Sentence Joining Using Conjunctions

1. Give students a text with many short sentences.
   
   
2. Ask students to think about how the text could be improved.
   
   
3. Ask them to think about how sentences in the text can be linked to make the text more cohesive.
   
   
4. Tell them to reduce the number of sentences, without omitting any important information from the text.
   
   
5. Tell them to compare their text with the model below. Highlight the linking words: which, for instance, and, though, as, also
   
   
6. Ask students to put the linking words into the following categories:

A	Giving examples
B	Adding information
C	Contrasting
D	Giving a reason
E	Referring back

7. Tell students to try to add more words to each category, e.g. A for example (e.g.), B moreover, furthermore, etc.
   
   
8. Give students another text (e.g. the additional text below) to do in pairs or alone.
   
   Sample text
   The family is an important institution. We benefit from it in many ways. It helps to feed us. It helps to clothe us. It helps to educate us. Families can sometimes be harmful. They can restrict us. They can fail to love us. They can teach us unhelpful ideas or ways.
   
   Model answer
   The family is an important institution which we can benefit from in many ways. It helps, for instance, to feed and clothe us as well as to educate us. Families, though, can sometimes be harmful as they can restrict us or fail to love us. They may also teach us unhelpful ideas or ways.
   
   Additional text
   Children these days waste lots of time. They spend hours playing computer games. They watch television non-stop. They write endless messages to their friends on the computer. I do not agree with this use of time. It is not productive. It does not teach them anything about life, its requirements and values. It is harmful. It teaches them about violence.
   
   When you are ready, have a look at the suggested answer.