Example:School nowadays do not encourage memorisation.

1. On the other hand, pupils do more projects and investigative work.

2. By contrast, pupils in former times had to learn many things by heart.

1. Lang (1973) reported good results using the drug Trisulphin.

1. a) , he also listed a number of unpleasant side-effects.

2. b) , a newer drug, Enzolfalm, appeared to have little effect.

2. Tennis players often behave badly without losing points.

a) , football players are immediately sent off the field.

b) , they are sometimes fined for bad behaviour.

3. The original Salko GL was not an advanced car technically.

a) , the new model is a remarkable technical achievement.

b) , it was inexpensive, comfortable and easy to maintain.

4. In old age people may lose some of their mental agility.

a) , they often gain a greater understanding of life.

b) , young people are often very quick in absorbing information.

5. Teleworking is comfortable and convenient.

a) , one may miss the chance to discuss things with colleagues.

b) , travelling every day to an office is tiring and expensive.

Exercise 7. IN SPITE OF & DESPITE. Use the ideas below and a relevant linker to make up meaningful sentences.

Example: He was never satisfied / he was one of the richest men in the world  He was never satisfied, despite being one of the richest men in the world.

1. We arrived on time / the heavy traffic on the motorway.

2. Our team lost two early goals / our team won comfortably in the end.

3. Our present economic difficulties / the company should recover next year.

4. The police chief fought against the Mafia / he received death threats.

5. Joe did not become wealthy / he worked hard all his life.

6. Relatively few buildings were damaged / the severity of the earthquake.

7. Jill is back at work / she has just had a baby.

8. She became president of the company / widespread prejudice against women.

Exercise 8. ON THE CONTRARY & CONVERSELY. Choose a relevant connector to link the sentences below.

Example: Conversely

Over 90 per cent of the top group of students passed the exam. / Only 10 per cent of the lowest group achieved the required standard.

1. I don’t blame the author for punching the reviewer on the nose. I think he was completely justified in doing so.

2. I have never heard John say anything bad about you. He has always spoken well of you.

3. The proportion of people renting houses has declined over the years. The percentage of people buying their own houses has increased.

4. If a triangle has two equal sides, it must have two equal angles. If there are two equal angles, it must have equal sides.

5. Our firm has no objections to employing older people. Applications from people over fifty will be welcomed.

6. Some people can eat more than others and still not gain weight. Some people can eat less than others and still gain weight.

Exercise 9. ALTHOUGH vs. IN SPITE OF (DESPITE).

Read the news items below. Insert one of the above listed linkers.

1. The government has announced that ¹ sharp downturn in economic activity, it will not abandon its anti-inflation policy. ² unemployment increased by 250,000 last month, tight control of government spending is seen as the key to recovery.

2. (reviewing a motorshow) ³ the new Splendido XL2 contains many improvements, the price remains the same as for the XL1. At 24,000 pounds, the car represents excellent value, ⁴ it is obviously not a vehicle for the average motorist.

3. Famines and food shortages have increased in the Third World ⁵ improved methods of agriculture. Moreover, ⁶ there is actually a surplus of some types of food in Western Europe and the USA, much of this food is wasted or even destroyed.

4. (travel report) ⁷ widespread fog tonight, there are no reports of any problems at the airports. However, ⁸ warning lights on the MI motorway, the police are still reporting problems with motorists driving too close to the car in front.

5. __________⁹ as a society we have made great environmental progress in the last few decades, it is becoming increasingly clear that we cannot continue to do so if we do not change the way we grow.

Exercise 10. EVEN THOUGH vs. EVEN IF.

Rewrite each of the following sentences so that it begins with either connector and means the same as the given statement.

1. I don’t know if she saw me but she certainly heard me.

2. Alex typed the letter carefully. Nevertheless he made some mistakes.

3. The restaurant may be rather expensive. I still think we should go there.

4. Whether his wife agrees or not he has decided to sell the house.

5. She doesn’t speak English very well but she understands it perfectly.

6. I’m very tired, but I want to finish reading this chapter.

7. It doesn’t matter how long it takes – the work must be done.

8. She may not expect me to meet her at the station but I’ll go there anyway.

9. We studied algebra at school but I still don’t really understand it

10. It wouldn’t matter if the team won all their games. Their fans would still complain.

Exercise 11. Fill in the blanks using the following linking expressions:

despite whereas while even if even though even so

1. Patient care is suffering ________ nursing posts remain vacant across the province, according to local nurses in a new survey published at the weekend by the Royal College of Nursing and Nursing Standard.

2. In Brazil they speak Portuguese in most of South America they speak Spanish.

3. The weather was cold and wet; I felt a sense of joy.

4. The company couldn’t sell the product spending a lot on advertising.

5. ________ considerable progress, the overall goal of clean and healthy air continues to elude much of the country.

6. Sometimes I can’t understand you I know you very well.

7. He hasn’t phoned me but we are going to start work tomorrow he isn’t ready.

Exercise 12. Fill in the blanks using a linking –EVER word.

1. hard the team train they will never win the championship.

2. Come and stay with us you feel like it.

3. he says, don’t believe a word of it.

4. gets elected, President will face an impossible situation.

5. we go for our holiday it should be a place with plenty of sunshine.

6. They could choose between two routes – they decide to take they should be here in an hour.

7. Here’s some money – buy you like.

8. We’re going to come across difficulties we approach the problem.

9. _______ you say, I still like her.

10. _______ long you wear them, there’ll be no lost creases.

11. _______ advice you give him, he still does exactly what he wants.

12. She looks pretty ________ she wears.

13. _______ I asked, nobody was sure.

Exercise 13. Insert appropriate contrastive and concessive linkers.

1. ________you say, I don’t care.

2. _________I advise the children about money, I never actually pay their debts.

3. The classrooms are small, _________not unsuitable.

4. __________the difference in their ages, they were close friends.

5. _________cold it is, she always goes swimming.

6. I think she’s Swiss. I’m not sure _______.

7. Demand for this car is high, _________its high price.

8. He read the newspaper ___________he waited for the train.

9. Humans are capable of error _________the computer is not.

10. _________it’s hard work, I enjoy it.

11. I won’t accept this offer, ________favourable the conditions.

12. Yoko, ________shy, managed to speak to everyone in the room.

13. ________ we want a flat, our children would rather live in a house.

14. He can be very rude but ________ I can’t help liking him.

15. I realize she can be very annoying but_______ I think you should apologize for losing your temper with her.

16. ________he was late, he stopped to buy a sandwich.

17. –It’s not very useful.

-It’s pretty _____, isn’t it?

18. _______his poor health, my father was always cheerful.

19. ________my room is small, it’s very comfortable.

20. What you said was true but ________unkind.

21. American cars are generally too large for the Japanese market ______ Japanese cars are popular in the US.

22. ________strong the temptation, don’t stay in any job too long.

23. It wasn’t wonderful, ­­­­­­­­________ it was well acted.

24. I’ll go ______ his objecting to my presence.

25. He’s almost finished _______ I’m just starting my course.

26. ________ most of his friends study hard, he’s quite lazy.

27. I used to read a lot, _______ I never had much time.

28. _______ you fail, you gain experience.

29. This punishment, ______ perhaps necessary, seems rather severe.

30. ________ much you object, he will carry his point.

31. ________ tired, he was not disheartened.

32. ________ I say to them, I can’t keep them quiet.

33. ________ working hard, he failed the final exam.

34. His family, ______ not noble, seems to have been of some importance.

35. I may fail, _______ I’ll try.

36. John is very careful _______ Christopher makes a lot of mistakes.

37. We didn’t like the hotel at all. _______ , we still enjoyed ourselves.

38. She had a bad knee, ________ she won the game.

39. The south is hot and dry_______ the north gets quite a lot of rain.

40. The old system had its flaws, but ________ it seemed fairer than the poll tax.

41. You seem to be fond of her. – ________ , I can’t stand her.

42. He is undoubtedly the best player in the team. ___________ , he is very unpopular with the other members.

43. He dresses in shabby clothes and, frankly, looks ______ a tramp. _________ , he’s one of our most brilliant concert pianists.

44. The first two witnesses could scarcely be heard. ________ , the third one spoke out clearly.

Exercise 14. Connect the ideas using appropriate contrast linkers.

1. The UAE (United Arab Emirates) have plenty of oil. Byelorussia has none.

2. They want a house. We’d rather live in a flat.

3. Does it rain a lot in the desert? It hardly ever rains there.

4. I know this job of mine isn’t well-paid. I don’t have to work long hours.

5. –I hear you’re enjoying your new job. –I find it rather dull.

6. It rarely rains in the desert. It rains a lot in the coastal areas.

7. It is hot in the desert in the day. It’s very cold there at night.

8. The coastal areas have mild winters. The central plains become extremely cold.

9. My car is very old. It still runs very well.

10. The offenders were dealt with firmly. They were dealt with fairly.

11. He was hard-working. There was never enough money to pay the bills.

12. He’s a bad manager. There’s no reason to dismiss him.

13. He sounds hoarse. He’s got a sore throat.

14. Both men say they are innocent. One of them must be lying.

15. War is a terrible thing. I believe we must defend our land.

16. The price increase will obviously be unpopular. It is unlikely to reduce demand.

17. This year’s fall in profits was not unexpected. It’s very disappointing.

18. You can use beer yeast for bread making. You can use bread yeast for brewing beer.

19. The company’s profits have fallen slightly. It is not a serious problem.

20. I’d hoped there might be a job for me. It wasn’t to be.

21. We have good reason to feel pleased with our progress. We mustn’t get complacent.

22. I have never been an enemy of monarchy. I consider monarchies essential.

23. The Russian federation has an area of 17 mln. square km. The tiny state of Monaco has an area of only 1,6 km².

24. You may feel that you should have received the award. I feel that the judges made the right decision.

25. This newspaper story could damage their reputation. It will give them a lot of free publicity.

Exercise 15. Cross out the incorrect answers. Both answers may be correct.

1. Although/ In spite of we left late, we still got there in time.

2. It was a fantastic evening although/ in spite of the terrible food.

3. We have decided to go in spite of/ despite the cost of the tickets.

4. They enjoyed the course even though/ whereas it was very difficult.

5. I love the sea while/ whereas most of my friends prefer the mountains.

6. We both told John the car was too expensive. However/ On the other hand, he still decided to buy it.

7. During the week the town centre is very busy. Whereas/ On the other hand, at the weekend it is very quiet and almost empty.

8. – It is the most significant novel of the twentieth century.

• By contrast/ On the contrary, I wouldn’t light a fire with it!