ENGLISH
REFERENCE

connective

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //kəˈnɛktɪv// UK //kənˈɛktɪv// con·nec·tive

n. a word or phrase that joins parts of a sentence or different sentences together. You use these to help your writing flow smoothly and show how ideas are linked.

n. a word or phrase that links clauses, sentences, or paragraphs together. Often used to indicate logical relationships such as addition, contrast, or cause and effect.


SIMPLE

Words like 'however' and 'because' are common connectives.

CONTEXTUAL

Using a logical connective at the start of a paragraph helps the reader follow your argument more easily.

COMPLEX

The student's essay was technically accurate but lacked cohesion because she failed to use appropriate connectives to bridge the gap between her primary and secondary arguments.

Synonyms
Origin

For connexive, borrowed from Latin connexīvus. Displacement of x by ct in Latin loanwords is very common. Compare connect, connectivum, connection.

Usage

Typically used in grammatical contexts to describe conjunctions and conjunctive adverbs.

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