Pull your language together

Which one seems better to you?

I love watching TV and I love going out with my friends or

Not only do I love watching TV, but I also love going out with my friends

Of course you will say “example number 2″ !

But why?

It is the same information (2 things I love)

It has the same vocabulary (verbs: love, activities: watching TV, going out)

It has the same grammar (2 present simple tenses)

So what makes this so special?

The linkers

What is a linker?

A linker is a word/ group of words that we use to join sentences together. In the example we use “not only [auxiliary] + [subject] + [verb], but [subject] also [verb]“

This is a very specific example of a linker, and it is difficult to use, but it is common.

If you hear a person start a sentence with “not only…” you know that he is saying “and”

Linkers are a quick way to sound more advanced and increase your speaking skill quickly.

A common problem many students have is that they repeat the same general linkers again and again because they think the more specific linkers are advanced grammar or too difficult to use

There are 5 general types of linkers and we’ll look at a different example each week.

Let’s look at some specific examples of “more information”.

Any situation where you want to give more information, its easy.

Moreover:

James Vaughan via Compfight

I have a degree in physics and a masters degree in chemistry.

I have a degree in physics. Moreover, I have a masters degree in chemistry.

As well as:

Rama V via Compfight

My country has a great football team and it has an amazing rugby team.

As well as having a great football team, my country has an amazing rugby team

Relative clauses: (this topic needs more explanation, but here we go)describing things Chuck Patch via Compfight

I have a brother and he is a doctor.

I have a brother who is a doctor.

Using linkers is a great way to really advance your spoken English.

Now it’s your turn.

Remember the article about ‘how to study”? (click here to read it)well, I have given you everything you need.

Can you describe your family?

I have a brother who loves playing Xbox

As well as having a brother, I have two sisters

As well as having a brother who loves playing Xbox, I have two sisters who always talk on their phones.

Easy

There are a few things like this that don’t change your meaning and make you sound better almost instantly!and now:

Linkers are incredibly useful, and when you are doing exams, like the Cambridge English exams or perhaps the IELTS exam, it’s is a requirement. Without linkers, passing the speaking exam will be hard.(in the future, I might go into detail about techniques needed for the different speaking exams)

I hope it helps