Conjunctive Adverbs: Conjunctive Adverbs (#2)

Dennis Oliver

Conjunctive Adverbs (#2):
Showing Results

Conjunctive adverbs (or sentence connectors or
transitional words) join sentences, not parts of sentences.
In choosing a conjunctive adverb to use in connecting
sentences, the relationship between the sentences that
are to be connected is very important.

When what happens in one sentence is the result of what
happened in the preceding sentence, only a few conjunctive
adverbs can be used. The most common ones for this
situation are therefore, as a result, consequently, and
accordingly. All of these mean the same thing and are
used in the same way.

Examples:

situation:

result:

It rained very hard.

The game was canceled.

It rained very hard; therefore, the game was canceled.

It rained very hard; as a result, the game was canceled.

It rained very hard; consequently, the game was canceled.

It rained very hard; accordingly, the game was canceled.

situation:

result:

Meg was exhausted.

She went to bed as soon as she got home.

Meg was exhausted; therefore, she went to bed
as soon as she got home.

Meg was exhausted; as a result, she went to bed
as soon as she got home.

Meg was exhausted; consequently, she went to bed
as soon as she got home.

Meg was exhausted; accordingly, she went to bed
as soon as she got home.

Special Notes:

Conjunctive adverbs can also be used
after periods:

It rained very hard. Therefore, the game
was canceled.

It rained very hard. As a result, the game
was canceled.

It rained very hard. Consequently, the game
was canceled.

It rained very hard. Accordingly, the game
was canceled.

Sentences showing results can also
be joined by using because and so, but
the punctuation is different:

It rained very hard, so the game was canceled.

The game was canceled because it rained
very hard.

Because it rained very hard, the game
was canceled.

Note that a comma, not a semicolon, is used
with so. Note, also, that when because is in
the middle of a sentence, there is no comma,
but when it is at the beginning of a sentence,
there is a comma.

Conjunctive Adverbs: Conjunctive Adverbs (#2)

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