Hello! Here is an essay question.
And here is a model answer. But all of the linking expressions have been removed!
Oh no! That is terrible! My name is Toby, this is SMASH English and here is everything you need to
know about linking words and expressions to write the perfect essay for the B2 First Cambridge exam.
The introduction.
Here is our fabulous introduction and in our introduction we have contrast. Wow contrast!
We have our opening statement which is a general sentence about the topic but then we
introduce a question that seems to contradict it. How exciting. What words can we use here?
Remember we are starting a sentence and this clause contains some very important information:
our question! Well if we are starting a sentence and the content of this sentence contradicts or
contrasts with what we said before, we can say NONETHELESS or NEVERTHELESS. Wow brilliant!
Toby is a fantastic man and incredibly intelligent and attractive, nevertheless he is single,
sad and lonely. So subscribe and make me feel valued! We can also use HOWEVER here. Some people
say that we cannot use HOWEVER to start a sentence and if you hear somebody say this then slap them,
with your hand, like this. No please don't do that. That is a terrible idea. No don't do that.
Okay? No! But using HOWEVER to start a sentence is fine. Seriously, it's fine. Do it! Paragraph two.
Now we have our first body paragraph so we need to introduce our first idea. To do this
we could say FIRSTLY, FIRST OF ALL, TO START WITH, IN THE FIRST PLACE or FIRST AND FOREMOST. However,
no slaps for me! FIRST AND FOREMOST suggests that your first idea is your most important idea, so
if your first idea is not your most important idea don't say FIRST AND FOREMOST, instead say FIRSTLY,
FIRST OF ALL, TO START WITH, or IN THE FIRST PLACE. So we have introduced the idea that life is
not gender segregated and then we have discussed the consequence that gender segregated schooling
may not prepare children for later life so how can we introduce this consequence? We can say
BECAUSE OF THIS. Some people say that you cannot start a sentence with BECAUSE
and I say: slap these people! With your words! Not with your hands! God! You are so violent! Calm
down! Jesus! We can also say OWING TO THIS, AS A RESULT OF THIS, AS A CONSEQUENCE, CONSEQUENTLY,
THEREFORE or SO. Remember we are starting a sentence so after you use these you must use
a comma. Please remember your commas because we love commas. Comma comma comma comma chameleon.
Ah, I also say DUE TO THIS to talk about consequences but some people say
that you cannot start a sentence with DUE TO THIS...
Now we have a zero conditional, something that is always true and I know, you think you know
the zero conditional but you don't! I keep telling people that they don't know it and then they tell
me they do know it, I test them and they fail because I make it really hard to prove a point!
So watch this video all about it, it's great! Bye! No don't go, I'm still talking. Now of course we
can be very boring and say IF but there are other possibilities that sometimes change the meaning
but if you can use them and use them correctly, wow! Someone is going to get very high marks! And
that's not a terrible thing. We can say PROVIDED THAT and this is a more formal way of saying IF:
it means on the condition that which is the definition of IF... Or and, this is very special,
we can say INSOFAR AS and this means "to the extent that" or "to the degree that". Honestly,
if the examiners see you doing this then they will slap themselves! Like I just did now
So for CONTRAST we have nonetheless, nevertheless and however. For SEQUENCE we have firstly,
first of all, to start with, in the first place, and first and foremost.
For CONSEQUENCE we have owing to this, as a result, as a consequence, consequently, therefore,
so and due to this. And for CONDITIONS we have if, provided that, and insofar as. Paragraph three.
Now we are introducing our third paragraph and our second main idea so we could say SECONDLY but the
examiners know that we can count so let's not do that. Instead we could say MOREOVER, FURTHERMORE,
ON TOP OF THAT, WHAT IS MORE and IN ADDITION. Great! Remember, after each one we need a comma.
We're starting a sentence comma, comma, comma, comma chameleon. And now we want to add emphasis!
Oh jesus... Um our next sentence is expanding on the point of the previous sentence and we
want to emphasize this. And to do this we can say CERTAINLY, INDEED, WITHOUT A DOUBT,
AS A MATTER OF FACT, and IN FACT. And again remember we need commas after these. We can
also say UNDOUBTEDLY and I love this word. We put this word after the subject so here that would be
"Most children UNDOUBTEDLY make the majority of their friends
at school". Brilliant! Doesn't that look great? I think it looks great! Try using it.
Good luck. And now we have another consequence so we can say OWING TO THIS, DUE TO THIS,
BECAUSE OF THIS, CONSEQUENTLY, AS A CONSEQUENCE, THEREFORE, and SO. But I have a bonus consequence
for you... Are you ready? Are you ready? I'm ready! I'm so ready! We can say IN LIGHT OF THIS.
Wow. Beautiful. Poetry. Wow, in light of what I have just told you,
you are going to use IN LIGHT OF in every essay you ever write from now on. Yes? Yes!
So for ADDITIONS we have added secondly, moreover, furthermore, in addition, what is more,
and on top of that. For EMPHASIS we have indeed, certainly, in fact, without a doubt,
as a matter of fact and undoubtedly. And for CONSEQUENCE we have added in light of this.
Paragraph four. To start this next paragraph we are going to contrast it with paragraphs two
and three, the two paragraphs that preceded it. This is because it is presenting a prompt
and an idea that disagrees with the viewpoints of those previous two paragraphs. Last time we
contrasted we used NONETHELESS or NEVERTHELESS or HOWEVER but we cannot do that here. Why not?
Because we have an object: the above. And because we have an object we only have two options:
DESPITE and IN SPITE OF. After DESPITE and IN SPITE OF we need either an object or a gerund,
an -ing form. Despite being incredibly attractive, Toby is a sad lonely man.
So here we can say DESPITE the above or IN SPITE OF the above. But we cannot say despite of
the above. Seriously do not do that! IN SPITE OF or DESPITE. Not despite of! Do not say DESPITE
OF! Students all the time say DESPITE OF! And when they do that do you know what i want to do? I want
to SLAP... No, I don't want to slap them. I want to say "hi let's do some more studying together!
This is so much fun! I love teaching you". Next we need to express purpose. We have
said that mixed sex interactions may be better outside of the classroom and the first clause
of this sentence expresses the purpose of this. What is the point? What is the
purpose? To express purpose we can be really boring and just say TO. Infinitives of purpose.
Yeah. Or we can make things a little bit more formal and say IN ORDER TO which is just a more
formal way of saying TO. Oh hello, Toby. Why do you shower? In order to be clean. Great example.
What am I doing? We can also say AS A MEANS TO and this is also exactly the same. And lastly why not
try saying WITH THE AIM OF. Remember that OF is a preposition so we must follow it with the GERUND.
So here we should say WITH THE AIM OF better FOCUSING students on their formal education. But
that's not difficult is it? You can do that! If I can do it, you can do it... probably.... Now we
are giving an example. We are giving an example of how schools could organize mixed sex interactions
outside of the classroom. To introduce examples we can say FOR EXAMPLE, FOR INSTANCE,
TO PROVIDE AN ILLUSTRATION, or TO ILLUSTRATE. So now for CONTRAST we also have despite
and in spite of. For PURPOSE we have to, in order to, as a means to and with the aim of. And for
EXAMPLES we have for example, to illustrate, for instance and to provide an example.
The conclusion. And we are sequencing again. But we are sequencing for the last time because this
is our conclusion. So how can we conclude an essay? We can say SUMMING UP, TO CONCLUDE,
IN CONCLUSION, ON BALANCE and ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I mean
that's five. That's five possibilities here but you can only write one conclusion. Seriously, if
in your essay you write more than one conclusion then I don't think I can help you. Well,
joking! I can! Watch this video here about how to structure every essay you ever write for the B2
First exam! Seriously it's brilliant! Why are you watching this video now when you could be
watching this one? Go! No! Don't go! Watch all of this one till the end, then watch it again
and then watch that one. That's the order. The order of life. Natural selection. Science.
Evolution. And now we have another contrast. Another contrast!? Another contrast! But we
have a problem! Here we cannot say NONETHELESS, NEVERTHELESS, HOWEVER, IN SPITE OF or DESPITE. No
and there are two reasons for this! Number one: the important information is not contained in
the clause with the contrast: without mixed gender classes students are less prepared for
the future. Number two: we cannot say DESPITE or IN SPITE OF because IT is a SUBJECT not an OBJECT
and after using DESPITE or IN SPITE OF we need an object or a gerund, not a subject!
No! But don't worry guys because we have lots of options! We could say ALTHOUGH, EVEN THOUGH,
THOUGH or WHILE. Brilliant! And finally we need one more consequence. So we could say
OWING TO THIS, DUE TO THIS, AS A RESULT OF THIS, CONSEQUENTLY, AS A CONSEQUENCE, SO,
THEREFORE or IN LIGHT OF THIS. Wow! That is a lot of consequences! So finally here are all
of our linking words and expressions... Look at them! Just look at them! They look great! Yeah...
I am exhausted! Now you know every single linking words and expression that you need
to know to write the perfect essay for the B2 First Cambridge exam! If you liked
the video don't forget to SMASH that like button, subscribe if you haven't already,
leave a comment down below! My name is Toby and this was SMASH English....