Speak English Fluently - 5 Steps to Improve Your English Fluency

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Conjunctive Adverbs - 5

Showing Unexpected Results

Conjunctive adverbs join sentences, not parts of sentences. In choosing a conjunctive adverb, the relationship between the sentences to be connected is very important.

When a sentence shows an unexpected result of another sentence, only a few conjunctive adverbs can be used. The most common ones are probably nevertheless, nonetheless,
and still:

Ahmed had the flu and should have stayed home. Nevertheless, / Nonetheless, / Still, he went to work.

Ahmed had the flu and should have stayed home; nevertheless, / nonetheless, /
still, he went to work.



Bob had a flat tire and traffic was very heavy. Nevertheless, / Nonetheless, / Still, he made it to work on time.

Bob had a flat tire and traffic was very heavy; nevertheless, / nonetheless, / still, he made it to work on time.

Lidia didn't study and had poor notes from the class lectures. Nevertheless, / Nonetheless, / Still, she got a high mark on the test.

Lidia didn't study and had poor notes from the class lectures; nevertheless, / nonetheless, / still, she got a high mark on the test.

Extra Notes:

1. However can also be used to introduce an unexpected result:

Ahmed had the flu and should have stayed home. However, he went to work.
Ahmed had the flu and should have stayed home; however, he went to work.

Bob had a flat tire and traffic was very heavy. However, he made it to work on time.
Bob had a flat tire and traffic was very heavy; however, he made it to work on time.

Lidia didn't study and had poor notes from the class lectures. However, she got a high mark on the test.
Lidia didn't study and had poor notes from the class lectures; however, she got a high mark on the test.



2. Unexpected results can also be introduced by but or yet, but the punctuation is different:

Ahmed had the flu and should have stayed home, but / yet he went to work.

Bob had a flat tire and traffic was very heavy, but / yet he made it to work on time.

Lidia didn't study and had poor notes from the class lectures, but / yet she got a high mark on the test.

Important: In formal writing, do not begin sentences with but or yet; also, do not write a comma after but or yet.

Conjunctive Adverbs - 6

Joining Sentences with Unless

Conjunctive adverbs join sentences, not parts of sentences. In choosing a conjunctive adverb, the relationship between the sentences to be connected is very important.

The conjunctive adverb unless essentially means "if not"; it's used when the second sentence shows the result if the first sentence doesn't happen:

1.  You need to hurry. Otherwise we'll be late for work.
You need to hurry; otherwise we'll be late for work.

2.  Be ready in five minutes. Otherwise I'll leave without you.
Be ready in five minutes; otherwise I'll leave without you.

3. I have a lot of work to do. Otherwise I'd go to the movies with you.
I have a lot of work to do; otherwise I'd go to the movies with you.

4. You have to have a Bachelor's degree and two years' work experience. Otherwise you can't
be admitted to the MBA program.
You have to have a Bachelor's degree and two years' work experience; otherwise you can't
be admitted to the MBA program.

5. Bob isn't having problems. Otherwise he would've called us.
Bob isn't having problems; otherwise he would've called us.

Notice that there is no comma after otherwise.

Extra Notes:
Sentences such as those above may also be joined with if not and unless, but the punctuation is different:

1. If you don't hurry, we'll be late for work.
We'll be late for work if you don't hurry.
Unless you hurry, we'll be late for work.
We'll be late for work unless you hurry.

2. If you aren't ready in five minutes, I'll leave without you.
I'll leave without you if you aren't ready in five minutes,
Unless you're ready in five minutes, I'll leave without you.
I'll leave without you unless you're ready in five minutes.
 
3. If I don't have a lot of work to do, I'll go to the movies with you.
I'll go to the movies with you if I don't have a lot of work to do,
Unless I have a lot of work to do; I'll go to the movies with you.
I'll go to the movies with you unless I have a lot of work to do.

4. If you don't have a Bachelor's degree and two years' work experience, you can't be admitted to the MBA program.
You can't be admitted to the MBA program if you don't have a Bachelor's degree and two
years' work experience,


Unless you have a Bachelor's degree and two years' work experience, you can't be admitted
to the MBA program.
You can't be admitted to the MBA program unless you have a Bachelor's degree and
two years' work experience.

5. If Bob isn't having problems, he won't call us.
Bob won't call us if he isn't having problems.
Unless Bob is having problems, he won't call us.
Bob won't call us unless he's having problems.

Notice that unless and if not use commas, not semicolons or periods (full stops). Notice also that there is no comma when unless and if not are in the middle of a sentence.

Conjunctive Adverbs - 4

Showing Added Information

Conjunctive adverbs (which are sometimes also called sentence connectors or transitional words) are commonly used in serious business, technical, and academic writing. Conjunctive adverbs are.similar in meaning to other types of connecting words such as and, but, or, etc., but they have one very important difference: they join sentences, not parts of sentences.

In choosing which conjunctive adverb(s) to use in connecting sentences, the meanings of the sentences that will be joined (or, more precisely, the relationship that exists between them) is very important. When a second sentences adds information to the sentence which precedes it, only a few few conjunctive adverbs can be used.

1. When the added information is of approximately equal "strength," use in addition or also:
John cleaned out the garage. In addition, / Also, he mowed the yard.
John cleaned out the garage; in addition, / also, he mowed the yard.
Mary is working full-time. In addition, / Also, she's taking college classes.
Mary is working full-time; in addition, / also, she's taking college classes.



2. When the added information is stronger than the information preceding it, use moreover or furthermore:
John cleaned out the garage. Moreover, / Furthermore, he made it look better than it has for years.
John cleaned out the garage; moreover, / furthermore, he made it look better than it has for years. 
Mary has a demanding job. Moreover, / Furthermore, she's taking two difficult classes.
Mary has a demanding job; moreover, / furthermore, she's taking two difficult classes.

3. Use besides if the information in both sentences involves reasons or explanations:
John was happy to clean out the garage. Besides, he had no other important work to do.
John was happy to clean out the garage; besides, he had no other important work  to do.
Mary works hard because she's ambitious. Besides, she's never satisfied if she hasn't done her best.
Mary works hard because she's ambitious; besides, she's never satisfied if she hasn't done her best.

Conjunctive Adverbs - 3

Conjunctive adverbs (or sentence connectors or transitional words) join sentences, not parts of sentences. In choosing a conjunctive adverb to use in connecting sentences, the relationship between the sentences that are to be connected is very important.

When what happens in one sentence is a contrast to what happened in the preceding sentence, only a few conjunctive adverbs can be used. The most common ones for this

situation are however, in contrast, and on the other hand, but they are not used in exactly the same way:

1. Direct Contrasts (Opposite Situations)

When two sentences show opposite situations, however, in contrast, and on the other hand may all be used:

Sandra is wonderful at algebra; however, her cousin

is terrible at it.

Sandra is wonderful at algebra; in contrast, her cousin

is terrible at it.

Sandra is wonderful at algebra; on the other hand,

her cousin is terrible at it.

2. Weak Contrasts

When two sentences show weak contrasts (for example, when one sentence is affirmative and the other is negative, or when the sentences show ideas that contrast but are not opposite), however can be used, but in contrast and

on the other hand can't:

Sandra is wonderful at algebra; however, it's not her favorite subject in school.

I'd like to buy a new phone; however, I can't afford one right now.

Robert really wanted to stay in bed; however, he got up and went to work.

Samantha would like to buy a new BMW; however, she can only afford a Ford.

Special Note:

Sentences such as those above may also be combined in other ways, but with different punctuation (commas,not semicolons):

Sandra is wonderful at algebra, but it's not her favorite subject in school.

Sandra is wonderful at algebra, yet it's not her favorite subject in school.

While Sandra is wonderful at algebra, it's not her favorite subject in school.

Although Sandra is wonderful at algebra, it's not her favorite subject in school.

Though Sandra is wonderful at algebra, it's not her favorite subject in school.

Even though Sandra is wonderful at algebra, it's not her favorite subject in school.

Conjunctive Adverbs - 1

Conjunctive adverbs (which are sometimes also called sentence connectors or transitional words) are commonly used in serious business, technical, and academic writing. Conjunctive adverbs are.similar in meaning to other types of connecting words such as and, but, or, etc., but they have one very important difference: they join sentences, not parts of sentences. Conjunctive adverbs also have special punctuation: with them, a semicolon or a period is used after the first sentence, and a comma is usually used after the conjunctive adverb. After the comma, the connected sentence follows. Following are some common conjunctive adverbs, plus general comments on their usage: CONJUNCTIVE ADVERB accordingly as a result consequently therefore however in contrast on the other hand in addition also besides similarly furthermore moreover nevertheless nonetheless still otherwise USAGE showing results showing results showing results showing results showing general contrasts showing direct contrasts showing direct contrasts showing additional information showing additional information showing additional information showing additional information adding stronger information adding stronger information showing unexpected results showing unexpected results showing unexpected results if not Special Note: Conjunctive adverbs are challenging to use appropriately because they have special requirements for the kinds of ideas and information that they connect. There will be further information on conjunctive adverbs in the next several Hints of the Day.

Conjunctive Adverbs - 2:

Conjunctive Adverbs - 2

Showing Results

Conjunctive adverbs (or sentence connectors or transitional words) join sentences, not parts of sentences. In choosing a conjunctive adverb to use in connecting sentences, the relationship between the sentences that are to be connected is very important. When what happens in one sentence is the result of what happened in the preceding sentence, only a few conjunctive adverbs can be used. The most common ones for this situation are therefore, as a result, consequently, and accordingly. All of these mean the same thing and are used in the same way. Examples: Situation: It rained very hard Result: The game was cancelled. It rained very hard; therefore, the game was canceled. It rained very hard; as a result, the game was canceled. It rained very hard; consequently, the game was canceled. It rained very hard; accordingly, the game was canceled. Situation: Meg was exhausted Result: She went to bed as soon as she got home Meg was exhausted; therefore, she went to bed as soon as she got home. Meg was exhausted; as a result, she went to bed as soon as she got home. Meg was exhausted; consequently, she went to bed as soon as she got home. Meg was exhausted; accordingly, she went to bed as soon as she got home. Special Notes: 1. Conjunctive adverbs can also be used after periods: It rained very hard. Therefore, the game was canceled. It rained very hard. As a result, the game was canceled. It rained very hard. Consequently, the game was canceled. It rained very hard. Accordingly, the game was canceled. 2. Sentences showing results can also be joined by using because and so, but the punctuation is different: It rained very hard, so the game was canceled. The game was canceled because it rained very hard. Because it rained very hard, the game was canceled. Note that a comma, not a semicolon, is used with so. Note, also, that when because is in the middle of a sentence, there is no comma, but when it is at the beginning of a sentence, there is a comma.

Idioms A to Z

A  B  C  D  E  F

G  H  I  J  K  L

M  N  O  P  Q  R

S  T  U  W

  

Y  Z

Idioms with 'B'

Bad mouth: Say unkind, unflattering, embarrassing (and probably untrue) things about someone.
A: "I can't believe what Sandra just said. Why is she always bad-mouthing me?"
B: "Sandra probably must be jealous of your success."

Be a piece of cake: Be very easy.
A: "Rita said the examination was difficult, but I think it was a piece of cake."

Be all ears: Be eager to hear what others have to say.
A: "I just got a letter from our old friend Sally."
B: "Tell me all about it. I'm all ears!"





Be broke: Be without money.
"I can't lend you 20 dollars because I'm completely broke until I get my next paycheck."

Be fed up with: (with someone or something): Be out of patience (with someone or something); be very tired of someone or something.
"Bob, you are very careless with your work. I'm fed up with you always apologizing for your mistakes!"

Be in and out: Be at and away from a place during a particular event or time.
"Can we postpone our meeting until next Saturday? I will be in and out of the office most of the day this week."


Be on the go: Be very busy (going from one job or project to another).
"I'm really exhausted. I've been on the go all week long."

Be on the road: To be traveling.
"You won't be able to see me until next week because I'll be on the road all week."

Be over: Be finished; end.
"She can't see you until 5 o'clock. Her meeting won't be over until then."

Be up and running: Be up and running: (for a technological process) be operational; be ready to use .
"English Planet blog has been up and running for all English learners since 2018."

Be used to: (+Ving/noun): be accustomed to; not uncomfortable with.
"It won't be difficult to wake up at 5:00 a.m.. I'm used to getting up very early."

Beat: Exhausted; very tired (adjective).
"This has been a long day. I'm beat!"

Beat around the bush: Avoid giving a direct answer, evade an issue; change the subject.
"Stop beating around the bush! If you don't want to let me use your care, just tell me!"

Beat one's brains out: Try very hard to understand or do something.
"Can you help me with this balance sheet? I've been beating my brains out with it for more than an hour, but I just can't solve it."


Beats me: I have no idea or clue.
A: "When is Sandra going to get married?"
B: "Beats me!"

Before long: Soon; shortly.
A: "I'm really tired of waiting."
B: "Just relax. She will be here before long.

Bent out of shape: Needlessly worried about something.
"I know you're worried about your trip, but don't get bent out of shape. You are going to do just fine."

Bite off more than one can chew: Take on responsibility more than one can handle.
"I'm really behind with my project. Can you help me? I'm afraid I

bit off more than I could chew!"

Blabbermouth: A very talkative person--especially one who says things that should be kept secret.
"Don't say anything to Sandra unless you want the whole office to know. Sandra is quite a blabbermouth."

Blow one's top: Become extremely angry.
A: "Was your mother angry when you came home late?"
B: "She was more than angry. She blew her top!"

Boom box: portable cassette/CD player.
"Don't forget to bring your boom box to the party!"

Idioms with 'C'

Call it a day: stop work for the day.
"It's late and you've accomplished a lot. Why don't you call it a day?"

Can't make heads or tails of something: can't understand something at all; find something confusing and illogical.
"I can't make heads or tails of your e-mail. Were you having problems with your computer?"

Catch one's eye: attract one's attention/interest.
"This brochure about Tahiti caught my eye when I was at the travel agency."

Catch some Zs: sleep for a while; take a nap.
"You look tired, Mark. Why don't you catch some Zs?"

Change one's mind: decide to do something different from what had been decided earlier.
A: "Why are you working this week? I thought you were going to be on vacation."
B: "I changed my mind. I'm taking my vacation next month."

Chicken (adjective or noun): cowardly.
"Fred will never ask Lucy for a date. He's chicken / a chicken.

Chow: food.
"How's the chow in the university cafeteria?"

Chow down: eat.
"It's almost 6:00. Are you ready to chow down?"

A cinch: something that's very easy to do.
A: How was the test?
B: It was a cinch. I finished it quickly and I know that all my answers were correct."

Cool (also kewl): neat, special, wonderful.
"English Planet is a really cool place to learn English!"

Cool it!: calm down.
"There's no need to be so upset. Just cool it!"

Cost (someone) an arm and a leg: cost a lot; be very expensive.
A: "Your new car is really nice."
B: "It should be. It cost (me) an arm and a leg!"



Couch potato: someone who spends too much time watching TV.
"You're a real couch potato, Jay. You need to get more exercise!"

Cram: try to learn as much as possible in a very short time.
"Rodney did well on the test because he crammed for it. However, he probably won't remember any of the information a couple of days from now."

Crash course: short course designed to give a lot of knowledge/information in a very short time.
"Tom's company is sending him to a business meeting in Istanbul.
Should he take a crash course in Turkish?"

Cut it out!: stop doing something (that's annoying).
"You kids are making too much noise. Cut it out!"

Idioms with 'D'

Don't count your chickens until (before) they hatch (they've hatched): Don't assume
that something will happen until it has happened.
A: I'm sure that I'm going to win a lot of money in Las Vegas."
B: "Don't count your chickens until they hatch!"

Dicey: uncertain; taking too much of a chance.
A: A friend of mine says I can make a lot of money if I buy stock
in the XYZ company. Should I do it?
B: I wouldn't if I were you. The chances for success are too dicey."

Ditch class: skip class/play hookey.
"You shouldn't have ditched class yesterday. We had an unannounced test."




Do a bang-up job: do a very good job; do very well at something.
"Have you seen Frank's home page? He did a bang-up job with it."

Down in the dumps: depressed; "blue."
A: "Is something wrong?"
B: "Not really, but I feel kind of down in the dumps."

Drop someone a line: write to someone.
"I haven't written to my parents for a long time. I'd better drop them a line today or tomorrow."

Drag one's feet: delay; take longer than necessary to do something.
"Joe should have finished his project a week ago. Why is he dragging his feet?"

Idioms with 'A'

Ace: Get an "A" on a test, homework assignment, project, etc.
"Somebody said you aced the test, Frank. That's awesome!"

All right (1): Expression of reluctant agreement.
A: "Come to the movies with me. Please!"
B: "Oh, all right. I don't want to, but I will."

All right (2): Fair; not particularly good.
A: "How's your physics class?"
B: "It's all right, I guess, but it's not the best class I've ever had."

All right (3): Unharmed; in satisfactory condition.
A: "You don't look normal. Are you all right?"
B: "Yes, but I have a fever."

And then some: And much more besides.
A: "I'd guess your new computer cost about $3,000."
B: "It cost that much and then some because I also bought extra RAM and VRAM."

Antsy: Restless; impatient and tired of waiting.
"I hope Sandra calls soon. Just sitting around and waiting is making me antsy."

As easy as pie: Very easy.
"I thought you said this was a difficult problem. It isn't. In fact, it's as easy as pie."

At the eleventh hour: At the last minute; almost too late.
"Yes, I got the job done in time. I finished it at the eleventh hour, but I wasn't late.

Idioms with 'E'

An eager beaver: a person who is always willing to volunteer or do extra work.
"Jan is certainly an eager beaver. Any time there's work to be done,
she's the first to say she'll help."

Easy does it!: Be very careful! / Don't do anything too fast or too hard!
A: "I'm going to move the table just a little further from the window."
B: "Easy does it! If you move too fast, you might knock over the plant!"

An egghead: a very intelligent person.
"Jake didn't make very good grades in school, but his sister was a real egghead."

Elbow grease: hard work; effort.
"Yes, the car is pretty dirty, but it'll look nice again with a little elbow grease."

Every other _____ : alternately; omitting the second one in each group of two.
"In your essays, please write on every other line. That will make the essays much easier to read."

Idioms with 'F'

Far-fetched: difficult to accept; difficult to believe.
"That story's pretty far-fetched. Nobody's going to believe it."

Feel blue: feel sad and depressed.
"I'm feeling blue because I haven't had any mail except bills for a long, long time."

Fire someone: dismiss someone from a job because of poor performance.
"If you continue to be late for work, the company will fire you."




Feel puny: feel unwell, ill.
"Ted was feeling puny yesterday, so he decided not to go to work."

Fender-bender: automobile accident.
"Traffic was really slow on the freeway this morning because of a fender-bender in one of the westbound lanes."

For ages: for a very long time.
"Where's Marie? I haven't seen her for ages."

Idioms with 'G'

Get going: leave.
"Look at the time! I'd better get going!"

Get it: understand something (often negative).
"I don't get it. What do you mean?"

Get a kick out of something: find something amusing.
"I really get a kick out of listening to children talk. They say some very funny things."

Get lost!: go away
"I wish he'd get lost and stop bothering me. I don't want to talk to him!"

Get on one's nerves: irritate someone; make someone upset.
"I know you like that song, but it's getting on my nerves. Can you play something else?"



Get a move on: hurry
"If you don't want to be late, you'd better get a move on."

Get one's wires crossed: be confused or mistaken about something.
A: "Bill said there was a meeting this morning. Don't we have one?"
B: "No. The meeting's tomorrow. I guess Bill got his wires crossed."

Get out of hand: become out of control; become badly managed.
"Your absences are getting out of hand, Bob. You'd better do something quickly to improve the situation if you want to keep your job."

Get real!: Be realistic! / Don't be naive.
A: "I'm going to Las Vegas. I know I'll win a lot of money!"
B: "Get real! You'll probably lose a lot of money!"

Get up and go: energy.
"I'm really tired. I don't have any get up and go."

Give someone a hand (1): help someone.
"I can't do this alone. Can you give me a hand?"

Give someone a hand (2): applaud (to show respect or appreciation for someone/something).
"Bob's done a wonderful job with the presentation. Let's give him a hand!"