112. Synonyms of Connectors

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Most English connectors can be paraphrased with words that are not connectors

THE CONCEPT OF CONNECTOR SYNONYMS

Connectors are adverb-like expressions that help to show how the meaning of their sentence is related to that of one (or ones) nearby – usually just before (see 18. Relations between Sentences). They may comprise one or more words (see 259. Multi-Word Connectors). Common examples are for example, however, therefore and otherwise. A typical use is as follows:

(a) Manufacturers must invest in new equipment. Otherwise, they will lose custom.

Here, otherwise says its sentence is naming the outcome of not acting in the way described in the sentence before (invest in new equipment). In other words, it signals a kind of “opposite consequence”.

Connector meanings are often able to be expressed by a conjunction instead – e.g. or in (a) – but they are then typically associated with ideas in the same sentence rather than in separate ones (see 40. Conjunctions versus Connectors). The ability of connectors to show a meaning link between separate sentences makes them especially useful for clarifying overall paragraph structure (see 122. Signpost Words in Multi-Sentence Lists,  167. Ways of Arguing 1 and 210. Process Descriptions).

Connectors have to be distinguished from other kinds of sentence-focussed adverb. In the following, technically starts its sentence in the same way as otherwise above, but it does not show a link with an external statement:

(b) Technically, “the” is not an adjective.

Other adverbs like this include surprisingly and naturally. For an extensive list and classification, see 121. Sentence-Spanning Adverbs.

The term “synonyms of connectors” could logically apply to conjunctions, given their meaning similarity to connectors, but I wish to exclude them here because of their non-association with links between sentences. I am also ruling out connectors that mean roughly the same as other connectors – for example consequently mirroring therefore. Although such possibilities are what are normally called synonyms, they are not the focus here because many are already listed in this blog in posts like those above.

The connector synonyms of interest here are nouns, verbs, adjectives and non-connector adverbs. It is also possible to paraphrase a connector with a whole sentence (see 186. Language in Oral Presentations), but words are the primary focus below as they seem more common – and they can often indicate how to compose a sentence synonym.

It may seem surprising to link words of different classes (different “parts of speech”) together as synonyms. I do so in the belief that it can facilitate vocabulary learning and give a better understanding of how people write. This latter claim is quite a common one in this blog – see for example 27. How to Avoid Passive Verbs,  80. How to Paraphrase and 270. Paraphrasing Adjectives with Words of Different Kinds, #5, plus the technical article How Syntax can Highlight Useful EAP Vocabulary.

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LIST OF CONNECTOR SYNONYMS

Below is an illustration of how a connector (on the other hand) can be paraphrased with a grammatically different kind of word, in this case a verb. The connector meaning is that of “contrast”. The connector and its synonym are underlined:

(c) Carbohydrates in the Italian diet frequently take the form of pasta. In many Asian countries, on the other hand, they are most likely to be eaten as rice.

(d) Carbohydrates in the Italian diet frequently take the form of pasta. Many Asian countries differ in preferring rice.

Note how on the other hand and its synonym differ are both inside the second of the two sentences whose meaning link they are helping to show.

Other synonyms of on the other hand include unlike, contrast(s), varies, different(ly), contrasting, dissimilar, not the same, more and less (see 216. Indicating Differences). In addition, words ending in -self can be useful (see 143. Subtleties of “-self” Words).

As mentioned above, connector synonyms like the above can help to make a sentence-long synonym. Observe how not the same does this in the following:

(e) Carbohydrates in the Italian diet frequently take the form of pasta. This is not the same everywhere. Many Asian countries prefer rice.

One possible reason for making a link in this way is to give the reader/ listener more time to take in what is being said.

Here is a list of other common connectors, along with words and phrases of different grammatical categories that mean roughly the same:

AS A RESULT/ CONSEQUENTLY/ THUS: consequence, result, outcome, result(s) in, cause(s), make(s), consequent, resultant (see 32. Expressing Consequences).

THEREFORE: mean(s), implies, suggest(s), be concluded, be inferred, conclusion, inference, logical(ly) (see 20. Problem Connectors).

FOR EXAMPLE/FOR INSTANCE/THUS: an example, an instance, as an illustration, one, a case (in point), exemplifies, illustrate(s), illustrative, etc. (and its synonyms), include, consider, take, imagine, suppose (see 33. Complex Example-Giving).

IN ADDITION/ MOREOVER/ FURTHERMORE/ ALSO: additional, further, another, the next, the first/ second/ third etc. (see 122. Signpost Words in Multi-Sentence Lists).

HOWEVER/ NEVERTHELESS/ EVEN SO: does not mean, contradict(s), surprising(ly), unexpected(ly), unusual.

SIMILARLY/ LIKEWISE/ IN THE SAME WAY: resemble(s), mirror(s), similar, no different(ly) comparable, (a)like, analogous(ly), corresponding(ly), comparably, equally, similarly (adverb). The ability shown here of similarly to link with either a complete sentence as a connector or just a part of one in another adverb role is possessed by some other connectors too (see the end of 121. Sentence-Spanning Adverbs). For illustrations of similarity-showing connector synonyms in use, see 149. Saying How Things are Similar.

IN FACT/ IN REALITY: real, true, actual(ly), reality, truth, the fact of the matter.

ALTERNATIVELY/ OTHERWISE/ IF NOT: the/an alternative, opposite, alternative, another, choice, option, possibility (see 266. Indicating Alternatives).

MEANWHILE/ IN THE MEANTIME/ AT THE SAME TIME/ SIMULTANEOUSLY/ ALL THIS TIME: this time, simultaneous, parallel, as/while this is happening, during this process, throughout (see 225. Simultaneous Occurrence and 258. Saying How Long Something Lasts).

IN OTHER WORDS/ THAT IS TO SAY: mean(s), translated, equate(s) to saying, is tantamount to saying, is another way of saying, more simply, more/less technically, paraphrase(d), rephrase(d), reworded (see 286. Repeating in Different Words).

THIS IS BECAUSE/ THE REASON IS THAT/ FOR ONE (or ANOTHER) THING: the explanation, a factor, grounds, attributed to, put down to (see 306. Ways of Giving a Reason).

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PRACTICE EXERCISE: CONNECTOR SYNONYMS

Below are some pairs of sentences. Each second sentence contains a connector synonym. Readers are invited to rephrase these sentences so that each contains a connector instead. Suggested answers are at the end.

1. Space travel is expensive. This does not mean that people want it to stop.

2. Some male penguins look after incubating eggs. The females spend this time fishing at sea.

3. Some food crops have a non-food use. Take sugar cane. This can be converted into fuel for motor vehicles.

4. Savings can be invested in an interest-bearing bond. Another possibility is to purchase shares with them.

5. Written reports need to be formal and concise. The opposite is true of oral presentations, which usually involve informality and repetition.

6. High population growth rates are sometimes blamed on cultural attitudes. The truth is that poverty is a more likely cause.

7. Success at sport will not come without constant physical exercise. Academic achievement is not so different, requiring regular intellectual challenges.

8. Excessive intake of alcoholic beverages produces deleterious physical effects. What this means is that too much drinking is unhealthy.

9. Ostriches are birds. They are unusual in that they run instead of flying.

10. Some bacteria produce poisonous substances in a number of human foods. These make the foods dangerous to eat.

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Suggested Answers

1. Space travel is expensive. However, people do not want it to stop.

2. Some male penguins look after incubating eggs. Meanwhile, the females fish/are fishing at sea.

3. Some food crops have a non-food use. For example, sugar cane can be converted into fuel for motor vehicles.

4. Savings can be invested in an interest-bearing bond. Alternatively, shares can be purchased with them.

5. Written reports need to be formal and concise. On the other hand, oral presentations usually involve informality and repetition.

6. High population growth rates are sometimes blamed on cultural attitudes. In fact, poverty is a more likely cause.

7. Success at sport will not come without constant physical exercise. Similarly, academic achievement requires regular intellectual challenges.

8. Excessive intake of alcoholic beverages produces deleterious physical effects. In other words, too much drinking is unhealthy.

9. Ostriches are birds. Nevertheless, they run instead of flying.

10. Some bacteria produce poisonous substances in a number of human foods. As a result, the foods become dangerous to eat.

111. Words with a Typical Preposition

Many preposition choices are dictated by a word next to them

HOW PREPOSITIONS CAN BE “TYPICAL”

“Typical” is my word to describe a preposition that is very likely to be chosen whenever a particular other word needs to be used with a preposition. As a result, a speaker who knows it will often be able to predict it before hearing or seeing it. Compare the following:

(a) Nomadic peoples can be found … Europe.

(b) The Mediterranean Sea is bounded … Europe in the north and Africa in the south.

(c) Medical researchers are intent … finding a cancer cure.

In (a), we cannot be sure exactly what the missing preposition is: it could be in, across, outside, near, next to, throughout or beyond. Each of these prepositions expresses a different, equally possible meaning, and does not rely on any other word to do so. This use of a preposition is what I think of as a “pure” rather than “typical” one, with the basic meaning of the preposition involved. For more examples, see 151. Ways of Using Compass Words,  229. Metaphorical Prepositions and 295. Options in Saying Where, #5.

In (b), on the other hand, the preposition is much more predictable: any other possibility than by is hard to think of. However, this is still not a true “typical” preposition: we know what it is not from any other word in the sentence, but from the presence of a particular grammatical structure, the passive voice of the verb is bounded.

This use of a preposition is what I call “grammatical”. Other examples of it are for in purpose sentences (see 60. Purpose Sentences with “for”), with before an “instrument” (see 73. Prepositions for Saying How) and to before an indirect object (see 126. Verbs with an Indirect Object). For more examples of how grammar can dictate the choice of neighbouring words, see 100. What is a Grammar Error?

Sentence (c) above also has a preposition that a skilled English user could predict quite easily: on. The predictability this time, however, does result from the presence of a particular other word: the adjective intent. If you look up this word in a dictionary (taking care to distinguish it from the similarly-spelt noun – see 195. Tricky Word Contrasts 7, #2), you will find that it is nearly always followed by the name of a target, and it has to be linked to that name by the preposition on.

It is this kind of preposition use that the present post is about. It is a subdivision of the much wider vocabulary phenomenon in English known as “collocation” (see 16. Ways of Distinguishing Similar Words, #5). Prepositions determined by collocation are much more numerous, and hence harder to remember, than those determined by grammar or their own meaning. Moreover, not all are as easy to predict as on in (c): some can be replaced by one or two alternatives. However, here I will concentrate on unique possibilities, leaving the question of alternative typical prepositions to the later post 134. Words with a Variable Preposition.

The words that determine collocational prepositions fall into various categories. The sections below illustrate these and indicate some of the associated prepositions that give particular problems to less experienced English users.

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WORDS THAT DETERMINE A PREPOSITION CHOICE

Words that typically make a collocation with a preposition may be verbs, adjectives or nouns.

1. Verbs

Verbs with a typical following preposition are commonly called “prepositional”. Examples are LEAD TO, DEPEND ON, COPE WITH and BELONG TO. Some of the verbs that make a combination like this always have the preposition, while others can be used without one to mean something else. LEAD, for example, can without a preposition mean “be a leader of”.

Further examples of prepositional verbs, along with problems in using them, are presented elsewhere in this blog in the posts 44. Troublesome Prepositional Verbs,  108. Formal and Informal Words and 123. Prepositional Verbs Containing a Noun.

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2. Adjectives

The word intent in (c) above is an adjective. It nearly always needs a following on (+ noun). Other adjectives that typically accompany a particular preposition include averse to, bent on, conducive to, conversant with, devoid of, incumbent upon, prone to, reliant on, subject to and used to. The need for the preposition to be normally present means the adjectives usually follow their noun with a link verb like BE in between – they cannot go directly before it (see 109. Placing an Adjective after its Noun). For more about averse, see 175. Tricky Word Contrasts 6, #6.

After these prepositions, there can be not just a noun or equivalent but a verb instead, fitted to the role by means of -ing, e.g. prone to leaking (see 70. Gerunds). Care is needed when the preposition is to not to confuse it with the to of infinitive verbs, which of course has no following -ing (see 35. Words Followed by “to -ing”).

Another group of adjectives have a single typical preposition but can also be used alone without it, sometimes with a different meaning. Take conscious: by itself it means “awake” but with an of phrase it means “noticing”. Other examples are absent (from), afraid (of), aware (of), capable (of), characteristic (of), close (to), compliant (with), conditional (on), content (with), curious (about), dependent (on), different (from/than), emphatic (about), equal (to), equivalent (to), familiar (with), famous (for), fond (of), frustrated (with), harmful (to), immune (to), inclined (towards), inherent (in), insistent (on), keen (on), key (to), kind (to), liable (to), opposite (to) (= “contrasting”), productive (of), proud (of), ready (for), responsible (for), short (of), similar (to), subsidiary (to), superior (to), supportive (of), susceptible (to), tired (of), typical (of), vulnerable (to), worthy (of).

The adjective opposite is not to be confused with the noun (which needs of) or the preposition (with no other preposition) (see 261. Words with Complicated Grammar 3, #4). Equivalent too can be a noun with of. For examples of similarity / difference adjectives used with and without a preposition, see 149. Saying how Things are Similar and 216. Indicating Differences.

A small difficulty with some of these adjectives (underlined) is that they can have their meaning expanded in other ways than with a preposition, such as with that or a to verb, usually to express a different meaning. For a comparison of the different possibilities, see 203. Expanding an Adjective with Words after it. For a discussion of afraid, see 175. Tricky Word Contrasts 6, #5. For one of capable, see 292. Synonym Pairs with Contrasting Grammar, #7.

Many other adjectives have more than one typical following preposition. Sorry, for example, may go with either for or about depending on meaning (see 48. Tricky Word Contrasts 1, #6). Adjectives of this kind are reviewed in 134. Words with a Variable Preposition.

A possible source of confusion concerning adjectives found only with a single preposition is that even they sometimes precede a different preposition. Consider this:

(d) The supplies became ready after two days.

Superficially, this suggests that ready can combine with after as well as its typical partner for. In reality, however, after is combining with two days instead. This is clear from the fact that after two days makes an obvious separate time phrase saying when the verb action happened. Moreover, a for phrase like for use can easily be added before it.

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 3. Nouns

Prepositions always have a partner noun or equivalent, usually placed after them (see 84. Seven Things to Know About Prepositions, #1). Sometimes they also have a noun just in front of them. Both of these noun types are capable of determining what the preposition is:

(e) Air pollution levels can be plotted on a graph.

(f) It was quickly noted that there were problems with the graph.

In (e) the preposition on is necessitated by the noun graph after it, while in (f) with must be used because of the noun problems before it – even though the noun graph is still used after it. The reason for preferring with to on in (f) is that the meaning of on (position-locating) is not being expressed. If it were, problems on the graph would be possible. 

Comprehensive lists of noun-preposition and preposition-noun collocations are unfortunately too long to provide in a short piece like this. However, a few indicative examples may be of use.

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NOUN-PREPOSITION COMBINATIONS

One important group in this category involves what I call “action” nouns: derived from verbs and similar to them in meaning (see 14. Noun Countability Clues 1). Those with a typical following preposition tend to be derived from verbs which also have a typical preposition – in other words prepositional verbs. The preposition does not change.

Examples are (an) agreement with, (an) application for, attention to, (a) belief in, (a) benefit from, a complaint about, compliance with, (a) contribution to, correspondence to, dependence on, disposal of, a focus on, indulgence in, an objection to, (a) payment for, (a) reaction to, reliance on, a response to, a search for, a struggle with.

Combinations with other nouns include an alternative to, a clue to, confidence in, enthusiasm for, an exception to, feedback on, an effect on, interest in, the key to, a limit on, an obstacle to, a possibility of, power over, a preliminary to, problems with, a reason for and a substitute for. Nouns that can be followed by one or more other prepositions are considered elsewhere not just in 134. Words with a Variable Preposition but also 78. Infinitive versus Preposition after Nouns,  160. Uses of “of” and 287. Speech and Thought Nouns.

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PREPOSITION-NOUN COMBINATIONS

One whole group of collocations in this category corresponds to common adverbs. For example, with accuracy means “accurately” and in depth means “deeply”. A full examination of this area is in the post 85. Preposition Phrases & Corresponding Adverbs. Outside of this group, the following are of interest. For more, see 164. Fixed Preposition Phrases.

With on: (a) computer, film, a graph, a map, an occasion, an overhead projector, a page, paper, a screen, the radio, the telephone, TV, video, a website, the way, a journey, a course, a bus, a plane, a ship (see 73. Prepositions for Saying How).

With in (1): a diagram, a table, a picture, a photograph, a chapter, a book, a text, a description, a story, a program, a video, a film, the distance, the middle.

With in (ii): a fashion, a manner, a mode, a respect (not aspect – see 81. Tricky Word Contrasts 2, #4), a style, a way (see 73. Prepositions for Saying How).

With at: the beginning, the outset, the start, the close, the conclusion, the end, the finish, a level, a moment, a time , a point, a stage, a height, a depth, a pace, a rate, a speed, a velocity, the front, the back, the top, the bottom, the edge, the side.

With under: the auspices of, control, a law, licence, the management of, the ownership of, a plan, pressure.