In the unit "Words of Wisdom - Comparing and Contrasting", you learned how to use transitions in writing to express comparisons and contrasts. Unit "Language Matters - Expressing Cause and Effect", looked at phrases and expressions to show cause and effect. In this unit, you’ll learn how to use similar tools to add information and give examples.
Being able to do this is very useful when you are trying to support your ideas in writing. Additional information and examples expand your thoughts and make it more likely that your reader will believe or be persuaded by your writing. They also help you to combine shorter ideas and increase the variety of your sentences.
Adding Information
The most common word used to add information is and. It can be used to connect words, phrases, and clauses together.
- Our government should be showing compassion and understanding to these people.
- I brought some tools to the school and showed the students how to use them safely.
- There were nearly 500 people at the first meeting, and all of them wanted to have their voices heard.
Teacher's Note
If your students are having trouble with the comma here, the structure of compound sentences are explained in Writing Skills 3-1.
And works perfectly well, and should certainly be used in your writing. However, to add more variety to your writing, you can use other expressions to connect phrases and clauses that further explain what you want the reader to know, understand, or believe.
Conjunctive Adverbs
One of the most common linking devices used to express additional information is a conjunctive adverb.
- Many civil rights leaders protested against racist voting restrictions; in addition, they tried to raise awareness about discrimination in housing, employment, and education.
; You may also use a period here and make this two separate sentences.
The adverbial phrase “in addition” connects the two pieces of information together and gives more detail and explanation about the idea.
Here are some common conjunctive adverbs you can use to add information:
- in addition
- what’s more
- furthermore
- plus
- moreover
- besides
- Most of the ideas we heard from the staff were very exciting; furthermore, they seemed to be practical and easy to do.
- Carl apologized for backing into her car. What’s more, he promised to pay for all the damages.
- Educating young people about current events helps them to understand the important issues affecting their lives; plus, it can motivate them to become more active and engaged as citizens.
Besides is used in the same way, but it has a slightly different meaning.
- The new website is complicated and hard to use. Besides, most people were satisfied with the old one.
As you can see, the added information is related, but feels more important. Because of this, besides is most often used at the beginning of the clause.
Other Expressions
In addition to conjunctive adverbs, there are several expressions that you can use to add details and supporting ideas.
not only
Not only allows us to add a piece of information that is surprising or unexpected. The expression is attached to the first part of the sentence as follows:
- The book was not only entertaining; it also made readers think a lot.
- They can not only collect personal information; they can also track your movement across the web.
as well as
As well as is a preposition phrase that is used to add a noun phrase to a sentence. It is often used with participle phrases.
- The movement against alcohol in the 1920s showed the power of ordinary people to change laws as well as the growing influence and power of women in social movements.
- The coffee shop quickly became his favourite place on campus to eat as well as a quiet place to study and read.
- Her book was thought-provoking as well as entertaining to read.
not to mention, let alone
These two phrases allow you to add ideas to your sentence. They are mostly used to give emphasis or extra attention to the thing that is being added. They give the feeling that the added information is so obvious that it shouldn’t even have to be mentioned.
- The idea is incredibly risky, not to mention illegal.
- It was amazing that someone that young understood the science, let alone actually conducted their own experiments.
Giving Examples
Of course, giving examples is often the most effective way to convince a reader to believe or accept your ideas. One of the most common expressions for doing this is such as. It is used to give a short example in the middle or at the end of a sentence.
- In some Asian countries, such as Japan and South Korea, the school summer break is much shorter than it is in Europe or North America.
- Leafy green vegetables, such as kale and spinach, are low in calories but full of nutrients.
As with defining and non-defining relative clauses, the phrase beginning with such as does not need a comma if the information is defining; that is, it must be included to understand the sentence.
- Sports such as soccer and basketball require other people to play, but others can be done by yourself.
Here are a few other ways to introduce examples to help support your writing.
Conjunctive Adverbs
As with adding information, using a conjunctive adverb is a clear, simple way to add an example. Here are some common adverbs you can use for this function:
- for example
- basically
- for instance
- for one thing
- in this case
- Very few members of the basketball team liked the new coach. For example, the starting centre thought he was inexperienced and rude.
- There are many ways to become involved in your community; for instance, you can reach out to your neighbours and try to build relationships with them.
- She isn’t qualified for the job; for one thing, she doesn’t have nearly enough experience for this kind of position.
Infinitive Adverbials
Infinitive adverbials are infinitive verbs or phrases that you can use to show your reader that you are giving an example. The two most commonly used are to illustrate and to demonstrate.
- Animals kept in zoos for long periods of time often develop strange behaviours. To illustrate, tigers can often be seen repeatedly walking back and forth in their cages.
- People who read news websites daily are more likely to vote in national elections. To demonstrate, look at this data collected in 2016.
Not only do all of these expressions make your writing more interesting to read, but they also help make it more appropriate for formal or academic situations.