How to use linking words in English - part 2

(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Hi, welcome to the 3 English Experts. I'm Dave, I'm Rebecca, and I'm Birgit, and welcome to this episode. 3 English Experts is your English podcast to help you speak better English and create a positive and happy mindset for your English learning journey. Hello, everyone, and welcome back to a new episode of our podcast. Today, we're picking up linking words again. That's something that comes in very useful to upgrade your English. Linking words is an issue that you can use when you want to combine two thoughts maybe in your head. I know from my learners, they find it difficult sometimes to construct longer sentences in your own language. That's obviously not a problem. But in English, they lack the ability sometimes to combine two thoughts. And that's very useful with linking words. And now our focus today will be on contrasting words. So you can bring one argument and then another one maybe in a presentation or in a discussion. And you can link that two thoughts, these two thoughts with a linking word. Yes, we have first episode on that, the first part one, which was published a little earlier. You'll find it in the list when you scroll through our offer. Yes, but now let's talking about today's subject. Rebecca, I think Rebecca going to start. Yes, thank you, Birgit. So I'm going to kick off with three easy ones. Let's start easy to contrast. So we've got but, however, and nevertheless, all pretty much the same, basically the same. But obviously, nevertheless sounds a lot fancier than but. But we can use these in different ways. Obviously, but is the easy ones. I don't know. I like fish, but I don't buy it very often because it's expensive. But would normally go in the middle of a sentence. It's a contrast, but it's in the middle. I wouldn't normally start a sentence with a capital B, but you can do that in speaking. But in general, in written, I would always put but in the middle. Doesn't need a comma. Often people go but, comma. I don't really think a but needs a comma. But I keep saying but. It's a simple one. So I would say to people, if you want to upgrade a little bit, let's go with however is a fancy one. It sounds a bit nicer. I like fish. However, it's quite expensive, so I don't buy it very often. It just sounds a little bit nicer. And, of course, however would go beginning of a sentence. It's not in the middle. Generally, you would put it at the beginning of a sentence. So you would make a statement full stop. Then you would have however, comma, however should be followed by a comma. That's quite important. And then your contrast. For example, if I said to you, Dave, it was raining full stop. However, I went to the beach. Exactly. However, comma, I went to the beach. So you've got contrast. It's raining, but however, I went to the beach. Birgit, did you want to say something or should I ask you a question? Yes. What came to my head before you introduced the sentences is that I believe learners and maybe our listeners too feel however and but and nevertheless, three different words with three different meanings. I think people feel like it's a different word, so I'm not going to use it. I feel safe with but and why is there another word meaning the same? And that happens a lot. You very often have choices in the language. So please don't get confused. Take it as an option, as Rebecca said, upgrade and use different varieties. Yeah, I think however, sometimes people get confused and they think, oh, it's like whatever. It's not the same because they think it sounds really casual. No, that's whatever. No, however, it's just a nice version of aber. So Birgit, your example, let me think of an example. The restaurant was good. Full stop. However, they didn't have many vegan dishes to offer. Yeah, exactly. They didn't have much vegan food. My kids wouldn't eat it. No pasta. Yeah, no pasta. Yeah. So yeah, it's just sentence, full stop. However, and then the contrast easy to use. Sounds a bit nicer. OK, so moving on the last one, the really fancy one. Nevertheless, I love that in German. I love that word. It sounds really fancy. I don't know if it is fancy, but I like that word in German and again, use it in exactly the same way. So Dave, she studied hard for her exam. Nevertheless, she failed. Exactly. She studied hard, but nevertheless, she failed. Or, for example, Birgit, she didn't study hard for the exam. Nevertheless, she passed. Exactly. She passed. Yeah. Easy to use. Again, it needs a comma, like however, nevertheless, comma goes at the beginning of a sentence. I wouldn't put it in the middle. So fancy upgrades for bot. I like the word fancy. Dave keeps laughing when I say the word bot. Bot. Oh, I know why. There's two reasons why he's laughing. First of all, because bot is very Sheffield sounding and bot has a different meaning. Yeah. And I like the word fancy here. Fancier. It's fancier. No, because what do you fancy now? That's very often something to introduce of us to Luz. What do you fancy? It's a fancy is a tricky word because there's so many of this. What do you fancy, Luz? It's fancy. He's got a fancy car, like a flashy. Yeah. Fancy car, but then fancy dress. Fancy dress, costume for Kleidung. It's costume. But some people think fancy dress is schicke Kleidung. This is always a problem. Fancy dress is a costume. It's not a fancy. But the newest learning and teaching is mostly what do you fancy? Do you fancy coffee now? Do you fancy glass of wine? No, it's a good phrase. I think it's a bit British though. Is it, Dave? I'd say so. I think we use it a lot, don't we? Fancy meeting. And especially fancy in the sense that you use it as a fancy word. I don't know if the Americans would necessarily use it in that context. I've no idea. I don't know, but I don't think so. Yeah. I think it's a British thing. Yeah. Okay. So Dave's going to talk about the fanciness of despite. Despite and in spite of. Okay. Again, they're very interchangeable. You can use both at the same time. Okay. And in spite is the one that we use more in conversation. So if you want to write an email, maybe you could use both, but despite would be the one that we use more often in more formal English. Okay. Let's give you some examples. Despite, always, and in spite of, always followed by a noun. So a thing, for example, despite the rain, we went for a walk. So the rain, of course, is the noun, the thing. Despite the rain, we went for a walk. Or in spite of his illness, he attended the meeting. Okay. So his illness, of course, is a noun. Also, you have to have a gerund if you build the sentence this way. So despite feeling tired, she kept studying. So again, the gerund is this verb with this ING form. Or in spite of being late, they let him in. Okay. So they're the two main times when we use despite and in spite of. Now, if you want to change the sentence a little bit, and often you do, maybe you want to make more of a sort of a subject verb sentence, then you have to change things around and say, in fact, use the fact that. Despite the fact it was raining, we went for a walk. Or in spite of the fact that he felt tired, he attended the meeting. Okay. There are different ways to use these. I think the important thing to remember is they mean more or less the same. Despite is that little bit more formal. And if you want to change the sentence around, then you would use this. The fact that. Yeah. I think that's when people, they know this word, but actually using it is when they get it wrong. I think the fact that it's a bit confusing. So when do I use a noun? Do I use a verb? It's not actually that easy, I think. Of course. And the other thing is, I think, the of. So despite, people start saying despite of. But it's despite or in spite of. So in spite always needs the of. I think those for me are the typical mistakes that I hear, that they don't always use it in the right way, or they start adding the of onto the despite. And I think it's maybe easier just to try to remember to use the top, the form with the noun. Yeah. Or the verb ing and forget everything else. Maybe just keep it simple, right? Yeah, I think so. It's yeah, the noun is the easiest one. Despite the rain, it just keeps it simple. But do we have to explain the gerund? Because you said that. Now use the gerund construction, the ing. So despite being late, despite having not eaten, that's a gerund construction. That's another issue. Maybe that should cover another episode at one point. Yeah. Yeah, I think there are so many scenarios that you need this gerund form and this ing and it is really tough. And I think that is, again, moving on from B2, upgrading to C1 is really, if I can hear someone's using those in the right way, I would always think I'd be impressed with that. It is a tricky one. Yeah. Okay. Have you got some examples for us, Dave? Yes. So fill in the sentence. Despite blah, blah, blah, I had a great time. Okay. Despite the awful food at the party. Despite the awful British food at the party, I had a good time. Very good. That was a noun phrase. Very good. That was a noun. I chose the easy one. I chose the noun one. Okay. In spite of filling the gap, he managed to finish his work. In spite of the rain, maybe he managed to finish his work because he works outside. You should have seen Dave's look. He wasn't expecting that answer, I think. He thought of somebody working at the desk. He's got a leaky roof. Yeah, if he works outside. Sorry. Okay. No problem. Cool. I think Birgit is over to you for the last set. Thank you. The last set is I want to introduce although and even though. Both mean the same, again, or towards even though. And many people might not think of even though and might not use it. And what changes now to what Dave introduced is that they are not followed by a noun, but a verb construction. Although I was hungry, there was nothing to eat in the fridge. Even though I was thirsty, I couldn't find anything I liked. That's the big difference here to what Dave introduced before. And I want to start a sentence for you, Rebecca. Okay. Although I didn't like carnival. Although I drank a large amount of beer, I still didn't like carnival. That's not true. Something wrong because beer should help. What else could I say? Although my best friend told me it was the best carnival ever. I didn't really like carnival. Yeah, you're not to be convinced yet. Even though, David, the cat wasn't happy. That's a tricky one. Sorry, let's find a new one. You didn't have another example. I was thinking Dave's the most non-animal person ever. Okay, football. Yeah, football, please. Can we have a football one? Even though. Even though Liverpool played well, they lost the game, for example. And then the other thing with the even though and the though, you can use though on its own. Yeah. That changes a little bit because it's not contrasting then. Is it still contrasting though? The weather was really nice though. It's still contrasting. It's the same idea. Though the weather though. We didn't go though. It was we were invited, but we didn't go though. You could put it at the end as well. That's quite confusing, although it's a little bit. Is that a little bit slang? Colloquial. A little bit. We were invited, but we didn't go though. You could just say we didn't go full stop. You could say we didn't go though. We didn't want to. Yeah. But people do say it. I think I hear it. Yeah. Yeah, you do. You do. As natives, what would you say? Have you got favorites of those we introduced now? Is that something you use more or less? You're inclined to use more? Difficult to say. I don't know if I have favorites. I probably have some that I do naturally use more than others. For me, it's just about choice. I think that's why I always say to my clients, I give them a list and I say you don't have to know them or use them all, but just have options, especially if you're trying to upgrade your written English or your spoken English presentations, don't always say, but say, however, nevertheless, it adds more interest. It's got a bit more style. It's just a bit more. Varying stuff. It varies. Yeah. And I think, I don't know if I have favorites. People do. Like I say, nicht desto trotz in German is one of my favorites. So I have favorite German words. I don't know if I have favorite English ones. What about stattdessen? Stattdessen. Yes. That's one I would never use, actually, although I know it. I use, what was the other one I learned? Wohin gehen? Oh, my God. That's very fancy. I know. And I was like thinking I was all fancy because I know wohin gehen. So I think you just have to choose ones that you like, learn how to use them first, learn the structure, really get that into your head. And then, yeah, it's good to have options. Yeah. Don't be afraid of adding them on. And it's interesting for us also to hear that, yeah, there's some in German you would never use for some reason you don't even know. Yeah. I don't know. It's just you have those ones that you always stick to. Or you're not completely sure how to use them. That's the other point then I would avoid because I think, what? Yeah. Maybe that's. Do I really know how to use that? So that's like I said, learn how to fix a phrase in your head. Although it was raining, we went to the beach. And then you've got the structure. That's what I would do. Golden Nugget. OK, so this week's Golden Nugget is another linking word or two linking words we're going to talk about as a matter of fact or in fact. They're basically the same and they're used to emphasize something. So add on extra information. For example, you can say Munich has a large beer festival. In fact, it's the biggest beer festival in the world. You've got two sentences and the second sentence you're emphasizing. Oh, yeah, I know that restaurant. As a matter of fact, I know the owner. So I can get you a reservation. It's like this sort of you say a statement and then you add on. You emphasize the information in the first one. They're both the same as a matter of fact, or you can just say in fact. And it's just a nice emphasis, again, especially good for presentations. So we are a leader in this product. In fact, we're the biggest provider in Europe. But as a matter of fact, we are now currently the global leader or something. So it's just this emphasis, a statement, full stop, followed by as a matter of fact or in fact, and also you would follow that with a comma. If you were writing, you would say as a matter of fact, comma, or in fact, comma, it's the biggest beer festival in the world. So I think that's quite a nice extra. Absolutely. Very good. Thank you. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. So would you like to meet us, the three English experts? We are really excited to say we are offering a live two-day workshop in Cologne in September. It's going to be fantastic. We're so excited about this. You have the opportunity to meet us to spend three hours with Dave learning communication techniques, three hours with Birgit working on your grammar, and finally, three hours with me working on your mindset and your motivation. It's the perfect reboot, refresh for your English, and it's going to be insightful. It's going to be interactive, and it's going to be lots and lots of fun. 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