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....
