In this guide
Cambridge Veritas · Original TESOL self-study resources
Understand the idea
Connectors can signal contrast, addition, cause, result or sequence. Teach the relationship and the grammatical pattern together. A sentence connector and a conjunction may express related meanings but behave differently in punctuation and clause structure.
What you will practise
- Explain the key idea in “Linkers and logical relationships” using a concrete example.
- Choose a teaching response that fits the learner and the purpose.
- Identify evidence you could collect to evaluate that response.
A closer look at the teaching
Start with the relationship between ideas before choosing the connector. Then check the sentence pattern, punctuation and position of the selected expression. Learners often know a connector’s translation but use it as if it behaved grammatically like another one. Compare two complete revisions so meaning and form remain connected.
A text must make sense as a message and guide a reader through its parts. Cohesion draws attention to the language that connects those parts; coherence draws attention to the ideas and their organisation. Analyse a short complete text so these two dimensions stay connected. Learners can then revise for a reader, checking reference, logical relationships and the information needed to achieve the text’s purpose rather than only adding connectors.
In the classroom
Compare “It rained, but we continued” and “It rained. However, we continued”.
Before choosing an activity, identify what the learner needs to understand or communicate. Separate the language demand from other demands such as reading instructions, managing equipment or speaking to a large group.
A teaching sequence you can adapt
Use these stages as a starting point for this topic. Keep the language goal visible, and change the support when learner responses show a different need.
- 01
Identify the text’s purpose, intended reader and overall message before looking at individual links.
- 02
Trace reference, lexical connections and logical relationships using a short passage.
- 03
Compare a clear version with one containing an ambiguity or organisational problem and discuss the reader’s difficulty.
- 04
Revise or create a new passage, then ask a reader to explain the message and locate essential information.
Ask learners to revise a short paragraph and justify each connector by naming the relationship it signals.
A common mistake to avoid
Do not teach a list of interchangeable linking words without their patterns and uses.
When reviewing the activity, distinguish what you observed from what you inferred. Use the task outcome and a fresh example to decide whether another explanation, a different scaffold or more independent practice is needed.
Adapt it for your learners
Make the task accessible.
Use short passages, visible referent links and a simple organisation map before working on longer texts.
Extend the thinking.
Compare two plausible text organisations and justify which serves a particular audience more effectively.
Keep the intended outcome consistent when comparing responses. Record which support was available so you do not confuse a supported performance with the same task completed independently.
Try it, then compare.
Take a moment to make your own decision. Compare your reasoning with the example, then adapt it for a teaching context you know.
Try it in a teaching context
Explain what remains the same and what changes.
Your questions, answered.
What is a common mistake with Linkers and logical relationships?
Do not teach a list of interchangeable linking words without their patterns and uses.
How can I check whether the teaching worked?
Ask learners to revise a short paragraph and justify each connector by naming the relationship it signals.
How can I support learners who find the task difficult?
Use short passages, visible referent links and a simple organisation map before working on longer texts.
How can I add a useful extra challenge?
Compare two plausible text organisations and justify which serves a particular audience more effectively.
Quick revision
- The key idea: Connectors can signal contrast, addition, cause, result or sequence.
- The context to remember: Compare “It rained, but we continued” and “It rained. However, we continued”.
- A useful next step: Explain what remains the same and what changes.
For your teaching portfolio: keep a brief plan, a note of what learners actually did and one change you would make next time. Use anonymous examples.
Take the module self-checkSources and authorship
This module maps to the supplied syllabus PDF, Text and discourse (4 pages). The study notes, examples, application tasks and self-checks on these pages are original Cambridge Veritas resources.
View the supplied PDF ↗ · Publication reference: source chapter
Written by Cambridge Veritas. Updated .
Use these resources for preparation and reflection. Browser self-check results are for personal study and do not award a qualification or replace observed teaching practice.