Transitional words 2

• "Both" means two (2). You can use "both" to describe two things, two people, two ideas, etc. Its use often helps to emphasize certain qualities or conditions.

Ex:
*Both of these students attend the same school.
*These girls love Christmas. Both of them are expecting to get a lot of presents this year.
(Notice that "of them" comes after "both. You can also say "Both are expecting a lot of presents this year.")

• "Not only" is similar to "both," but it can be used for more than two things. It's also similar to "in addition." The second or third thing mentioned after "not only" is sometimes the thing that the writer wants you to think of as being more important.

Ex:
*A horse is not only a beautiful animal, but it's also a useful animal that can do a lot of work.
(This sentence underscores the importance of a horse's usefulness.)
*Dogs are not only good at protecting your home, they're also excellent companions.

• "So that" is similar to "so" and "in order to." It expresses reason, and it answers the question "why" something is done.

Ex:
*She watches a lot of TV during the day so that she doesn't feel so lonely.
or...
*She got so loney that she decided to watch TV.

• "Such that" is similar to "so." It expresses a quality that is large or small in amount. It's used with adjectives that come before nouns.

Ex:
*That house is such a scary place that no one wants to go inside it.
*New York City is such a big place that it's easy to get lost.

• "Although" is used to show differences and contrasts in situations. It's similar to "even though" and "though."

Ex:
*Although prescription medicine can help cure a disease, it can hurt you if you take too much.
("Although" usually appears at the beginning of a sentence.)
*Her cell phone doesn't work although it's new.