“I like to read. I like doing sports.

"
“I like reading and I like doing sports.”
"It's raining. It's warm."
"It's raining but it's warm."
"I eat something. I'm hungry."
"I eat something because I'm hungry."
What did I always do with the second example sentence?
Correct.
I connected the sentences together.
And how?
By using so-called connectors.
Connectors are often short words,
that have the property of linking sentences together.
At your request, today's video is about these so-called
connecting words or also called connectors.
These are, for example, “and, or,
but, because, although, when, then, since”
and so forth.
We make a rough distinction between the connectors
between two categories. once conjunctions,
that connect a main clause with another main clause,
and subjunctions that connect a main clause with a subordinate clause.
Too theoretical?
Here is an example with the conjunction “but”:
"I'm tired but I don't go to bed."
“But” is in position 0 and the verb “to go”
in position 2, as is usual in a main clause.
There is a main clause before “but” and also after “but”.
With a subjunction it's a bit different.
Here is an example:
"I'm tired because I always work a lot."
Here we have the subjunction “because”, which is followed by a subordinate clause.
How do we know that it is a subordinate clause?
Well, the verb is not in position 2, but at the end of the sentence.
We also have another special category,
namely the two-part connectors.
For example "although ..., but", "neither, nor",
“not only ... but also”, “as well as”,
"the ..., the",
"on the one hand ..., on the other hand" and so on.
But we have to take a closer look at this in a separate video.
So if you are interested in the topic, please let me know in the comments. And
before we continue
I would of course be very happy if you liked this video,
subscribe to my channel and turn on notifications.
So, now let's start with the category "Conjunctions".
So these are the connectors,
combine two main clauses:
"because, and, but,
but, or”.
So here we only have five.
These connectors are always in position 0 and the verb in position 2.
A little remark:
Normally, there is always a comma before a connector,
but not with the connectors “or”
and and".
You will see that again in the example sentences.
“Because”: “I am tired because I always sleep badly.”
“Because” describes a reason and answers the question “why?”.
“And”: “I am tired and hungry.”
or "I'm tired and I'm hungry."
“And” joins two similar statements together,
both whole sentences and just parts of sentences.
Danger! With a few exceptions, there is no comma before the “and”.
As just said, “and” can connect not only two sentences, but also only parts of
sentences.
For example: "Me and my friends see each other once a year."
"But": "I'm thirsty, but I don't drink."
“But” as a connector always expresses a kind of contrast.
A consequence that is not necessarily expected.
Maybe you noticed it here
“but” is preceded by a comma.
“But”: “He is not tired, he is ill.”
or "He's not tired, he's sick."
“But” is similar to “but” but emphasizes
that one thing is in contrast to the other.
"Or": "I exercise or I go to the park."
Here it is optional whether you repeat the subject again after "or",
since we already have it at the beginning of the sentence.
“Or” describes that you can only do one of two things.
So, you can't do them both at the same time.
As already mentioned, there is no comma before “or”.
And, as said, the subject can be repeated one more time after “or”. But it can also
be omitted.
"I work out or go to the park."
Like “and” does not use “or” either
only whole sentences, but also parts of sentences.
For example: "Would you like to sit outside or inside?"
So those were the connectors, the two main clauses
connect with each other and stand on position 0.
Now we come to the connectors, which also connect two main clauses with each other,
but not on position 0, but on 1 or even in the middle.
In the dictionary, these words are also called adverbs
and they can be separated from the other phrase by either a period or a comma.
These are, for example, adverbs that connect sentences with each other:
"therefore, therefore, first, then, nevertheless,
however"
and so forth.
In some grammar books they are also called adverb connectors.
You can upfront, midfield
Nachfeld or stand directly after position 1.
Example - in advance: "The birthday party should take place today,
however, it was canceled due to rain.”
Midfield:
"But that's no reason to be in a bad mood."
After position 1: "But that's no reason to be in a bad mood."
After position 1: "But that's no reason to be in a bad mood."
And here is a list of adverb connectors,
although for the sake of simplicity we have to divide them into different
categories.
We have temporal adverb connectors that answer the question “when?” respond.
These would be, for example, “then, after,
afterward,
first, before, during” and so on.
Press “Then, after” and “then”.
an enumeration.
“First” means “first”, we use “before”
to describe anteriority
and “while” expresses simultaneity.
And here's some sample text so you can see how they look in action:
“First I cleaned up, then I ironed the laundry.
After that I went to the supermarket.
Then I went for a walk with my dog.
Before that I gave him something to drink.
Meanwhile, I tied my shoes."
Then we also have so-called causal
Adverb connectors or conjunctional adverbs, as they are often called.
These are "therefore, therefore, therefore, therefore, therefore" and "therefore".
These connectors describe the reason and have pretty much the same meaning.
Example: "I haven't slept all night,
therefore/therefore/therefore/so/thus
I'm going to bed earlier today."
To the next group
include the conditional adverb connectors.
"If" is for example
a conditional connector
but not in the “Conjunctions” category because it connects a main clause and a
subordinate clause.
But I wanted to briefly explain the meaning to you here.
A condition describes that if one thing happens, then something else will also
happen.
For example: "If the weather is nice, I go swimming."
The category of adverb connectors includes, among others
"otherwise, otherwise" and "otherwise, or else".
“I want a drink else/otherwise
I'm not going any further."
So, "If I don't get something to drink, I won't go any further."
Then we have the so-called concessive
conjunctional adverbs.
They express a kind of contrast to what was said before.
You describe an illogical consequence.
These are among others
“nevertheless, nonetheless”
and "nevertheless".
Example: "I haven't slept all night,
nevertheless/nevertheless/although/nonetheless
I was fit as a fiddle."
“Nevertheless” is the most commonly used.
“Nevertheless” and “although” belong to more sophisticated language.
And “nevertheless” we tend to use in colloquial language.
And finally the last category, the adversative ones,
i.e. the opposite, conjunctional adverbs.
Here you are basically comparing two things that are opposites of each other.
Examples of adverbs in this category are:
“on the other hand, against, however, against”.
Example: “I didn't study a bit for the test.
He however/ he however/
he however/
he on the other hand
studied at the desk all night."
“On the other hand” is probably the least used adverb
and is much more commonly used in written or high-level language.
You've probably seen by now that these adverbs are relatively flexible
, as I mentioned earlier at the beginning.
Sometimes they are in front, sometimes in the middle, sometimes
behind, sometimes directly after position 1 and sometimes
they are separated from the first sentence by a period and sometimes by a comma.
But now we come to the subjunctions, i.e. connectors,
that combine a main clause and a subordinate clause.
As a reminder, a subordinate clause is a sentence with the conjugated verb at the
end.
Subjunctions are always separated from the first clause by a comma
and always come directly after the main clause
or comma with a few exceptions.
But you will see them in a moment.
These connectors are “because, since, that,
if, if, if, so,
although, although, although
as, since, since, until,
as soon as, after
while, so, so..., that”
and “by”.
There are others, but these are the
most important and most used.
“Because” and “because” are causal connectors and describe the reason.
They answer the question "why?" as well as the conjunction "because".
"I eat because I'm hungry."
By the way, we can also start with the subordinate clause here.
I said that "because" sentences come after the comma,
but we can also swap the parts of the sentence.
For example: “Because I am hungry, I eat.”
Attention! If you do this, the two verbs in the sentence must be right after each
other
and separated by a comma.
"That". “That” is often used after the beginning of a sentence when expressing an
opinion.
It also answers the question "what?" and gives more information about the main
clause.
For example: "I think you work too much." or "It's nice that you visit me."
You can also swap main and subordinate clauses here.
However, we only do this very seldom because it is stylistically not so nice.
But the same rule also applies to interchanged “that” clauses:
Two verbs side by side separated by a comma.
"If" and "if".
Describe “if” and “if”.
a condition, i.e. one thing has to happen in order for another thing to happen.
"If" and "if" then answer the question "when?".
For example: "I go to the pool when the weather is nice."
or “If the weather is nice, I go to the swimming pool.”
You can also replace “if” with “if”.
However, that sounds much more upscale
and so we use it in written rather than everyday language -
and only if we really want to sound particularly formal.
For example: “We can make an appointment
if you have time.”
"If you have time, we are happy to make an appointment."
"If". We use this connector for indirect questions.
For comparison, a direct question: “Are you coming to my birthday?”
Here's the indirect question: “I wanted you
ask if you will come to my birthday."
Another example: "I would like to know if my package has already been sent."
or “I would like to know if the ticket is expensive.”
"in order to/so". With “in order to/so” we describe the purpose of something.
It's often similar to "because," but not quite.
“Because” describes a reason and answers the question “why?”,
while “in order to” rather describes the meaning of an action.
So: “I do sports to stay fit.”
"I eat vegetables to keep me healthy."
"Although". “Although” like “nevertheless” introduces a concessive sentence.
He shows a contradiction.
Something has no logical consequence.
For comparison - logical consequence: "I eat healthy, so I'm fit."
So being fit is a logical consequence of my efforts to eat healthy.
But no logical consequence:
"I'm always sick, even though I eat healthy."
Or: "Even though I eat healthy, I'm always sick."
This is not a logical consequence.
“Nevertheless” has the same function as “although”.
However, the sentence structure is different, because you remember “nevertheless”
is an adverb connector,
which connects two main clauses.
So: "I eat healthy, but I'm always sick."
Incidentally, the “nevertheless” sentence can never be moved forward.
Always remember!
Well, I can't say: "Even though I eat healthy, I'm sick."
That does not work.
Either we take in such a case
“although” or the preposition with “that”.
So, "despite that": "Despite eating healthy, I'm always sick."
"Even though I eat healthy, I'm always sick."
Synonyms for "although" are, by the way, "although" and "although",
but these are the ones we tend to use in written language because they sound too
formal.
"As". “As” is a temporal connector, as is “since,
since, until, as soon as, during” and “after”.
For example: "When I was little, I played with dolls."
"When you called I was in the basement hanging out the laundry."
The other way round:
"I played with dolls when I was a kid." or
"I was hanging out the laundry in the basement when you called."
Danger! “As” describes a one-time action or event
in the past and should not be confused with "if".
“Since” or “since”.
These connectors describe that something started in the past and is still ongoing.
It describes a period of time that is still relevant today.
“I have been working since/since I was 16 years old.”
"Until". “Until” is a time specification that describes something that started in
the past,
but was terminated or is to be terminated at a certain point in time.
"I will work until I'm 67 years old."
"Until I'm 67 years old I will work."
However, we use “until” a little less frequently at the beginning.
"As soon". “As soon as” means after a certain point in time.
"I'm going on a world trip as soon as I have enough money." or
"As soon as I have enough money, I'm going on a trip around the world."
"While". “During” describes a simultaneity.
Two things happen at the same time.
"I cook while the TV is on."
"I'll cook while the TV is on."
"After". We use “after” to express a time after.
"I quit after not getting a raise."
So: “I hadn't gotten a raise.
For that reason I resigned later."
In “after” clauses, we like to use the pluperfect.
And here we also see a very important thing.
If we write a sentence with an auxiliary verb
formulate, such as "had, will" or "be",
these are all auxiliary verbs or a modal verb,
in subordinate clauses, these are at the very end, i.e. directly after the main
verb.
"After I did that." "After I left."
This applies not only to sentences with “after” but to all subordinate clauses,
with all subjunctions.
"Sothat" or "so..., that". This connector indicates a sequence.
"The window was open, allowing fresh air to flow in."
By the way, there is a small difference. “So..., that” emphasized in one sentence
rather the adjective and gives the sentence even more expression,
if you want to put it that way.
So: "I was so tired that I fell asleep straight away."
“Sodass” makes the sentence sound a bit more neutral.
For example: "I was tired so I fell asleep straight away."
you see the difference
"In which". “By” describes
the way things happen.
For example: "I solved the problem by thinking."
“I lose weight by doing a lot of exercise.”
Phew, that was a pretty long video this time.
But I hope that you took something with you.
And below the video I have a little exercise for you with tasks
to the connectors that you can answer in the comments.
So test yourself to see if you have understood everything correctly.
I wish you a lot of fun learning and see you next time! :)