Conjunctions are words which link together parts of sentences, or link sentences together into paragraphs:
The experiment was repeated three times, but the results were totally consistent.
There are frequent strikes. However, the economy remains strong.
Words such as but, however, although, whereas, while, yet, despite are a special type of conjunction: conjunctions of opposition. It is vital to understand how these work both for reading and writing.
These conjunctions are signposts which tell the reader that two sides of a situation are being presented, often a positive and a negative, for example:
frequent strikes = negative
strong economy = positive
Note the position of the conjunction in the following:
Although/ while there are frequent strikes, the economy remains strong.
There are frequent strikes, but/ yet the economy remains strong.
There are frequent strikes. Nevertheless, the economy remains strong.
Students are strongly advised NOT to use 'On the one hand .... on the other ...' as it is frequently mis-used.
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Using capital letters in academic writing can be confusing. In modern English there is a tendency to use capitals less, but they are an important guide for the reader and certain rules need to be followed:
- A new sentence must begin with a capital letter: In the beginning ...
- Names of organisations and their acronyms: The University of East Anglia (UEA)
- Days and months: Sunday March 10th
- Nationality words: Germans live in Germany
- Names of people and places: Dr Martin Lee from Singapore
- Article and book titles: Power and the State (main words only)
We normally use capitals to talk about geographical or political areas: Middle East, the West, but not with directions e.g. east, west.
Certain titles also require capitals: Prime Minister, Vice-Chancellor.
In every subject there are schools of thought that generally need capitals: Communism, Keynesianism, Marxism.
There are also well-known events such as The Second World War, The War on Terror and The Industrial Revolution that are usually capitalised.
As with other aspects of writing, the more articles you read the more examples you will find of good practice in your academic area.
