Do I always need to use linkers and connectors?
I have a question on linkers and connectors. I'm from Spain, so I learnt English at school and all my English teachers have told me throughout secondary school that we always have to use linkers to connect the ideas in our writings. However, do I have to use them all the time? I mean, what if I want to write something like this:
We -the association of internet users- believe in a world where data can be accessible to everyone for free. We believe in a world where there are no boundaries between people. A world where there is equality of the access to information.
This way, I can kind of emphasise the three sentences by repeating the words "we believe in a world" or simply "a world". Whereas, I'd used connectors in this case, the message wouldn't have been the same:
We -the association of internet users- believe in a world where data can be accessible to everyone for free. What is more, we believe in a world where there are no boundaries between people. In fact, a world where there is equality of the access to information.
You see what I mean? What are your thoughts on that?
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/31572. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
1 answer
Use transitional phrases when you need to clarify or highlight a connection. Especially in technical writing (where concise is better), don't use them just to use them.
In your example, the second and third statements follow logically from the first -- you believe that data should be accessible, which means there are no boundaries and there is equal access. No extra connectors are needed to make that point. On the other hand (<- connector), if you were to follow a statement with something that doesn't follow logically or even contradicts the first point, using a connector can help make the transition clearer.
Your final sentence (with the "in fact" connector) could go either way. I said it follows logically from your first sentence, but maybe you want to emphasize that you don't just mean accessible to all but equally accessible to all -- maybe you're making the point that some people having FiOS at home and others having to go to a public library to use a slow modem doesn't count. If that's the argument you're making, then using a connector can draw that out. In your specific case I might suggest "not only that, but" as being stronger than "in fact".
Finally, even if statements don't follow logically (you could make the argument for that in your example), if they are closely related, as yours are, you don't need to use connectors. If what you're writing is a persuasive essay, consider the cadence -- there's more "punch" in just making your points. (There's a term in rhetoric for this, but I've forgotten it.)
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