our three-part series on THAMO conjunctions.
In our next couple of videos, we’ll talk about how to put those THAMOs in different
parts of a sentence. Either way, whether you came here for a refresher or are just now
learning this stuff for the first time, I hope this video helped. Be sure to check out
the free practice down in the description, and—uh—we’ll see you next time.