connectors in essay sample

200+ Linking Words – Full List, Examples

| Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.

Worried that your essay lacks structure and coherence? Perhaps you should use linking words, transition words, or connectors to give it a boost.

Linking words join separate sentences to improve writing flow. You can also find them mid-sentence to connect clauses.

Read on as I show you the definition and types of linking words in English. I also list examples of linking words under every category, and I whipped up a helpful worksheet to test your skills.

What Are Linking Words?

Linking words, transition words, or connecting words in the English language help connect ideas and sentences when speaking or writing.

Linking words and phrases are connectors or transitional phrases. They are also part of formal language, so you’ll find them in academic writing, opinion writing, critical essays, dialectic essays , journalism, and business documents.

Some linking verbs link clauses within a sentence, such as although, in case, and whatever. That means you can find them in the middle of sentences from time to time. Others link two complete sentences, such as besides, as a result, and however.

List of Transition Words

Now that you know the meaning of transition words, let’s look at the usage of transition words in sentences and clauses. Don’t worry, I’ll break it all down for you!

Below, I’ve got a list of linking words and phrases to serve as alternative choices for connecting ideas in writing. Note that there are several types of transition words which we will discuss later.

Agreement/Addition/Similarity

Linking words may help the reader understand additional comments or ideas in a statement. They may also express agreement or similarities. These words are also called additive transition words, commonly found in expository essays and narrative essays.

In the first place
As a matter of fact
In like manner
In addition
Not only, but also
Coupled with
In the same way
In the same manner
First, second, third
Not to mention
In the light of
By the same token
Additionally
Correspondingly
Furthermore
Comparatively
At the same time
Together with
Identically

Here are some examples of additive linking words in a sentence.

The group found that a constructivist approach leads to higher test scores. Moreover, essay examinations show higher levels of learning.
The resort has tennis courts. Furthermore, it has an Olympic pool.

Negative Ideas

Some linking words come in pairs to join negative ideas.

Not, neither
Neither, nor

Here are sentence examples of linking words showing negative ideas.

I haven’t seen Lory, neither have I talked to her friend.
I neither drink nor smoke.

Opposition/Limitation/Contradiction

Whereas some linking words show an extra idea, these transition phrases and words express contrasting ideas in writing.

Although this may be true
In contrast
(and) still
Notwithstanding
Different from
Of course…, but
On the other hand
On the contrary
Be that as it may
Nonetheless
Even so/though
Nevertheless
In spite of

Here are some sentences with linking words of opposition.

The short story can be analyzed using a functionalist lens. However, its historical theme is better understood with a critical perspective.
As much as I want to go, I must take care of my sister.

Some linking words show relationships between ideas by accepting an idea with reservation instead of showing complete opposition. Here are some examples.

All the same
Regardless of this
Up to a point

Here are some sentence examples.

Many citizens opposed this unfair policy, which the president nevertheless enacted.
I like him even if we have different views in life.

Cause/Condition/Purpose

You may also use linking words in your writing piece to show conditions and purpose for a logical flow of ideas. Words like reason get the reader ready to understand why. These words are commonly found in hypothesis essays.

In the event that
Granted (that)
Provided that
On (the) condition (that)
For the purpose of
With this intention
With this in mind
In the hope that
Inasmuch as
To the end that
For fear that
In order to
Seeing/being that
The researchers used this method so that the results would be valid, reliable, and aligned with the objectives.
I will not be attending the seminar due to a high fever.

Examples/Support/Emphasis

You can also use transition words in your piece of writing that show examples or support of an idea.

In other words
To put it differently
For one thing
In particular
As an illustration
In this case
For example
For instance
For this reason
To put it another way
To demonstrate
That is to say
With attention to
By all means
To emphasize
To enumerate
Particularly
Significantly
Specifically
Surprisingly
Important to realize
Another key point
On the negative side
First thing to remember
Must be remembered
To point out
Point often overlooked
She visited several cities, namely Portland, Jacksonville, Charleston, and Hartford.
Transition words improve writing flow. For instance, we use further to add extra ideas related to the previous statement.

Effect/Consequence/Result

You might also spot transitional devices for essays that show consequences, results, and effects.

As a result
In that case
Under those circumstances
Accordingly
Consequently

Consider the examples below.

We watered the plant for seven days. In effect, it grew three inches taller.
Because she didn’t study for the test, Anna failed and had to retake it.

Conclusion/Summary/Restatement

These words and phrases show transitions between sentences to show conclusions. You’ll find these words in essay conclusions of different essay types.

In simple language
In explanation
In lay terms
In a nutshell
As can be seen
In simple terms
Generally speaking
All things considered
As shown above
In the final analysis
In the long run
In either case
Given these points
As has been noted
In any event
On the whole
By and large
For the most part
In conclusion
To summarize

Note that in lay terms and in explanation are formal alternative choices to “ in a nutshell.”

Here are some examples.

Matter is a material that occupies space and has mass. In simple language, it is any physical substance.
I don’t want to climb the corporate ladder. After all, money isn’t everything.

Time/Chronology/Sequence

Linking words’ other role in writing is to show sequence or chronology. Under the time category, these phrases add a meaning of time. You can find these words in an essay introduction when the writer explains how the paper is structured.

In due time
From time to time
At the present time
Sooner or later
Up to the present time
To begin with
Straightaway
In the meantime
In a moment
Without delay
All of a sudden
At this instant
First, second
By the time
Immediately
Occasionally
I watched the movie on television. Eventually, I fell asleep.
First, fill the pan with water. Then, bring it to a boil.

Space/Location/Place

The following transition words are famous adverbial expressions that limit or modify space. Some of these words and phrases are also transition words of time.

In the middle of
To the left/right
In front of
On this side
In the distance
In the foreground
In the background
In the center of
Adjacent to
Opposite to

Below are sentence examples using transition words of space.

My house is located behind the building.
To the left of the supermarket is a flower shop.

Common Mistakes With Transition Words

Transition words help you create a flow of arguments for readers to understand what you’re saying. But misused transition words and phrases will make your writing unclear. Avoid these mistakes to give your readers a better experience.

Starting a Sentence With So, And, and Also

Both so and and are coordinating conjunctions, which means they can start independent clauses that stand on their own. But it’s not recommended to use these words and also as sentence starters in formal writing. For example:

Incorrect: Also, there are unauthorized charges on my credit card account.
Correct: Furthermore, there are unauthorized charges on my credit card account.

Combination of Transition Words And/Or

When writing an essay, avoid English transition words and/or because it makes your paper look messy. Instead, consider whether you need both connectors or only one of them. If you need them both, try this alternative.

Incorrect: boat and/or plane.
Correct: boat, plane, or both.

Using As Well As as Alternative to And

As well as has a different meaning from the transition word and. And means you’re listing something of equal importance. Meanwhile, as well as is for additional, less essential information. Here’s an example.

Incorrect: In this paper, I discuss my movie analysis as well as provide recommendations for improvement.
Correct: In this paper, I discuss my movie analysis and provide recommendations for improvement.

Archaic Words

Your writing may not make any sense to readers if you overuse archaic transition words like therewith .

For example, hereby means as a result. We can replace it with more modern and explicit phrasing expressing how the current statement is connected to the previous statement.

Linking Words Summary

A linking word is a term that connects different ideas in your text, whether they are contrasting, supporting, or adding. They can improve your writing and help it flow better, I promise!

Regardless of the style of writing, every piece of writing contains linking words to show perfect transitions. I hope my guide on the definition and list of transitions helps you use these words and phrases correctly. Memorize each category, and don’t overuse them in essays.

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Connectors in English: How to Use Them

Are your essays in English marked poorly despite your grammatically correct sentences?

Have you ever been told that your paragraphs don’t connect to each other even though they talk about the same topic?

This is where English connectors come in—a.k.a., the words I’ve marked in bold above!

Today, I’m going to talk about what connectors in English are, the most common ones you’ll come across and how to practice them.

Once you’re done with this article, I hope you’ll agree that these words and phrases are simply magical!

What Are English Connectors?

English connectors for cause and effect, english connectors for illustration, english connectors for emphasis, english connectors for comparison, english connectors for contrast, english connectors for sequence, english connectors for conclusion, tips for practicing english connectors, and one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

English connectors are little words and phrases that help you connect sentences, paragraphs and ideas. Used both in spoken and written English, they help make your English sound more logical and structured.

You can think of connectors as like the thread that holds a necklace’s beads (i.e. sentences, paragraphs and ideas) together.

In fact, you probably already use them without even realizing it!

Note that English connectors are different from English conjunctions . While conjunctions link two or more words or clauses within a sentence, connectors establish that two separate sentences or ideas are related to each other.

To help you understand further, I’m going to walk you through some of the most common connectors in English and how they’re used. Some are used formally, while others are more casual. Some are even interchangeable —that is, you can use them in place of similar words.

In everyday conversations , we often need to explain things.

Perhaps you were late for school because your car ran out of gas. Or you want to buy chocolates because you want to surprise your mother on her birthday.

Explaining things will be much easier if you throw in these important English connectors.

Let’s take a look at them!

Usage	Context	Example Sentences
-Indicates cause -Placed in the middle of a sentence -Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	her car ran out of gas. I didn't eat breakfast.
-Indicates cause -Placed at the beginning of a sentence -Often used in writing	Usually formal	Jack's sickness, he missed two weeks of work. our budget, we can't go on vacation this year.
-Indicates effect -When followed by "of," indicates cause -Placed at the beginning of a sentence -Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	of her bad behavior, she wasn't allowed to go to the party. , our profit was less than normal.
-Indicates outcome or conclusion -Used at the end or beginning of new paragraphs -Often used in writing	Usually formal (but can also be used informally)	, they aren't the same. , she's had lots of practice cooking.
-Similar to "therefore" -Used at the end or beginning of new paragraphs -Also often used in writing	Usually formal	, you have to be consistent. , he continued to play in college.
-Indicates effect (comes from the word "consequence") -Similar to "as a result" -Typically used in writing	Usually formal	, he received a bad grade. , she's very bad at it.

Giving illustrations or examples helps us prove our point and convince other people to believe us. These words help people understand what you’re trying to say and can help them see why you believe what you believe.

Usage	Context	Example Sentences
-Used in everyday conversations and in writing -Most popular ways to give examples	Formal and informal	, she was able to solve a difficult math problem in half the time that everyone else did. , I spent four hours trying to learn how to use the .
-Used in everyday conversations and in writing -Can be used to give examples and list things	Formal and informal	teaching, journalism, advertising and so on. pizza, pasta and ravioli.
-Similar to "for example" -Often used in writing	Usually formal	, he killed six women before being tracked down by the police.

While discussing an issue or idea, you may want to focus on a particular point or example. To make the listener understand the importance of that specific idea, you can use the following connectors.

Usage	Context	Example Sentences
-Used quite often -Used at the beginning, middle or even the end of sentences -Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	, I think learning English was one of the best decisions I've ever made. , it's more common than you think.
-Used in writing and conversations -Used to indicate a fact supporting an opinion stated beforehand	Formal and informal	, there are 57 million speakers! , I don't miss meat at all!
-Similar to "as a matter of fact" -Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	, I don't think it'll work this time either. , I make them every day.
-As the phrase suggests, it's used to highlight or emphasize a point that's more important than the others already stated -Often used in writing -May be used in everyday conversations as well	Usually formal	, without sunlight, there would be no life on this planet. , you have to be clear about what you want to say.
-Used to highlight a point or several points -Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	since she's upset right now. rock and roll!
-Used to emphasize that a point (or several points) is important -Usually appears in writing	Usually formal	the invention of the light bulb. for his book "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."
-Only used in writing -Used to say that something is worth noting (compared to others)	Formal	is his work on child psychology. to the field of biology.

Sometimes, we need to draw attention to certain similarities to make a point or explain something. This is especially important in writing!

To make better comparisons, use the following English connectors.

Usage	Context	Example Sentences
-Used to say that the next point is similar to the previous one -Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	, dogs love chasing after balls. , squirrels use holes in trees to protect their babies.
-Can be interchangeable with "similarly" -Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	, my brother loves playing sports. , animals need a variety of foods, too.
-Used to add to a point made previously -Usually appear in writing -Used at the beginning of new paragraphs to ensure they're connected to the overall topic -Used as (that is, these words make new sentences and paragraphs flow with others)	Usually formal	, it explores racism in America in the 20th century. , it's great for remembering everything you've learned!
-Can be used instead of "and" -Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	an excellent dancer. math.
-Used to give examples -Used to show how two things are alike -Used in writing and conversations	Mostly informal	his cousin. we're strangers.
-Similar to "also" and "similarly" -Used in writing	Usually formal	, her best friend also favors tea. studied English.

Sometimes, we need to express different or contradicting ideas side-by-side. Doing this helps the listener or reader focus on important differences and makes them aware of the many sides of a topic.

Usage	Context	Example Sentences
-Similar to "while" -Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	Maria is good at speaking. Chinese doesn't.
-Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	Rose was a hard-working student, she failed the entrance exam. you're young, you're very mature.
-Similar to "but" -Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	, you still need to exercise. , they can be expensive.
-Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	, my friend prefers rainy seasons. , eating chocolate every day is bad for your health.
-Similar to "even though" or "although" -Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	the rain, we went for a walk and enjoyed the fresh air. their different personalities.
-More common way to say "in spite of" -Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	being warned, she still went into the scary woods. being tired.
-Mostly used in writing	Usually formal	, I think he's quite innocent and deserves a chance to explain himself. , I believe in aliens.

These connectors are useful when you’re giving step-by-step instructions or listing points.

Usage	Context	Example Sentences
-Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	, you need to mix the flour, baking soda and cocoa powder together. , you need to carefully add the milk. , there's no evidence to support it. , the logic used isn't strong enough.
-Similar to "firstly... secondly..." -Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	, it only takes a few minutes a day. , anyone can do it. , I check my emails. , I reply to important messages.
-Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	, it's delicious. Also, it cools me down on hot days. , it expands your communication skills. In the second place, it opens up new opportunities.
-Used to state the last point of a topic -Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	, the effects of the chemicals must be taken into consideration. , I organize my desk before leaving the office.
-When used in writing, it's an excellent way to begin the last or the second to the last paragraph -When used in speech, you can use it to give the final instructions or end a conversation	Formal and informal	, mix all the ingredients well. , after editing the document, I proofread for any errors.

Finally , how do you let your reader know that you’ve reached the end? (See what I did there?)

There are certain connectors that we usually use during conclusions or when we’ve reached the end of what we wanted to say. When writing or stating conclusions, you usually repeat the most important points.

Usage	Context	Example Sentences
Used in formal writing as a way to begin the last or "concluding" paragraph in an essay or report	Formal	, we can't ignore the role modern science plays in our everyday lives. , it's crucial for everyone to be on the same page moving forward.
Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	, you need to directly confront Kevin about the matter we've just discussed. , the story revolves around a young detective solving a mysterious case.
Used in writing and conversations	Formal and informal	, I think Kayla should go to the party. , bilingualism enhances cognitive abilities and opens up cultural opportunities.
Used in conversations (though may also be used in writing)	Mostly informal	, organizing a surprise birthday party for Josh was certainly worth it. , I'd say the science fair was a success.

Here are some quick tips that’ll help you learn English connectors more efficiently.

Make Your Own Sentences

To explain the meanings and uses of different connectors, I’ve provided example sentences for each. However, you’ll remember them much better if you come up with your own examples.

You can start by using connectors in your diary entries, notebooks, essays and the like. Soon, you’ll find yourself using these connectors in everyday speech as well!

Write a Short Story or Essay

To see the huge difference English connectors can make, try writing a paragraph without any connectors and then rewrite it using some of the connectors above. You’ll quickly realize that your sentences will flow better, sound more logical and become easier to understand.

Learn English with Authentic Content

You probably want to speak English like a native (or at least try to). So why not learn from natives? Try watching a speech in English to get a good idea of how these fit together. Look for the ones with transcripts that you can write notes in, maybe even circling all of the connecting terms as you see them.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

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Do Online Exercises

Finally, to check whether you’ve understood how to use connectors correctly, you can try online exercises from websites that cover English grammar .

For example, the ones on English Daily and English Grammar are pretty short and can be completed in a few minutes.

There’s also ToLearnEnglish , which provides a brief list of common connectors before you solve the exercise, making it a great resource for review.

Now that you know the most commonly-used English connectors, you can use them in sentences and paragraphs with great confidence. Try your hand at some of the exercises I’ve suggested for practice.

So what are you waiting for?

Get out there and start incorporating these useful English connectors into your everyday life!

If you like learning English through movies and online media, you should also check out FluentU. FluentU lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials , as you can see here:

If you want to watch it, the FluentU app has probably got it.

The FluentU app and website makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are captions that are interactive. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and useful examples.

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Transition Words & Phrases | List & Examples

Transition Words & Phrases | List & Examples

Published on May 29, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on August 23, 2023.

Transition words and phrases (also called linking words, connecting words, or transitional words) are used to link together different ideas in your text. They help the reader to follow your arguments by expressing the relationships between different sentences or parts of a sentence.

The proposed solution to the problem did not work. Therefore , we attempted a second solution. However , this solution was also unsuccessful.

For clear writing, it’s essential to understand the meaning of transition words and use them correctly.

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When and how to use transition words, types and examples of transition words, common mistakes with transition words, other interesting articles.

Transition words commonly appear at the start of a new sentence or clause (followed by a comma ), serving to express how this clause relates to the previous one.

Transition words can also appear in the middle of a clause. It’s important to place them correctly to convey the meaning you intend.

Example text with and without transition words

The text below describes all the events it needs to, but it does not use any transition words to connect them. Because of this, it’s not clear exactly how these different events are related or what point the author is making by telling us about them.

If we add some transition words at appropriate moments, the text reads more smoothly and the relationship among the events described becomes clearer.

Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Consequently , France and the United Kingdom declared war on Germany. The Soviet Union initially worked with Germany in order to partition Poland. However , Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941.

Don’t overuse transition words

While transition words are essential to clear writing, it’s possible to use too many of them. Consider the following example, in which the overuse of linking words slows down the text and makes it feel repetitive.

In this case the best way to fix the problem is to simplify the text so that fewer linking words are needed.

The key to using transition words effectively is striking the right balance. It is difficult to follow the logic of a text with no transition words, but a text where every sentence begins with a transition word can feel over-explained.

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There are four main types of transition word: additive, adversative, causal, and sequential. Within each category, words are divided into several more specific functions.

Remember that transition words with similar meanings are not necessarily interchangeable. It’s important to understand the meaning of all the transition words you use. If unsure, consult a dictionary to find the precise definition.

Additive transition words

Additive transition words introduce new information or examples. They can be used to expand upon, compare with, or clarify the preceding text.

Function	Example sentence	Transition words and phrases
Addition	We found that the mixture was effective. , it appeared to have additional effects we had not predicted.	indeed, furthermore, moreover, additionally, and, also, both and , not only but also , , in fact
Introduction	Several researchers have previously explored this topic. , Smith (2014) examined the effects of …	such as, like, particularly, including, as an illustration, for example, for instance, in particular, to illustrate, especially, notably
Reference	The solution showed a high degree of absorption. , it is reasonable to conclude that …	considering , regarding , in regard to , as for , concerning , the fact that , on the subject of
Similarity	It was not possible to establish a correlation between these variables. , the connection between and remains unclear …	similarly, in the same way, by the same token, in like manner, equally, likewise
Clarification	The patient suffered several side effects, increased appetite, decreased libido, and disordered sleep.	that is (to say), namely, specifically, more precisely, in other words

Adversative transition words

Adversative transition words always signal a contrast of some kind. They can be used to introduce information that disagrees or contrasts with the preceding text.

Function	Example sentence	Transition words and phrases
Conflict	The novel does deal with the theme of family. , its central theme is more broadly political …	but, however, although, though, equally, by way of contrast, while, on the other hand, (and) yet, whereas, in contrast, (when) in fact, conversely, whereas
Concession	Jones (2011) argues that the novel reflects Russian politics of the time. this is correct, other aspects of the text must also be considered.	even so, nonetheless, nevertheless, even though, on the other hand, admittedly, despite , notwithstanding , (and) still, although, , regardless (of ), (and) yet, though, granted
Dismissal	It remains unclear which of these hypotheses is correct. , it can be inferred that …	regardless, either way, whatever the case, in any/either event, in any/either case, at any rate, all the same
Emphasis	The chemical is generally thought to have corrosive properties. , several studies have supported this hypothesis.	above all, indeed, more/most importantly
Replacement	The character of Godfrey is often viewed as selfish, self-absorbed.	(or) at least, (or) rather, instead, or (perhaps) even, if not

Causal transition words

Causal transition words are used to describe cause and effect. They can be used to express purpose, consequence, and condition.

Function	Example sentence	Transition words and phrases
Consequence	Hitler failed to respond to the British ultimatum, France and the UK declared war on Germany.	therefore, because (of ), as a result (of ), for this reason, in view of , as, owing to x, due to (the fact that), since, consequently, in consequence, as a consequence, hence, thus, so (that), accordingly, so much (so) that, under the/such circumstances, if so
Condition	We qualified survey responses as positive the participant selected “agree” or “strongly agree.” , results were recorded as negative.	(even/only) if/when, on (the) condition that, in the case that, granted (that), provided/providing that, in case, in the event that, as/so long as, unless, given that, being that, inasmuch/insofar as, in that case, in (all) other cases, if so/not, otherwise
Purpose	We used accurate recording equipment our results would be as precise as possible.	to, in order to/that, for the purpose of, in the hope that, so that, to the end that, lest, with this in mind, so as to, so that, to ensure (that)

Sequential transition words

Sequential transition words indicate a sequence, whether it’s the order in which events occurred chronologically or the order you’re presenting them in your text. They can be used for signposting in academic texts.

Function	Example sentence	Transition words and phrases
Enumeration	This has historically had several consequences: , the conflict is not given the weight of other conflicts in historical narratives. , its causes are inadequately understood. , …	first, second, third…
Initiation	, I want to consider the role played by women in this period.	in the first place, initially, first of all, to begin with, at first
Continuation	, I discuss the way in which the country’s various ethnic minorities were affected by the conflict.	subsequently, previously, eventually, next, before , afterwards, after , then
Conclusion	, I consider these two themes in combination.	to conclude (with), as a final point, eventually, at last, last but not least, finally, lastly
Resumption	my main argument, it is clear that …	to return/returning to , to resume, at any rate
Summation	Patel (2015) comes to a similar conclusion. , the four studies considered here suggest a consensus that the solution is effective.	as previously stated/mentioned, in summary, as I have argued, overall, as has been mentioned, to summarize, briefly, given these points, in view of , as has been noted, in conclusion, in sum, altogether, in short

Transition words are often used incorrectly. Make sure you understand the proper usage of transition words and phrases, and remember that words with similar meanings don’t necessarily work the same way grammatically.

Misused transition words can make your writing unclear or illogical. Your audience will be easily lost if you misrepresent the connections between your sentences and ideas.

Confused use of therefore

“Therefore” and similar cause-and-effect words are used to state that something is the result of, or follows logically from, the previous. Make sure not to use these words in a way that implies illogical connections.

We asked participants to rate their satisfaction with their work from 1 to 10. Therefore , the average satisfaction among participants was 7.5.

The use of “therefore” in this example is illogical: it suggests that the result of 7.5 follows logically from the question being asked, when in fact many other results were possible. To fix this, we simply remove the word “therefore.”

We asked participants to rate their satisfaction with their work from 1 to 10. The average satisfaction among participants was 7.5.

Starting a sentence with also , and , or so

While the words “also,” “and,” and “so” are used in academic writing, they are considered too informal when used at the start of a sentence.

Also , a second round of testing was carried out.

To fix this issue, we can either move the transition word to a different point in the sentence or use a more formal alternative.

A second round of testing was also carried out.
Additionally , a second round of testing was carried out.

Transition words creating sentence fragments

Words like “although” and “because” are called subordinating conjunctions . This means that they introduce clauses which cannot stand on their own. A clause introduced by one of these words should always follow or be followed by another clause in the same sentence.

The second sentence in this example is a fragment, because it consists only of the “although” clause.

Smith (2015) argues that the period should be reassessed. Although other researchers disagree.

We can fix this in two different ways. One option is to combine the two sentences into one using a comma. The other option is to use a different transition word that does not create this problem, like “however.”

Smith (2015) argues that the period should be reassessed, although other researchers disagree.
Smith (2015) argues that the period should be reassessed. However , other researchers disagree.

And vs. as well as

Students often use the phrase “ as well as ” in place of “and,” but its usage is slightly different. Using “and” suggests that the things you’re listing are of equal importance, while “as well as” introduces additional information that is less important.

Chapter 1 discusses some background information on Woolf, as well as presenting my analysis of To the Lighthouse .

In this example, the analysis is more important than the background information. To fix this mistake, we can use “and,” or we can change the order of the sentence so that the most important information comes first. Note that we add a comma before “as well as” but not before “and.”

Chapter 1 discusses some background information on Woolf and presents my analysis of To the Lighthouse .
Chapter 1 presents my analysis of To the Lighthouse , as well as discussing some background information on Woolf.

Note that in fixed phrases like “both x and y ,” you must use “and,” not “as well as.”

Both my results as well as my interpretations are presented below.
Both my results and my interpretations are presented below.

Use of and/or

The combination of transition words “and/or” should generally be avoided in academic writing. It makes your text look messy and is usually unnecessary to your meaning.

First consider whether you really do mean “and/or” and not just “and” or “or.” If you are certain that you need both, it’s best to separate them to make your meaning as clear as possible.

Participants were asked whether they used the bus and/or the train.
Participants were asked whether they used the bus, the train, or both.

Archaic transition words

Words like “hereby,” “therewith,” and most others formed by the combination of “here,” “there,” or “where” with a preposition are typically avoided in modern academic writing. Using them makes your writing feel old-fashioned and strained and can sometimes obscure your meaning.

Poverty is best understood as a disease. Hereby , we not only see that it is hereditary, but acknowledge its devastating effects on a person’s health.

These words should usually be replaced with a more explicit phrasing expressing how the current statement relates to the preceding one.

Poverty is best understood as a disease. Understanding it as such , we not only see that it is hereditary, but also acknowledge its devastating effects on a person’s health.

Using a paraphrasing tool for clear writing

With the use of certain tools, you can make your writing clear. One of these tools is a paraphrasing tool . One thing the tool does is help your sentences make more sense. It has different modes where it checks how your text can be improved. For example, automatically adding transition words where needed.

If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, or writing rules make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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Essay Connectors in English and Examples

In this useful lesson, we’re going to explore some magic keys that help link your ideas together in English: essay connectors! Think of these connectors as bridges that help your thoughts flow smoothly from one to the next, making your stories and explanations easier to follow.

Whether you’re just starting your English learning journey or looking to polish your skills, these connectors will be your best friends in writing and speaking more clearly. So, get ready to add some sparkle to your English with these handy tools!

What are Connectors in an Essay?

Connectors are words or phrases that join two or more sentences together. They can be used to create smooth, logical sentences. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the most common connectors in English and give you some examples of how to use them.

They are also called linking words or linking phrases.

Why use Connectors in an Essay?

Connector words and phrases help to create a smooth, logical flow of ideas in your essay. They make your writing easier to read and understand.

List of Essay Connectors in Detail

It is always a good idea to start your essay with a strong sentence. One way to do this is to use a result connector. A result connector shows the outcome or consequence of something. Here are some examples:

Consequently, we won’t be able to go on the trip.
As a result, I got a bad grade on my test.

2) Contrast

Contrast connectors show the difference between two things. Here are some examples:

However, I don’t think that’s a good idea.
On the other hand, I believe that we should proceed with caution.

Time connectors express when something happens or how long it lasts. Here are some examples:

Meanwhile, I’ll be waiting for your call.
Since then, she’s been avoiding me.

4) Condition

Condition connectors are words or phrases that show a condition or requirement. Here are some examples:

Unless you study hard, you’ll never pass the test.

If it starts to rain, we’ll have to go inside.

5) Addition

Addition connectors express addition or increase. Here are some examples:

furthermore, moreover, and in addition.

In addition, I think we should try a different approach.
Furthermore, I don’t think this is a good idea at all.

6) Cause and Effect

Cause and effect connectors express the relationship between two things. They show how one thing caused another thing to happen. Here are some examples:

The sound of the thunder caused her to scream.
He didn’t study for the test, so he failed.

7) Location

Location connectors express where something takes place. Here are some examples:

The meeting will be held in the conference room.
She always sleeps in her bed.

Purpose connectors express the reason why something is done. They show the purpose of an action or event. Here are some examples:

I’m studying English to improve my language skills.
He was late for class because he lost his bus ticket.

9) Comparison

Comparison connectors compare two things. They show how they are similar or different. Here are some examples:

He’s the best basketball player I’ve ever seen.
She runs faster than any other girl on the track team.

10) Conditionals

Conditional connectors express a hypothetical situation. They show what would happen if something were to happen. Here are some examples:

If I had more money, I would buy a new car.
If you studied harder, you would likely get better grades.

As you can see, there are many different types of essay connectors in English. These connectors help you create clear and logical sentences. By using them correctly, you can make your writing sound more professional and academic.

How do you use Connectors in an Essay?

Using connectors in essays requires a few steps:

Choose the connector that best suits your needs.
Connect the two sentences with the connector.
Make sure the sentences are logically connected.

Here’s an example:

Result: I didn’t get a good grade on my test.

Contrast: However, I got a good score on the practice test.

The result of not studying was that I got a bad grade on my test. However, the contrast is that I did well on the practice test.

Make sure your sentences are properly connected with a connector to create a logical argument. By using connectors, you can make your writing clear and concise.

Now that you know all about essay connectors, try using them in your own writing. Practice makes perfect, so keep practicing until using connectors becomes second nature to you. Soon, you’ll be writing essays that are clear, concise, and well-organized.

In the same way
Of contrast
Despite this
In comparison
In contrast
Even though

Cause & Effect

Consequently
As a result of
As a consequence of
Contributes of
Brings about
Because of this
For this reason
Results from
Is the result of
Is the consequence of
Is caused by
Nevertheless
Alternatively
On the contrary
In spite of
In addition
Furthermore
In addition to
Additionally
Not only … but also

illustration

For example
For instance
In other words
An instance
As revealed by
To show that
In the case of
As an example
For one thing
In my opinion
As far as I know
It seems likely
It seems to me
In my experience
I believe that
As for me, I think
If I am not mistaken
What I mean is
I’d say that
Personally, I think
To conclude
In conclusion
On the whole
Summarizing
Undoubtedly

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70+ Connective Words To Power Up Your Essays [COMPREHENSIVE LIST]

by Kerri-Anne Edinburgh | Last updated Jul 23, 2024 | First published on Aug 5, 2021 | 1 comment

When you’re writing an essay or assignment, you need to use every trick in the book to maximise your marks. And one of the best tools for radically improving your writing is the power of connective words .

Used correctly, connective words can give your writing new depth and meaning, improve readability (important for your examiner!) and demonstrate the logic of your arguments.

Luckily for you, we’ve got plenty of categories, definitions and connectives examples to help you get started…

Psst – this article uses loads of connectives. See if you can spot them in use: we’ve italicised the best examples!

What are connective words?

Simply put, connectives are words – or phrases – that link parts of your writing together.

You’re probably familiar with the most common connective words: and, as, because, but, if, or, so . In fact, I’ve used a few of them already – did you spot them?

Don’t limit your essay writing to the basics though, because there are hundreds of connectives that can help you to demonstrate different ideas, such as cause and effect , or the chronology of events .

We’re going to explore ten types of connectives below, but first , here’s a quick refresher on the grammar behind connective words:

Definitions: The grammatical bit

Understanding the grammar behind your writing might not be your thing – but bear with me, because remembering these six definitions will help you know which connective to use when, and where to place them!

(If you’re just looking for examples of connectives, feel free to skip straight past this bit!)

Connectives fall into three grammatical categories: conjunctions, prepositions, and adverbs.

For example: and, but, for, or, yet .
Today , I finished my history assignment but forgot to workout .
Such as: at, in, of, on, under .
I need to finish the conclusion of my essay before I go to dinner.
For instance: upwards, quickly, fortunately .
My deadline is tomorrow. Fortunately , I proofread my thesis chapter already .

Using adverb and preposition connective words adds specific meaning – and thus clarity – to your writing. They are particularly useful for successful essay signposting .

Definitions part 2: Connectives in sentences

When using connectives, it’s also important to remember that not all sentences are created equal in importance . And so , when connecting them into longer sentences, different types of connectives create different results:

For example: I find French tricky but I love learning Spanish.

On the other hand,

A subordinate clause relies on the main clause to make sense. Therefore, these connectives give information about the relationship between the clauses by specifying an order or place to events, or a cause and effect link.
Here’s an example: I need to do my homework if I want to get a good grade .

A useful type of subordinating connective for essay writing is the:

For instance: Firstly , I carried out the experiment, and secondly , I analysed the results.

And that’s your grammar refresh done!

If you’re struggling with essay-writing grammar, a great tool for checking your writing is Grammarly – we use it at Exam Study Expert because it catches a broad range of mistakes.

The where, what and how of using connectives

So how do you go about using connectives?

In this section, we’re going to discuss the where, what and how …

Where to add connectives:

As we’ve seen , connective words are often found in the middle of a sentence, joining two clauses. But don’t forget you can also use them at the beginning of a sentence to link two consecutive sentences – OR two ideas within your paragraphs (did you see what I did there?).

Some of your connectives will even be linking entire paragraphs and sections – these are often examples of signposting to guide the reader through your section or argument.

What’s more , many connectives are not just single words but phrases. These connectives are particularly useful for essay writing and academic vocabulary. For example: as well as, for an example of this, for instance, in addition to, on the other hand, such as .

What to use connectives for:

When you’re writing an essay or assignment there are plenty of tasks you need to achieve: presenting evidence, making arguments and more.

Happily, connectives can help you achieve all these tasks by clarifying your meaning. You can use connectives for:

Reinforcing or emphasising a point
Exemplifying and showing results
Comparing and discussing points of view
Constructing a timeline or sequence of events
Listing points (and signposting them)
Explaining your argument
Drawing together conclusions

It’s a long list! So master using connectives and you’ll drastically improve the readability of your writing across all sections of your essay.

How to add in useful connective words:

You’re probably already using basic connectives in your writing.

But if you want to get serious about the benefits to your grades, make sure you’re systematic about how you add them during your essay construction – and (later) proofreading to check they make sense on a large(r) scale!

From experience, I would suggest that the best method for choosing and adding effective connectives is to:

Sketch out a rough draft of your paragraph or essay section
Are they separate arguments for the same thing? Or opposite points of view? Do they follow on logically (cause and effect) or chronologically?
Mark where you want to add signposting connectives to indicate structure
Check your examples of connective word types and choose options that convey the meaning you need…

And for that purpose, we’ve compiled four lists of connective words for you – including the TOP 70 connectives for effective essay writing! So read on…

The three types of connective words:

So let’s get down to the really useful stuff: examples of connectives you can use in different situations in your essays!

There are three main types of connectives that we’re going to explore in turn:

Comparative , Causal, and Temporal

Comparative connective words

These helpful words and phrases are perfect both for comparing similarities in data and arguments, and for pointing out their differences and oppositions. Use them to compare, discuss and argue.

When comparing points, you’ll often be adding to your argument, so these connectives are used for “ addition ”. The most common connectives for addition are: and, also, furthermore, moreover .

Here are some examples in practice:

Leonardo Da Vinci was an artist and inventor, and also an influential Renaissance humanist.
Exam Study Expert’s psychologist William offers expert one-on-one exam coaching . Furthermore , you can sign up for a free introductory session!
My empirical data demonstrates that … ; similarly , theoretical models projected …

On the other hand , you might need to demonstrate and contrast your argument with the opposing point of view with a connective for “ opposition ”. The most commonly used are: alternatively, except, however, unless .

Table with a list of comparative and contrasting connective words

These examples all demonstrate opposition:

Winston Churchill is best known for his wartime leadership of the United Kingdom, yet he was already in his 60’s when he took office.
Some students find great study motivation from starting the day with their hardest task. In contrast , others find getting the ball rolling with smaller tasks more effective.
Our first questionnaire was comprised of six questions. However , for our second questionnaire we …

Causal connective words

Causal connectives are effective for discussing cause and effect – relationships that have logical links that you want to point out and prove.

As such , academic writing is often full of causal connectives, and many of them demonstrate a very academic vocabulary (great for bonus points in your assignment!).

Most essays and assignments have a section (or several sections!) where you need to draw together your facts, ideas and arguments and point out the connections. These are the connectives to turn to at those moments!

The most commonly used are: as such, as a result (of), because, consequently, therefore, thus .

Table with examples of connective words for showing cause and effect

Here are some examples:

The brains of London taxi drivers have a larger than usual area that deals with memory because they are required to memorise and navigate thousands of streets.
Flashcards are a highly effective learning and memory tool, provided that you use them correctly.
This study surveyed over 3,000 students. As a result , we were able to …

Temporal connective words

Whether you’re explaining the sequence of events that led to a historical battle, or demonstrating the steps in your experiment, temporal connectives are a highly valuable tool.

They’re all about discussing time and the chronology of events – what happened before, during and after . Therefore , they make for great signposting words too!

Table with lists of temporal connectives used to discuss chronology

These examples explore each of the four sections in our temporal connectives lists:

The law of gravity was not widely understood until it was mathematically formulated by Sir Isaac Newton in 1687.
If you’re stressed about your exams, mindful meditation can be a great help. At the same time ,an inspirational quote might give you the boost you need!
Initially , the experiment was expected to demonstrate … Eventually , we came to the conclusion that …

The TOP 70 connective words for effective essay writing!

To make sure that you’ve got the tools you need to improve your grades, we’ve compiled this epic list of all the best connectives to use in academic writing.

This is just a selection from the hundreds of connective words and phrases available. So there’s no need to make your essay stale by over-using the same one or two!

If there’s nothing else you grab when you’re ticking off Step #4 from the connectives methodology above – make sure you grab this list!

It covers all the stages of essay structuring and writing, from introduction to conclusion . And includes lists of connectives for:

Signposting and listing
Comparing and contrasting
Illustrating your findings
Demonstrating cause and effect
Emphasising points
Qualifying your arguments

We’ve highlighted the best and most commonly used connectives for each section to ensure you’ve got THE best resource to improve the quality of your essay immediately.

Summary table of the top 70 connective words divided by category

To finish off , here are some examples to get your essay-writing inspiration flowing:

Firstly , it is well-known that retrieval practice is an effective learning method as compared with re-reading study texts and notes.
I’m feeling tired tonight. Nevertheless , I must finish my homework and I want to take the dog for a walk.
When it comes to …, however , there are several effective methods to …, in particular , …

Good luck with your essay!

Now you’ve mastered adding effective connective words to your essay you’re ready for the next step. Be sure to check out our guide on proofreading your assignment before you hand it in. Good luck!

And for more expert, science-backed study resources, sign up to the Exam Study Expert newsletter right here:

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such an informative blog for the aspirants who are preparing for any exams

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Linking Words & Connector Words: Ultimate List With Examples
Learn English
James Prior
No Comments
Updated February 23, 2024

Linking words and connector words are essential tools for effective communication and writing. They play a crucial role in connecting ideas, enhancing coherence, and guiding the flow of information. Whether you’re writing an essay, giving a presentation, or engaging in a conversation, using appropriate linking words can greatly improve the clarity and effectiveness of your message.

In this ultimate list of linking words, we have compiled a comprehensive collection of linking words along with examples to help you understand their usage and apply them in various contexts. From words that highlight contrast and similarity to those that indicate cause and effect or order of importance, this list covers a wide range of linking words to suit different purposes.

Ready to link your words? Let’s get started!

Table of Contents

What are linking words?

Linking words, also known as connector words or transition words, are words or phrases that connect ideas or parts of a text, providing coherence and smoothness to the overall flow of information. They serve as bridges between sentences, paragraphs, or even larger sections of a document, helping to establish relationships, indicate contrasts, add information, show cause and effect, provide examples, and more.

Here are some common categories of linking words with examples:

Linking words for addition

Addition: Words that show the addition of information or ideas.

These linking words and phrases can help you add information, reinforce ideas, or provide further examples in your writing or conversation. Use them appropriately to expand on your points and enhance the overall coherence and richness of your communication.

She is fluent in English, and additionally, she speaks French and Spanish.
The report highlights the benefits of renewable energy; furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of conservation.
The new system not only improves efficiency but moreover, it reduces costs.
In addition to his regular job, he volunteers at a local charity.
She not only excels in academics but also actively participates in extracurricular activities.
The team consists of experienced professionals as well as enthusiastic newcomers.
The company values teamwork; likewise, it fosters individual growth and development.
Besides working full-time, he manages to pursue his hobbies and spend time with famil
The website offers free shipping; what’s more, customers can enjoy a 30-day money-back guarantee.
On top of their regular duties, employees are encouraged to take part in professional development opportunities.
Developing strong interpersonal skills is equally important as acquiring technical knowledge.
The event attracted a large audience, not to mention the media coverage it received.
Along with the new software update, customers will also receive enhanced customer support.
The company achieved its sales targets for the year; what is more, it surpassed them by 20%.
The team completed the project ahead of schedule; besides that, they received positive feedback from the client.
The company’s commitment to quality, coupled with its competitive pricing, sets it apart from its competitors.

Linking words for contrast

Contrast: Words that highlight differences or contrasting ideas.

These linking words and phrases can help you express contrasting ideas and show the differences between two or more concepts or situations. Remember to use them appropriately based on the context and your intended meaning.

She studied hard; however, she didn’t pass the exam.
John loves traveling; on the other hand, his sister prefers staying at home.
The weather was terrible; nevertheless, they decided to go for a walk.
He had a sprained ankle; nonetheless, he played in the soccer match.
Despite the rain, they went to the beach.
In spite of the traffic, they arrived on time.
Although it was late, they continued with their work.
Even though she was tired, she went to the gym.
I enjoy reading, while my brother prefers watching movies.
Sarah loves cooking, whereas her husband prefers eating out.
Unlike his friends, Mark is not a fan of horror movies.
She hates winter; conversely, I love it.
She expected him to be upset; on the contrary, he was happy.
They planned to go to the cinema, but instead, they stayed home and watched a movie.
The cat is small and playful, in contrast to the dog, which is big and lazy.
He enjoys sports; conversely, his sister prefers art.
On one hand, the book is interesting; on the other hand, it’s quite lengthy.
They could go by car, or alternatively, they could take the train.
The movie received mixed reviews; nevertheless, it became a box office hit.
She didn’t pass the test, but in any case, she learned a lot from studying.

Linking words for similarity

Similarity: Words that highlight similarities or shared ideas.

These linking words and phrases can help you express similarities between two or more ideas, situations, or individuals. Use them appropriately based on the context to highlight shared characteristics or experiences.

Sarah enjoys reading; likewise, her brother is an avid reader.
John and Emily both love hiking; similarly, they enjoy spending time in nature.
Just as Sarah likes swimming, in the same way, her best friend enjoys diving.
Jack has a passion for photography, similarly to his sister who is also an enthusiast.
Just like her mother, Jane has a talent for playing the piano.
The two artists approach their work in a similar vein, both using vibrant colors and bold brushstrokes.
Mark loves cooking, and by the same token, he also enjoys experimenting with new recipes.
As the workload increased, the stress levels of the employees correspondingly rose.
Both Sarah and Emily are equally skilled in playing the guitar.
The designer creates unique clothing pieces, and in a similar fashion, the jewelry maker crafts one-of-a-kind accessories.
Just as the sun rises in the morning, the moon appears in the evening.
The teacher explains complex concepts in a simple and understandable way, in the same manner as her colleague.
He enjoys hiking and camping, and his friends, likewise, too, share his enthusiasm for outdoor activities.
Just as a bird builds its nest with care and precision, in the same way, an architect plans and constructs a building.
The two books explore themes of love and loss, along similar lines, inviting readers to contemplate the human experience.
As with all great artists, Picasso’s work continues to inspire and influence generations.
Exercise is essential for physical health, and just as importantly, it is crucial for mental well-being.
Much like a puzzle, life consists of various pieces that fit together to form a bigger picture.

Linking words for cause and effect

Cause and Effect: Words that demonstrate cause and effect relationships.

These linking words and phrases can help you express the cause-and-effect relationship between events or actions. Use them appropriately based on the context to convey the reason and result of a particular situation or occurrence.

He failed the exam because he didn’t study.
They arrived early since they left home on time.
As a result of heavy rainfall, the streets were flooded.
The event was canceled due to bad weather conditions.
The store was closed, therefore, they had to find another place to shop.
He missed the train, consequently, he arrived late to the meeting.
Owing to a power outage, the concert was postponed.
She didn’t have enough sleep, thus, she felt tired throughout the day.
He couldn’t attend the party, for this reason, he sent his apologies.
The storm caused damage to the houses, resulting in the need for repairs.
The baby was hungry, so she started crying.
Lack of exercise and poor diet often leads to weight gain.
They missed the train because of heavy traffic.
The roads were icy, this is why there were many accidents.
They spent all their money, as a consequence, they couldn’t afford the trip.
He quit smoking, and since then, he feels healthier.
The company introduced a new product, and in turn, its sales increased.
She studied hard so that she could pass the exam.

Linking words for time and sequence

Time and sequence: Words that indicate time or sequence of events or actions.

These linking words and phrases can help you express the chronological order and sequence of events or actions. Use them appropriately to guide your audience through the progression of ideas or to outline the steps in a process or narrative.

Firstly, let’s discuss the main causes of climate change.
Secondly, we need to consider the potential solutions to the problem.
Next, we will move on to the implementation phase of the project.
We need to complete the research phase first. Then, we can start analyzing the data.
After that, we can proceed with the construction of the building.
The company experienced financial difficulties. Subsequently, they had to lay off several employees.
The team was working on the project. Meanwhile, the marketing department was preparing the promotional materials.
The two processes are happening simultaneously, ensuring efficient production.
The report will be ready in a week. In the meantime, please proceed with the other tasks.
During the meeting, we will discuss the budget and timeline.
While he was studying, his friends were playing video games.
Please wait here until your name is called.
We need to complete the paperwork before the deadline.
She attended the conference, and afterward, she shared her insights with the team.
Finally, we reached an agreement after a long negotiation process.
In the end, they decided to cancel the project due to budget constraints.
The presentation was engaging, and at the same time, informative.
Initially, he struggled with the new software, but with practice, he became proficient.
At first, the project seemed overwhelming, but with proper planning, it became manageable.

Linking words for order of importance

Order of Importance: Words that highlight the hierarchy or ranking of ideas based on their significance.

These linking words and phrases can help you establish the order of importance when presenting ideas or arguments. Use them to emphasize the significance of certain points, highlight key considerations, or guide the reader’s attention to the most critical aspects.

Most importantly, we need to prioritize the safety of our employees.
Above all, we must prioritize the needs of our customers.
The company’s success primarily depends on effective leadership and strategic planning.
First and foremost, we need to address the urgent issue of inflation.
The new policy chiefly focuses on reducing waste and promoting sustainability.
Notably, the project resulted in significant cost savings for the organization.
Above anything else, maintaining a high standard of quality is our top priority.
It is essential to note that effective communication is the foundation of strong relationships.
It is worth mentioning that the company’s ethical practices have earned it a positive reputation.

Linking words for exemplification

Example: Words that provide examples or illustrate a point.

These linking words and phrases can help you introduce examples and provide further clarification or evidence to support your statements. Use them to enhance your explanations and illustrate your points effectively.

Here’s a list of linking words and phrases that are commonly used to illustrate an example, along with examples:

There are many fruits you can choose from, for example, apples, oranges, and bananas.
Many countries have implemented environmental policies; for instance, Sweden has significantly reduced its carbon emissions.
I enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling, and swimming.
The party was attended by several guests, including friends, family, and colleagues.
He has many hobbies, like painting, playing the guitar, and photography.
The company provides various employee benefits, as an illustration, health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off.
Let me give you an example to illustrate my point.
There are several endangered species in the area, namely the African elephant, the Bengal tiger, and the giant panda.
The city offers various attractions, in particular, museums, parks, and historical landmarks.
The project requires specific skills, specifically programming and data analysis.
By way of example, let’s consider the case of a successful startup that disrupted the market.
To give an example, let’s say you want to improve your fitness; you can try activities like jogging, swimming, or joining a gym.
The experiment was conducted to demonstrate the effects of temperature on plant growth.
As a case in point, many countries have implemented renewable energy initiatives to combat pollution.
I will use a specific scenario to exemplify how the new policy can be implemented effectively.
The job requires strong communication skills , in essence, the ability to express ideas clearly and persuasively.
The city has invested in renewable energy projects to reduce its carbon footprint. One example of this is the installation of solar panels on public buildings.
To be specific, the company offers three main product lines: electronics, appliances, and furniture.
The data collected serves as proof that the new marketing strategy is effective.
In a similar manner, many companies have embraced remote work as a response to the pandemic.

Linking words for focusing

These linking words and phrases can help you direct attention or emphasize a specific aspect of your discussion or argument. Use them appropriately to highlight the main points or focus areas, ensuring clarity and precision in your communication.

Here’s a list of linking words and phrases that are commonly used to express focusing or directing attention, along with examples:

Specifically, we need to address the issue of employee turnover in our department.
The marketing team has made significant progress, particularly in digital advertising.
In particular, we need to improve our customer service to enhance customer satisfaction.
Notably, the company achieved a record-breaking sales figure in the last quarter.
This task requires attention to detail, especially when dealing with sensitive data.
Specifically speaking, the new software update addresses the security vulnerabilities.
Above all, we must prioritize the safety of our employees.
The company’s success mainly relies on customer satisfaction and brand reputation.
The primary goal of our project is to reduce waste and promote sustainability.
Essentially, our focus should be on optimizing operational efficiency.
Individually, each team member plays a crucial role in achieving our objectives.
Precisely, we need to adhere to the project timeline to meet the deadline.
Specifically, with regards to customer feedback, we have received positive reviews.
The new product line has a sleek design, not to mention its advanced features.
It is worth noting that the market trends are shifting towards online shopping.
Above everything else, we need to prioritize the quality of our products.
In essence, our primary objective is to provide exceptional customer service.
To be more precise, we should focus on improving our supply chain management.
In specific terms, the sales team needs to focus on building client relationships.
More importantly, we need to address the concerns raised by our customers.

Linking words for conclusion

Conclusion: Words that summarize or conclude a text.

These linking words and phrases can help you signal the conclusion of your argument, presentation, or essay. Use them to summarize key points, restate your main argument, or provide a final thought or recommendation.

In conclusion, it is evident that deforestation poses a significant threat to our planet.
To sum up, the project was a great success, exceeding all expectations.
Ultimately, the decision lies in your hands.
All in all, it was a memorable vacation filled with adventure and relaxation.
Lastly, I would like to thank everyone for their hard work and dedication.
In summary, the findings of the study suggest a strong correlation between exercise and mental well-being.
To conclude, the evidence supports the hypothesis that regular exercise improves cardiovascular health.
The data collected consistently points to the same conclusion; therefore, we can confidently assert our findings.
In essence, the research demonstrates that social media has a profound impact on interpersonal relationships.
The campaign received widespread support, and as a result, donations increased significantly.
In a nutshell, the project aims to promote sustainability through renewable energy initiatives.
The experiments consistently yielded similar results; thus, we can draw a definitive conclusion.
The evidence strongly suggests a link between smoking and lung cancer; hence, it is crucial to raise awareness about the risks.
In light of these findings, it is necessary to reconsider the current educational policies.
The company faced financial challenges, and consequently, had to downsize its workforce.
In conclusion, it can be stated that effective communication is the key to successful teamwork.
Taking all factors into account, it is clear that globalization has both positive and negative consequences.
The lack of investment resulted in decreased productivity, as a consequence, the company experienced a decline in profits.
The study findings reveal a correlation between stress levels and sleep quality; thus, it can be inferred that managing stress positively affects sleep.
Given these points, it is evident that the project should be prioritized for its long-term benefits.

If you’d like more examples, check out this list of other ways to say in conclusion .

Conclusion: Ready to link your words?

These are just some examples of linking words, and there are numerous other linking words and phrases available for different purposes and contexts. Using them appropriately can greatly enhance the clarity and coherence of your writing or speech. So, if you want to become more fluent in English, it’s time to start thinking about linking words!

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75 linking words for academic writing (+examples)

Linking words play an important role in academic writing: They connect different paragraphs, sections or ideas in a text. Therefore, they considerably improve the readability and argumentation of academic texts such as a thesis, dissertation, essay or journal publication. This list of 75 linking words includes examples of how they can be used in academic writing.

Linking words expressing order and sequence in academic writing

Example: First, I review the existing literature on cross-border collaboration. Second, I explain the methodology …

Example: The event increased public awareness of this issue. Afterwards, politicians debated it more openly.

Example: Before scientists discovered the role of neurons in information processing, they assumed that…

Linking words expressing additions in academic writing

Example: Additionally, the interviewee lamented a lack of attention to his work.

Example: The financial compensation was also appreciated by the study participants.

You may also like: How to paraphrase a quote: 4 simple strategies

Linking words expressing cause and effect in academic writing

Example: As the number of studies increases, better conclusions can be drawn.

Example: The literature highlights the importance of age and physical fitness. Consequently, these factors will be investigated further.

Linking words expressing contrasts and comparisons in academic writing

Example: Many scholars have explored this issue. Yet, to date, no inclusive framework exists to explain…

Example: People often stated that they are aware of the rules whereas they behaved as if they did not.

31. Equally

Example: E qually important, however, is the role of personal beliefs in decision-making processes.

33. On the other hand

If you are looking to elevate your writing and editing skills, I highly recommend enrolling in the course “ Good with Words: Writing and Editing Specialization “, which is a 4 course series offered by the University of Michigan. This comprehensive program is conveniently available as an online course on Coursera, allowing you to learn at your own pace. Plus, upon successful completion, you’ll have the opportunity to earn a valuable certificate to showcase your newfound expertise!

Linking words expressing emphasis in academic writing

36. Especially

37. Above all

Example: Indeed, motivation turned out to be a defining factor of academic success.

38. Clearly

Example: Clearly, these scholars were not aware of recent advances in medical sciences.

39. Definitely

Example: This was definitely the most important event of the year.

40. Importantly

Example: More importantly, the findings underscore the importance of conflict resolution.

41. Undoubtedly

Example: Undoubtedly, all stakeholders had good intentions.

42. Obviously

Linking words expressing illustrations in academic writing

Example: Many interviewees were nervous. For example, when asked to describe the event, some of them started to stutter.

Linking words expressing summaries and conclusions in academic writing

Example: In conclusion, the reviewed literature highlights a clear research gap.

Example: In short, scholars call for more research on climate change mitigation.

Linking words expressing conditionality in academic writing

Example: As long as the conditions do not change, the results should remain stable.

Example: Even if more experiments are conducted, human behaviour remains hard to predict.

Linking words expressing generalisations in academic writing

Linking words expressing concessions in academic writing.

Example: Regardless of their genetic makeup, mice showcased the same symptoms.

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Linking Words, Connecting Words: Full List and Useful Examples

Linking words (connecting words) are something we need to know in any style of writing, because it helps the reader to follow the flow of what you are saying. Whether it’s an argument in an essay , or an epic scene in a fantasy novel, your reader needs to be able to follow what you are saying. So, what are linking words, why should you bother learning them, and what does it look like in practice? Well, this guide will answer all of those questions!

Linking Words

What are linking words.

Linking words are words that connect ideas together in a piece of writing . It shows that two things are related in some way, or that the point you are making has supporting information. The difference between linking words and simple paragraph starters that we looked at previously, is that linking words can be found at the start of paragraphs, but also in the middle of sentences to connect two ideas together too.

Why Should I Learn Linking Words/Connecting Words?

The answer to this one is fairly straightforward. If you don’t know a variety of linking words to connect ideas together in a piece of writing, then you’re writing won’t make sense. In the very best case here, your reader will become confused and fail to follow the message you are trying to get across in your writing, because the bits of text that should ordinarily fit together, just won’t without the linking words there to connect them.

So, you know what they are and why you need to know them – but what are some examples of linking words? We couldn’t possibly include them all because there are literally hundreds, but hopefully by highlighting some examples and showing their importance in a sentence, you’ll be able to understand the job they do more clearly and focus on learning some other ones for yourself.

Examples of Linking Words

Linking words to add more information.

These words simply add additional information to your sentence or paragraph to show that two ideas are similar. Here are some examples:

It started to rain and I got soaked – ‘and’ is the linking word that connects the two ideas of the individual being in the rain and getting soaked.
It can’t be the dog’s fault nor the cat’s – ‘nor’ connects the idea that neither the cat or dog was at fault.
We could go shopping first then get a bite to eat – ‘then’ shows that both ideas are connected, it also adds some sequence to the sentence by showing the order of things.

Linking Words to Contrast a Point

Sometimes you need to link two ideas together that are actually opposites in terms of what you are trying to say. Here are some words that will help you do that:

Annie could have gone for a run but she decided she was too tired – ‘but’ connects two ideas that are related, but they oppose one another. She could have gone for a run, but she didn’t.
It’s my turn to make dinner tonight although a takeout might be easier – ‘although’ provides an opposite argument again, so it links the ideas in a contrasting way.
Carrots seemed to be the bunnies preferred food. On the other hand , lettuce was chosen second most frequently and the difference was marginal – ‘on the other hand’ shows clearly to the reader that a different point of view is coming.

Linking Words to Support a Point

If you’re trying to prove something or say something happened as a result of something else, then you will need words like the following:

I failed my test because I didn’t study – ‘because’ gets the reader ready to learn why somebody failed their test.
I could have done something differently, in fact we all could have – ‘in fact’ shows that the two ideas are linked together and support one another.
Jack had been sad since his girlfriend broke up with him – ‘since’ is being used here to explain why Jack was sad, so it links the ideas again.

There are many more examples and reasons for using linking words, but if you do some more research into the different linking words that there are, you’ll be able to see how you might use them to connect two ideas together in some way. Remember, they don’t always need to support one another. Sometimes ideas are connected because they oppose one another too.

Learn more with an ultimate guide to transition words and phrases in the English language.

Complete List of Linking Words & Connecting Words

Linking words – result.

Function: To provide the result of what has been stated or has occurred

Accordingly
As a consequence (of)
As a result
Consequently
For this reason

Connecting Words – Emphasis

Function: To put forward a point or idea more forcefully

Importantly
It should be noted
Particularly / in particular
Surprisingly
To emphasize
Undoubtedly
Unquestionably
With attention
Without a doubt

Linking Words – Addition

Function: To add to what has been previously stated

Additionally/an additional
Apart from this
As well as that
Coupled with
Furthermore
In addition
In addition to this
In the same fashion
Not only…but also
Not to mention
Together with

Linking Words – Reason

Function: To provide reasons for what has been stated or has occurred

For the purpose of
Granted that
In order to
Provided that
Seeing that
With this in mind
With this intention
With this purpose

Connecting Words – Illustration

Function: To provide examples

As an example of
For example/ For instance
For one thing
Illustrated by
In another case
In the case of
In this case
In this situation
On this occasion
Proof of this
Specifically
To demonstrate
To demonstrate/ To clarify
To simplify

Linking Words – Contrast

Function: To show how things are different

Alternatively
As opposed to
Contrary to
Despite/in spite of
Differing from
In contrast (to)
In opposition
Nevertheless
Nonetheless
Notwithstanding
On the other hand

Linking Words – Comparison

Function: To show how things are similar

By the same token
Compare / compare(d) to (with)
Correspondingly
In a similar manner
In like manner
In the same way
In the spitting image of
Just as…so too
Most important
Still another

Connecting Words – Order

1. Function: To indicate the order of what is being said

First/ firstly
Second/ secondly
Third/ thirdly
At this time
Subsequently

2. Function: To mark the end of an ascending order

Lastly and most importantly
Last but not least

3. Definition: To mark the beginning of a descending order

First and foremost…

Connecting Words – Summary

Function: To sum up what has been previously stated

All things considered
As demonstrated above
As shown above
As you can see
By and large
Generally speaking
Given these points
In any event
In conclusion
In the final analysis
On the whole
To conclude
To summarise

Linking Words – Condition

Function: To provide a condition to what has been stated

Although this may be true
In that case
In the event that
On the condition that

Connecting Words – Concession

Function: Connecting words and phrases to accept a point or idea with reservation

All the same
Although/Even though
Be that as it may
Even though
In spite of
Regardless of this
Up to a point

Connecting Words – Generalisation

Function: To make a general statement

Broadly speaking
For the most part
In general/ Generally
In most cases
More often than not
Predominately

Connecting Words – Restatement

Function: To express an alternative to what has been previously stated

Alternatively stated
Expressed simply
In a nutshell
In other words
In simple language
In simple terms
In summation
Otherwise stated
Put differently
Put in another way
Said differently
That is to say
To put it differently

Connecting Words – Reference

Function: To a relationship between continuing ideas presented in your essay.

As applied to
Considering
In connection to
Pertaining to
Some examples of these might be:
Speaking about/of
The fact that
With regards to
With respect to

Connecting Words – Clarification

Function: To indicate that you will be exploring your ideas in more detail.

In explanation
In lay terms
Simply stated
To break it down
To clearly define
To make plain
To put it clearly
To put it in another way

Connecting Words – Space/ Location

Function: To clarify spatial relationships/ provide spatial order and reference.

At the rear
Surrounding
To the left

Linking Words & Connecting Words Chart

Linking Words and Phrases | Video

Learn transition words video with American English pronunciation.

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How to use paragraph connectors in English

What are connectors in English used for? Connectors or linkers can help you join two or more ideas (sentences), allowing you to have a more structured and harmonious delivery. Instead of using single sentences, you can connect them in a logical way.

In this article, you’ll learn about different types of connectors in English (contrast, cause, purpose, effect, addition, illustration, etc.) that will help you achieve optimal communication.

This type of connector is used to create continuity in the text between two clauses that present contradictory ideas.




	.


	.

Also known as causative connectors, these are used to explain the reason behind something.


	.
	.

	.

Enjoy our lessons from the comfort of your mobile phone, tablet, or laptop by downloading the ABA English app, in which you’ll find hundreds of lessons to improve your English level.

Everything we do has a consequence. In the previous category, we discussed what causes something to happen, in this case, we’re talking about the effect or result of an action.

You can use the purpose connectors when you want to express the intention behind an action or decision.

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These are used when you want to expand an idea by adding arguments.


	.

Connectors to give examples

We use illustration connectors to clarify an idea by using examples.

Opinion connectors

You can start the sentence with these connectors when you want to express your point of view.


	.

	.

Explanatory connectors

These connectors can be used to give more details about the idea being developed.



	.






	.

To establish a sequence

These connectors allow us to describe ideas in a sequential and organised manner.

Do you like learning about connectors in English? Follow our blog and discover how to use correlative conjunctions and many other connectors, too.

If you want to perfect your English even more, you can sign up for our online English course. It offers hundreds of short films and fun lessons, so that you can learn to speak like a true native.

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Thank you for this topic.

It’s very useful and interesting.

50 Linking Words (Logical Connectors) in English Classified by Theme

Updated on 27 August 2024

Linking words, also known as logical connectors, are adverbs or conjunctions used to structure your English sentences. They are important for connecting different ideas and avoiding repetition.
You will need it to: start a text, express a cause and effect, link an opposition, state a condition, add or list ideas, indicate a consequence, or summarize an idea.

Here are some examples:

First of all

In this course, you will find the 50 most useful English logical connectors , along with examples, videos, and exercises to test your knowledge. The course is also available in PDF format.

Understanding how to use linking words is an essential vocabulary and grammar concept to improve your writing and speaking skills. Indeed, they help you write better essays, stories, and arguments and organize your thoughts more clearly in speech.

Table of contents →

To start a sentence

These English linking words are useful for introducing an idea, a first point, or a complete argument that you will develop further in a paragraph.


	Use this to introduce the first idea or point.
	Emphasizes that this is the very first point.
	Beginning a discussion or series of arguments; introducing the first idea.

To express a condition

When you need to establish a condition between two sets of ideas in a conversation or writing, the following expressions are very useful.


	Indicates that one thing will happen only if another condition is met.
	Introduces a possible situation and its consequence.
	Similar to , indicating a specific condition that must be true for something else to happen.
	Expresses an exception to a situation; the opposite of .
	Commonly used when making a choice between two options or alternatives.

To express argument (cause, consequence)

The following logical connectors are used to express because, as a result, therefore, etc . These linking words are useful for showing a logical cause-and-effect relationship between different elements , especially when making an argument.


	Indicates the consequence of a previous action or situation.
	Shows that something happened due to a specific cause.
	Refers to something happening immediately after another event.
	Indicates the reason for something.
	Used to link a reason directly to its effect.
	Used to show the effect of a previous statement.
	Often used to explain why something occurred.
	Indicates the purpose or goal of an action.
	Introduces a reason or explanation.
	Used to explain the goal of an action.
	Indicates a result or conclusion.
	Shows intent while avoiding something specific.
	Indicates a positive cause for something.
	Explains why something happened.
	Often used to conclude an argument or show a consequence.
	Used to explain the cause of a situation or action.
	Used to show a difference or opposition between ideas.
	Presents two contrasting ideas or points of view.
	Often used to show what happens next or to conclude.

Note: It’s important to carefully distinguish between purpose, cause, and consequence . The purpose is the reason for performing an action, while the consequence is the result of that action.

To continue a discussion

To expand on your thoughts or arguments , you’ll need some additional vocabulary. With the following linking words, you’ll be able to say in addition, furthermore, for example, indeed , etc.


	Connects two similar ideas or points.
	Used to continue a sequence or list of ideas.
	Used after to introduce the second point or idea.
	Adds another point or idea.
	Introduces an example to support the previous statement.
	Adds extra information or reinforces a point.
	Used to add extra information that strengthens the argument.
	Used to clarify or explain a previous statement in simpler terms.
	Used to explain or define something in more detail.
	Introduces specific examples to illustrate a point.
	Emphasizes or confirms a previous statement.
	Used to provide more accurate or relevant information.
	Adds extra information to what has already been said.

To compare and contrast

Need to contrast two ideas or viewpoints? Express opposition in English with the following list of conjunctions.


	Adds another point or idea.
	Introduces a contrasting idea, despite what was mentioned earlier.
	Compares one thing with another; shows opposition.
	Suggests something is true in a hypothetical or imaginary way.
	Introduces an opposing idea or viewpoint.
	Shows that something is true irrespective of something else might suggest otherwise.
	Used to emphasize that something happens regardless of another factor.
	Introduces a contradicting statement or an opposing point.
	Shows contrast, similar to .
	Introduces a comparison by showing similarity.
	Used to contrast two actions occurring simultaneously.
	Used to present a different option or outcome if a condition is not met.
	Used to highlight differences between two things or ideas.
	Compares two contrasting ideas or situations.
	Introduces a contrast or simultaneous action.
	Used to introduce an unexpected contrast or outcome.

To suppose (conditional)


	Introduces a possible situation or condition.
	Used to express what might happen as a precaution.
	Suggests something is true for the sake of argument.
	Indicates an exception or a situation where something won’t happen.
	Used to show a decision between two options.

To end a speech

Concluding your speech effectively is crucial for clear communication. The following phrases can be used to conclude a speech, summarize your main points, or add a final thought to your text.


	Signals the end of a speech or writing, summarizing the key points.
	Used to give a brief overview of what was discussed.
	Introduces the final point or remark.

Note: The Case of For and Since

Pay attention to the meaning of for and since when you encounter them.

For = Indicates duration of time


	Expresses that the speaker hasn’t visited the US over a period of time.

Since = Refers to a starting point in time (date or precise moment).


	Indicates the beginning of the knee pain.

For = Because → This usage is rare and rather literary, but you can come across its usage.


	Indicates the reason for getting lost.

Since = As → Can be replaced by As ; used when explaining a reason.


	Indicates the reason for being able to help.

Adrien’s Tip 💡

You will find a lot of different names for linking words:

Logical connectors
Adverb (of cause, consequence, etc.)
Adverbial phrases
Preposition
Coordinating conjunction
Subordinating conjunction
Conjunctive phrase

To keep things simple, focus on how to use these words instead of their definitions. Just remember:

These are words that help organize your ideas in a logical way, either across multiple paragraphs or by connecting sentences to express a complex idea clearly.

50 sentences to learn how to use them

Here are more than 50 concrete examples to help you understand how to use logical connectors in English. Each example is provided with a brief explanation and audio to guide your learning.

To start a text


	introduces the first point.
, it is not the first time it happened to me …	introduces the initial part of an explanation.

Express a condition


	tells that a condition must be met for something to be true.
you pick me up.	indicates that an action will happen only if a specific condition is met.
you want me to.	shows that something will not happen except under a specific condition.

Justify your point in an argument


, many will lose their jobs.	shows the effect of the crisis.
our efforts, we were granted a quality award.	explains the outcome of efforts made.
I arrived, people stopped talking.	indicates that one event follows another immediately.
I studied for my English test all night.	explains the reason for being tired.
the noise.	gives the cause of not being able to sleep.
I’m exhausted.	shows the consequence of continuous work.
the bad weather.	explains the reason for postponement.
	explains the purpose of not ringing.
you’re home early, you can give me a hand.	gives the reason for being able to help.
the skin gets crispy.	explains the purpose of grilling.
he won’t come.	explains the reason for not coming.
spread your germs everywhere.	shows the purpose of washing hands.
this vocabulary sheet.	indicates what helped with understanding.
I’ve decided to quit my job.	explains the decision to leave.
the meeting is cancelled.	shows the reason for canceling the meeting.
I always get bad grades on essays.	explains the cause of bad grades.

To continue the discussion


, the weather made me feel so depressed.	adds another reason or point to support the main idea.
in a fiction movie not to miss the bus. , he would have been fired if he had not managed to take it.	shows comparison and emphasizes the seriousness of the situation.

Logical connectors for comparing and contrasting


impacted by the crisis.	shows a similarity between the two situations.
the people were against it, the government decided to implement the law.	introduces a contrast between public opinion and government action.
his 250K.	compares two different incomes.
nothing happened.	introduces a hypothetical situation that is not true.
I’m always criticizing her.	suggests a false impression or perception.
what you said, Billy didn’t turn up last night.	highlights a difference between what was said and what actually happened.
the rain?	introduces an action taken in opposition to a condition (rain).
a minority of people voted for him.	indicates a contrast between the election outcome and voter support.
we can participate again any time we want.	contrasts the loss with the possibility of participating again.
my sister’s new boyfriend is really stupid, I quite like him.	introduces a contradiction between opinion and personal feelings.
the ones in the other room.	indicates that the same action applies to another situation.
I will do the cleaning.	shows that two actions happen at the same time.
I never want to do something like that again.	contrasts success with reluctance to repeat the experience.
she is actually really exuberant.	shows a contrast between initial thoughts and reality.
we’re going to be late.	presents a consequence of not leaving on time.
his brother, Luke doesn’t eat meat.	compares two people with opposite habits.
I just had a tiny sandwich.	highlights a difference in what two people had for lunch.
Sue was playing on her phone.	indicates two actions happening simultaneously.
I didn’t get a good grade.	contrasts effort with the disappointing result.


possible.	indicates a condition for the request.
you get thirsty.	suggests preparing for a potential situation (thirst).
you win the lottery, what would you do with all the money?	introduces a hypothetical scenario for discussion.
you contact the customer service.	indicates a condition that must be met for the refund.
I should come or not.	presents a choice or uncertainty between two options.

Linking words to end a speech


I was afraid of Peter. I got to know him, and I like him.	show the progression of feelings over time.
, I would say that he is a brilliant student. , every teacher appreciates his investment. , I think he should not be fired.	introduces the first point, adds information, and summarizes the argument.

4 Exercises on English Linking Words

1. Complete the sentences using the following connectors. Only one word can fit in each blank.

Linking Words to Use: WHEREAS – THANKS TO – SO AS TO – SINCE – HOWEVER – DUE TO – AS LONG AS – ALTHOUGH.

I don’t mind going there ________ it’s not too far.
________a problem in our computer system, the online assistance is temporarily not available.
Can you pick up the kids from school ________ you’re not working today?
Please check all your equipment every morning ________ make sure it’s fully operational.
We managed to solve our problem ________ the help of a technician.
________ many people congratulated him, he didn’t seem satisfied.
He was exhausted halfway through the game; ________, he didn’t give up.
I would like to watch an action movie ________she wants to watch a romantic comedy.


1.	it’s not too far
2.	a problem in our computer system, the online assistance is temporarily not available.
3.	you’re not working today?
4.	make sure it’s fully operational.
5.	the help of a technician.
6.	many people congratulated him, he didn’t seem satisfied.
7.	, he didn’t give up.
8.	she wants to watch a romantic comedy.

2. Read the two sentences and use the given linking word to create one sentence. Make any necessary changes.

Bring a snack.
You might get hungry.
Connector: IN CASE
Result: Bring a snack in case you get hungry.

Now, construct sentences using the following pairs of sentences and connectors:

I will do it.
If you tell me not to, I won’t do it.
Connector: UNLESS
We need to leave now.
If we don’t leave now, we’ll be late.
Connector: OTHERWISE
You said I would like it.
I didn’t like it.
Connector: CONTRARY TO
Jim likes fishing.
Paul doesn’t.
Connector: UNLIKE (2 possibilities)
We made a financial gesture.
They didn’t accept our offer.
Connector: DESPITE (2 possibilities)


1.	you tell me not to
2.	we’ll be late
3.	what you said, I didn’t like it
4.	Paul, Jim likes fishing. / Jim likes fishing unlike Paul. Jim, Paul doesn’t like fishing. / Paul doesn’t like fishing unlike Jim.
5.1	our financial gesture, they didn’t accept our offer. They didn’t accept our offer despite our financial gesture.
5.2	the financial gesture we made, they didn’t accept our offer. They didn’t accept our offer despite the financial gesture we made.

3. Complete the sentences using the linking words below to match the beginning and end of each sentence. There is only one correct combination for each one.

Linking words to use: YET – THEREFORE – SO THAT – FOR – AS SOON AS – AS A RESULT OF.


	of the bad weather, the competition was cancelled.
	she had lost the keys.
	, he got fired.
	it faces the entrance.
	she doesn’t understand anything.
	I have my own car, he won’t have to drive me around anymore.

4. Complete the following sentences using FOR or SINCE .

I haven’t seen Mark ____ ages.
Paul has been sick ____ his birthday.
I’ve worked in this building ____ 2010.
I haven’t heard of him ____ months.
Lucy’s had a headache ____ this morning.
We’ve been married ____ two years.
What have you been doing ____ last summer?
Can I stay at your place ____ a couple of days?


1.	ages.
2.	his birthday.
3.	2010.
4.	months.
5.	this morning.
6.	two years.
7.	last summer?
8.	a couple of days?

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Academic Skills
Reading, writing and referencing
Writing effectively

Connecting ideas

How to connect ideas at the sentence and paragraph level in academic writing.

What is cohesion?

Cohesion refers to the way we use vocabulary and grammatical structures to make connections between the ideas within a text. It provides flow and sequence to your work and helps make your paragraphs clear for the reader.

Cohesive devices are words and expressions that show relationships between parts of text and ideas, such as cause and effect, time, addition, or comparison and contrast.

Watch the video to learn how to make your ideas link together and your narrative flow.

How can I create cohesion?

Let’s look at types of cohesive devices.

Linking words

Academic writing usually deals with complex ideas. To enable the reader to follow your thoughts, they need to be clearly and smoothly linked. To join ideas and sentences, we use a number of connecting words and phrases. For example:

Additionally, and, also, apart from this, as well (as), in addition, moreover, further, furthermore.

If, in that case, provided that, unless.

Correspondingly, equally, for the same reason, in a similar manner, in comparison, in the same way, on the one hand, similarly.

Alternatively, although, but, conversely, despite, even so, even though, however, in contrast, in spite of, instead, on the contrary, contrary to, nevertheless, nonetheless, notwithstanding, on the other hand, rather, still, though, yet, whereas, while.

Again, in fact, interestingly, indeed, it should be noted (that), more important(ly), most importantly, to repeat, (un)fortunately, unquestionably.

A further instance of this is..., an example of this is…, for example, for instance, such as, thus, as follows.

In other words, more simply, namely, simply put, to put it differently / another way, such as, that is.

A / the consequence of, because, due to, for, the effect of …, since, the result of …

Accordingly, as a result/consequence, consequently, for this reason, hence, so, therefore, thus.

Admittedly, although, clearly though, even though, however, indeed, obviously.

As a rule, for the most part, generally, in general, in most cases, normally, on the whole, usually.

First, second, third (etc), next, before, earlier, finally, following, given the above, later, meanwhile, subsequently, then, to conclude, while.

A note about presentation and style

Check a usage guide for exact rules for punctuation. Many introductory phrases have a comma after them. For example, 'therefore,' and 'in addition,'.

Referring backwards

To avoid repeating words and phrases many times, we use cohesive devices to make references to other parts of a text, such as:

Pronouns: it, he, she, his, her, they, their
Demonstratives: this, that, these, those
Articles: a, the
Adverbs: previously, subsequently

The Australian prime minister has called an early election. The date was selected to coincide with the start of the Olympic Games. This decision was based on the views of his ministerial advisors, who predicted that voter confidence in the government’s policies would be strong at this time . As previously mentioned , decisions on the timing of elections are based on predictions of voter confidence in the existing government.

In the example above:

The date - refers back to the election date
This decision - refers to the prime minister calling an early election
His - refers to the Australian prime minister
this time - refers to the start of the Olympic Games
As previously mentioned - refers to all of the earlier information about the selection of election dates

Looking forward

We often use words and phrases to highlight new information for the reader. This helps make a smooth transition from one point to another. Such phrases include: the following, as follows, below, next, subsequently .

The following dates have been proposed for the forthcoming election: September 8, September 15 and 3 October.

The next issue to be discussed is the influence of the media on voter confidence in the government.

Connecting paragraphs

Apart from using the linking words / phrases above, showing the link between paragraphs could involve writing ‘hand-holding’ sentences. These are sentences that link back to the ideas of the previous paragraph. For instance, when outlining the positive and negative issues about a topic you could use the following:

Example (from beginning of previous paragraph):

One of the main advantages of X is…

When you are ready to move your discussion to the negative issues, you could write one of the following as a paragraph opener:

Having considered the positive effects of X, negative issues may now need to be taken into account…
Despite the positive effects outlined above, negative issues also need to be considered...

It is always important to make paragraphs part of a coherent whole text; they must not remain isolated units.

Checking for paragraph links in your own work

When you are editing your next written assignment, ask yourself the following questions as you read through your work (Gillett, Hammond, & Martala, 2009):

Does the start of my paragraph give my reader enough information about what the paragraph will be about?
Does my paragraph add to or elaborate on a point made previously and, if so, have I made this explicit with an appropriate linking word / phrase?
Does my paragraph introduce a completely new point or a different viewpoint to before and, if so, have I explicitly shown this with a suitable connective?
Have I used similar connectives repeatedly? If yes, try to vary them using the above list.

Strategies to improve cohesion

Select a piece of writing, preferably from a textbook or journal article, from your area of study.
Choose a paragraph and underline or highlight all the different forms of cohesion used, such as using linking words, referring backwards, looking forwards or adding synonyms.
Which forms are the most common?
Choose a couple that you think are effective and practice using them in your own writing.
Try to use a variety of ways to show the relationship between your ideas.

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IELTS Writing Linking Words (Connectors) - Master List

The key to a high-scoring essay is not just rich content and strong grammar, but also the seamless flow and clarity with which you present your thoughts. That’s where linking words, or connectors, come into play, weaving your ideas into a well-integrated narrative.

Whether you're arguing a point in your Writing Task 2 essay, or crafting a letter for Task 1, using a wide range of linking words can significantly boost the coherence and cohesion of your text. Our extensive list of connectors is designed for IELTS candidates seeking to enhance their writing skills and achieve a band score that truly reflects their language proficiency.

Unlock the full potential of your writing with our master list of IELTS linking words, thoughtfully categorized and rich with examples

Additionally : Additionally, applicants must submit a cover letter.

Furthermore : I love to travel; furthermore, I enjoy learning about new cultures.

Moreover : She has experience, and moreover, she has the right qualifications.

Also : He can also play the guitar.

As well as : Her favorite sports are tennis as well as swimming.

Not to mention : The hotel was beautiful, not to mention close to the beach.

Along with : She brought a pie along with some fresh fruit.

Besides : I don’t want to go to the party, and besides, I wasn’t even invited.

In addition : The price is fair, and in addition, the service is exceptional.

Plus : The car is very reliable, plus it’s great on gas.

However : He is very funny; however, he can be quite serious at times.

Although : Although it was raining, he walked without an umbrella.

On the other hand : I am excited about the trip; on the other hand, I’m worried about the expense.

Conversely : I'd like to eat out, but conversely, I should be saving money.

Instead : He did not rebuke his child; instead, he gave him a hug.

Nevertheless : It was cold and wet; nevertheless, the game continued.

Despite : Despite the bad weather, we had a good time.

Yet : She is a great team player, yet she works well independently.

On the contrary : I thought she would win; on the contrary, she came in last.

In contrast : She loves math; in contrast, her brother has always found it difficult.

Cause and Effect

Therefore : The study was flawed; therefore, the results were unreliable.

As a result : He scored well on the test, as a result, he got into his desired university.

Consequently : It rained heavily; consequently, the picnic was canceled.

Hence : He was absent on the day of the exam; hence, he failed the course.

Thus : The roads were icy; thus, the school decided to close for the day.

Because of : Because of the train delay, I missed my appointment.

Due to : The match was postponed due to heavy snow.

So : She's allergic to peanuts, so she has to read food labels carefully.

This means that : The road is closed. This means that we’ll have to take a detour.

Leading to : The malfunction led to a delay in production.

Similarly : Just as Rome was not built in a day, similarly, we need time to complete this project.

Likewise : He respects his colleagues and expects to be treated likewise.

Like : Like her mother, she has a keen interest in art.

Just as : Just as the sun rises every morning, we too must rise to our tasks.

Comparable to : His speed is comparable to that of a professional athlete.

Analogous to : Watching the stars, he felt analogous to an explorer.

Similarly to : Similarly to her sister, she has a flair for fashion.

As with : As with all his advice, it was wise and timely.

For instance : For instance, many endangered species are at risk because of habitat loss.

For example : Using renewable energy sources, for example, can significantly reduce pollution.

Such as : There are many activities to enjoy in the winter, such as skiing and skating.

Including : There are several risks including potential loss of investment.

Specifically : Specifically, you must follow these instructions to install the software.

To illustrate : To illustrate my point, let's consider the case of the honeybee.

Namely : This year has two leap months, namely the fourth and the ninth.

Importantly : Importantly, all participants must sign a consent form.

Indeed : The results were, indeed, remarkable.

Especially : She enjoys hiking, especially in the mountains.

Particularly : The instructions were particularly complex.

Notably : Notably, none of the students were late to the seminar.

Significantly : The new policy will significantly affect productivity.

Above all : Above all, keep yourself hydrated while hiking.

Most importantly : Most importantly, never lose sight of your goals.

Of course : Of course, we'll need to consider the costs.

Especially : Bring warm clothes, especially if you feel the cold easily.

Firstly : Firstly, let's go over the previous meeting's minutes.

Secondly : Secondly, we need to address the budget for next year.

Thirdly : Thirdly, staffing requirements must be assessed.

Next : Gather your materials; next, begin the experiment.

Then : Finish your homework; then, you can watch TV.

Afterward : We'll have lunch, and afterward, we can visit the museum.

Subsequently : He was promoted, subsequently taking over the department.

Finally : Finally, after months of preparation, the day of the launch arrived.

Last but not least : Last but not least, we must thank our sponsors.

Ultimately : Ultimately, the decision lies with the committee.

In conclusion : In conclusion, there are several benefits to implementing these changes.

To summarize : To summarize, we reviewed three key points in today's meeting.

In summary : In summary, the strategy proved to be highly effective.

Overall : Overall, the project was a resounding success.

To conclude : To conclude, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone.

Lastly : Lastly, we would like to remind participants to submit their feedback.

In closing : In closing, remember to check your email for updates.

To finalize : To finalize the process, please sign below.

To wrap up : To wrap up, I'll answer any remaining questions.

All things considered : All things considered, it's a favorable proposal.

Currently : Currently, the company is in the process of expanding.

Previously : Previously, we discussed the importance of marketing.

Formerly : The building was formerly used as a warehouse.

Eventually : He studied hard and eventually passed the exam with flying colors.

Subsequently : The snowstorm subsided and, subsequently, flights resumed.

Meanwhile : You start on the report; meanwhile, I'll work on the presentation.

Simultaneously : They worked simultaneously on different parts of the project.

Until : Continue stirring the mixture until it thickens.

Thereafter : Thereafter, the participants formed smaller discussion groups.

Presently : Presently, the research is being reviewed by the committee.

Comparison/Contrast or Clarification

In the same way : In the same way a teacher educates students, a mentor guides a protégé.

Similarly : Similarly, the new model offers increased efficiency.

In the same manner , In the same manner as his predecessor, he adheres to strict schedules.

By the same token : By the same token, reducing expenses will enhance our profitability.

Equally : This decision will affect all departments equally.

Just as : Just as we expected, the turnout was high.

As much as : As much as I enjoy hiking, I haven't had time to go recently.

Clarification

That is to say : We have a stopover, that is to say, you'll have to switch planes.

In other words : It's a symbiotic relationship, in other words, both parties benefit.

To clarify : To clarify, only third-year students can apply for this program.

That is : You will be compensated, that is, we'll pay for your travel expenses.

Put another way : Put another way, the success of the project depends on teamwork.

To put it differently : To put it differently, the painting represents both hope and despair.

To rephrase : To rephrase, are you suggesting we postpone the launch?

If : If it rains, the game will be canceled.

Unless : Unless we act now, the opportunity will be lost.

Provided that : Provided that you complete the work on time, you'll receive full credit.

In the event that : In the event that you're late, please inform us.

As long as : You can borrow my car as long as you fill the tank.

Even if : Even if you disagree, you must abide by the decision.

In case : Always bring a map, in case your phone loses signal.

Supposing : Supposing the client agrees, when can we deliver?

Example or Emphasis

For instance : There are many historical cities to visit in Europe, for instance, Rome and Paris.

To illustrate : To illustrate the issue, consider the impact of deforestation on wildlife.

Namely : The club offers many amenities, namely a pool, a gym, and a sauna.

In particular : He loves fruits, in particular, apples and bananas.

Specifically : The warranty covers everything, specifically parts and labor.

To emphasize : To emphasize, please ensure the data is accurate.

Indeed : This is a very important point to consider, indeed.

In fact : The artist is, in fact, a close friend of mine.

Accordingly : Complete the form accordingly.

Consequently : He missed the deadline, and consequently, his submission was rejected.

Similarly : Similarly, her writing style is brief and to the point.

For example : Religions differ in practice; for example, some pray several times a day, others only on certain occasions.

To demonstrate : To demonstrate his commitment, he worked overtime without extra pay.

Exception/Contrast

Yet : He is young, yet he has achieved a lot.

In spite of : In spite of the rain, the event was well-attended.

Though : Though he wasn't feeling well, he decided to participate in the race.

While : While I understand your concern, I believe this is the best course of action.

Although : Although the road was busy, we made good time.

Because : He’s tired because he worked late.

Since : Since we have enough resources, we should begin the project.

As : As the data was incomplete, the conclusions were questionable.

Given that : Given that we missed the deadline, we need a new strategy.

Considering : Considering her extensive experience, she’s the ideal candidate for the job.

Due to the fact that : Due to the fact that we received a generous grant, our research can continue.

Owing to : Owing to the budget cuts, we need to revise our plans.

Summary/Conclusion

In conclusion : In conclusion, the evidence overwhelmingly supports our theory.

To summarize : To summarize, three key points were discussed.

In sum : In sum, the proposal offers several noteworthy benefits.

To wrap up : To wrap up, I'd like to thank everyone for their participation.

In brief : In brief, we need to change our approach.

Overall : Overall, it's been a productive year for the company.

All in all : All in all, it was a fantastic concert.

To recap : To recap, make sure you understand the assignment before you begin.

In a nutshell : In a nutshell, the new policy will affect everyone in the department.

Then : Finish this task, then start on the next.

Afterwards : We'll have the meeting, and afterwards, we can discuss the matter privately.

Subsequently : He graduated in June, and subsequently found a job in July.

Soon after : The new model was released, and soon after, it became a best-seller.

Immediately : Immediately after the incident, the building was evacuated.

Wherever : Wherever you go, you’ll find people willing to help.

Whenever : Whenever I visit Paris, I feel like I'm in a dream.

While : While he was reading, the phone rang.

Meanwhile : He'll be here in an hour; meanwhile, let's get everything ready.

You deserve a better score!

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StoryLearning

Learn A Language Through Stories

85 Connectors In English To Speak And Write Fluently

When you speak and write, you express ideas.

Many ideas.

And if you want people to understand your ideas, you need to express them clearly.

Not only that.

You also need to connect them together and show how they are related to each other.

This is why you need connectors in English.

These are words and phrases that are used to link different parts of a sentence or different sentences together to show the relationship between them.

And in this post, you're going to learn over 80 of them!

What Are Connectors In English?

Here’s a simple example.

I ate a sandwich because I was feeling hungry.

2 ideas:

eating a sandwich
feeling hungry

How are they related?

The word “because” (a connector) links them together by showing their relationship.

One idea is the cause (feeling hungry), the other idea is the consequence (eating a sandwich).

Connectors in English are an essential part of the English language and in this blog post you will explore different types of connectors and look at a lot of examples of how they’re used.

Types Of Connectors In English

There are many different types of connectors in English.

These include:

Cause, effect, and result
Sequence

Let’s learn more about each type.

Connectors Of Cause, Effect, And Result

Connectors of cause, effect, and result show the relationship between events or actions.

Some examples:

I couldn't come to the party because I had to work late.
Since our return flight to Milan was cancelled, we had to spend one more day in Paris.

3. As A Result

She studied hard and, as a result, she got an A on the test.

4. Consequently

Many people today do not have time to cook healthy meals for themselves. Consequently, they often end up eating too much junk food.

5. Therefore

Learning a language requires practice. Therefore, it’s important to find as many practice opportunities as you can.

6. Hence (Formal)

Language learning can be more effective when you know what you want to achieve. Hence it is important to be clear about your language learning goals.
She woke up late, so she missed her flight.

8. On Account Of

All public transport services were cancelled on account of the strike.

9. Owing To (Formal)

He remained sick owing to poorly prepared food.

10. Thanks To

I was able to learn English thanks to the help of a great teacher.

11. As A Consequence

Many businesses had to shut down during the pandemic. As a consequence, economic growth slowed down.
Many businesses had to shut down due to the pandemic.

13. For This Reason

He hates politicians. For this reason, he has never voted.

14. Thus (Formal)

We do not own the company. Thus, it would be impossible for us to sell it to investors.

Connectors Of Sequence

Connectors of sequence are words or phrases that help to show the order or sequence of events or actions.

They indicate the temporal relationship between ideas, actions, or events in a sentence or paragraph.

Here are some common ones. They’re all used to indicate something that happened after something else.

15. After That

First, I'll explain the basic rules of the game. After that, we'll start playing.
Boil the water. Next, put the pasta in it.
I went to the supermarket. Then, I came home and had lunch.

18. Afterwards

We can first relax and have some coffee. Afterwards, we’ll go back to work.

19. Subsequently (Formal)

The company experienced financial difficulties. Subsequently, they had to make several employees redundant and shut down some of their international headquarters.

20. Finally/Lastly

I’d like to thank my mother and all my family members. And finally, I would like to thank you all for coming here today.

21. Last But Not Least

You can use this when you’re mentioning the last person or thing of a group in order to say that they’re not less important than the others.

Last but not least, I’d like to thank my partner for supporting and encouraging me. This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without her.

22. First / Second / Third

This study has the following aims: first, to investigate how international students in the UK learn English; second, to examine how well they can communicate; and third, to explore how language classes can play a role in helping overseas students adjust to life in England.

Connectors Of Time

Connectors of time are similar to connectors of sequence. They are used to show the order or sequence of events.

Some examples of connectors of time include:

After finishing work, he usually goes to the gym and spends two hours there.
Before going to bed, I always brush my teeth.

25. Meanwhile

You use this to indicate that something is happening while something else is happening.

John was working on his project. Meanwhile, I was cooking dinner.

This indicates that something is happening while something else is happening.

As I was walking to the store, I saw my friend driving by.

27. As Soon As

A nice little phrase that you can use to indicate that one action happens immediately after another.

I'll call you as soon as I arrive at the airport.

28. Once (=As Soon As; When)

Once I finish my homework, I can go out and play with my friends.

You use “while” to indicate that two actions are happening at the same time.

I was eating while my dad was watching TV.

“Since” is often used with the present perfect to indicate when the action started.

I haven't seen her since 2018.
Please stay here and don’t leave the train station until the train arrives.

You can use “when” to describe a situation that happens at or during a particular time or while something else is happening.

I saw a deer when I was walking in the park,
The teacher was not ready when the lesson began.

33. In The Meantime

The restaurant is fully booked at the moment so you’ll have to wait. In the meantime, you can take a seat outside and have some drinks if you like.

Connectors Of Addition

These connectors are used to add information or ideas.

Here they are:

She's studying psychology in the morning and learning English in the evening.

35. As Well As

She speaks Spanish as well as English.
I don’t like washing the dishes. I also hate doing the laundry!

37. Moreover (Formal)

The cost of living is high in this city. Moreover, the traffic is terrible.

38. Furthermore (Formal)

Research has shown that exposure to language input is essential in second-language acquisition. Furthermore, there is evidence to support the claim that exposure to comprehensible input should be consistent.

39. In Addition (Formal)

We need to hire more employees. In addition, we need to improve our training program.

40. Besides

There's nothing to do today. Besides, it's raining so we can’t even go outside.

41. Additionally

She's a great teacher. Additionally, she's also a published author.
I like Italian food and I can make great pizza too.

43. Not Only…But Also…

Not only can this course help you improve your speaking skills, but it’s also a great way to meet like-minded students.

44. What Is More

Children who are bilingual outperform monolingual children on IQ tests. What is more, they appear to have an advantage in acquiring a third language.

45. Likewise (Formal)

Her second child was likewise very smart.

Connectors Of Contrast

These are connectors that can be used to show contrast between ideas.

I want to go to the party, but I have to finish my homework first.

47. However

She loves ice cream. However, she's lactose intolerant.

48. Although

Although it was raining, they still went to the beach.
I like going to the cinema. I prefer watching movies at home though.

50. Despite The Fact That

John continued to smoke cigarettes despite the fact that he knew they were bad for his health.

51. In Spite Of (The Fact That)

In spite of the fact that the restaurant had poor reviews, they decided to give it a try and ended up enjoying the food.

52. Whereas

She likes sweet foods, whereas he prefers salty ones.

53. On The One Hand / On The Other Hand

On the one hand, I would love to take that job offer because it pays well. On the other hand, it's in a city far away from where I live, so I’m not sure what to do.
I love to read, while he loves to watch movies.

55. Even Though

Even though he had studied hard, he still failed the exam.

56. Even If (= Whether Or Not)

Even if it rains, I'll still go for a run this evening.

57. On The Contrary

‘“It must have been great!”
“On the contrary, I hated every minute.”

58. In Contrast

The results of the survey show that, on average, women spend more time cooking for their families. In contrast, men spend more than five minutes a day preparing meals for their kids.
He's incredibly busy, yet he still finds time to go to the gym.

60. Nevertheless

There is little chance that they will win the cup. Nevertheless, it is important that they do their best to succeed.

61. Nonetheless (Formal)

These are serious issues. Nonetheless, we have a solid plan to solve them.
The restaurant was dirty. Still, the food they serve is incredibly delicious.

Connectors Of Condition

These are words that are used to connect two clauses (a group of words that includes a subject and a verb, and forms a sentence or part of a sentence) to express a condition that must be fulfilled in order for something else to happen.

Here are some examples for you:

If it rains, we'll stay at home.

For more on “if” check out this post on the English conditional tense .

64. Unless (=If Not)

I won't forgive you unless you apologise

65. Provided That

I'll lend you my car, provided that you promise to return it by tomorrow.

66. As/So Long As (=Only If)

You can use my laptop as long as you don't break it.

67. Supposing (That)

Used to ask somebody to pretend that something is true or to imagine that something will happen.

Supposing that you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring three things with you, what would they be?

68. On Condition That (=Only If)

I can drive you to the station on condition that you pay for the petrol.

Connectors Of Example

These are words and phrases used to introduce examples

69. For Example

There are many different fruits you can use for smoothies. For example, you can use berries, bananas, and mangoes.

70. Such As

We sell many different types of vehicles, such as cars, trucks, and motorcycles.
Some people enjoy outdoor activities like hiking and camping, while others prefer indoor activities like reading and watching movies.

72. Including

There are many different types of pasta dishes, including spaghetti, fettuccine, and lasagna.

There are many different types of computer programs, namely word processors, spreadsheets, and graphic design software.

74. For Instance

There are many ways to learn a language. For instance, you can try our StoryLearning method.

Connectors Of Comparison

Connectors of comparison are used to show the similarities and differences between two or more things.

75. Likewise (Formal) = In A Similar Way

John is a great cook. Likewise, Mary is skilled in the kitchen.

You use “unlike” to show difference / contrast.

Unlike his brother, who is always punctual, Tom is always late for appointments.

77. By Comparison

You can use this to show a comparison between two or more things.

The value of oil went up by 3 percent. By comparison, gold has fallen by 4 percent.

This structure is used to show similarity or equality between two things, actions, or qualities.

The pizza I had last night was as delicious as the one I had in Italy.

79. Compared To

Compared to New York, Milan might seem a small city.

80. Similarly

She is an excellent swimmer. Similarly, her sister is a great swimmer too.

Connectors Of Summary

These are used to summarise or conclude a point or idea. Here are some examples:

81. In Conclusion

In conclusion, the research shows that there is a clear correlation between exercise and mental health.

82. To Sum Up

To sum up, it's clear that the new policy has had a positive impact on the company's profits.

83. All In All

The event was well-organized and the speakers were engaging. All in all, it was a great success.

84. To Conclude

To conclude, the evidence clearly supports the hypothesis that the climate is changing due to human activity.

85. On The Whole

On the whole, I think the movie was pretty good, but the ending was disappointing.

Connectors In English Everywhere

As you can see, connectors in English are useful words and phrases that will help you show the relationship between ideas.

We have only seen connectors to link ideas within sentences, but they can also be used to connect ideas across paragraphs.

This is why it’s important to read books in English if you’d like to learn and notice connectors in English in context as you’ll be exposing yourself to a lot of written texts–which are rich in connectors!

Following the rules of StoryLearning can help you do this as you’ll be reading short stories in English and you’ll be exposing your brain to thousands of sentences, ideas, and connectors too!

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Connectors in English with Examples

Table of Contents

Connectors are words or phrases used to link ideas, sentences , or paragraphs together in a coherent and cohesive manner. They help to create a logical flow of ideas and make written or spoken communication more effective. Here are some examples of connectors in English:

Connectors in English

Connectors of Addition:

Words and phrases that add information to what has been previously stated.

Examples : Furthermore, in addition, moreover, also, besides, similarly, likewise.

Furthermore: adds more information or supporting evidence to what has already been said
The book is not only well-written, but it’s also beautifully designed. Furthermore, the illustrations are stunning.
I didn’t just finish the project on time. Furthermore, I completed it to a high standard.
In addition: adds another item or idea to a list
I need to buy eggs, milk, and bread. In addition, I’m also going to get some cheese.
The company offers good benefits, such as health insurance and paid time off. In addition, they also have a retirement savings plan.
Moreover: indicates that what is being said is in addition to something already mentioned
The store has a great selection of shoes. Moreover, they offer free shipping on all orders.
I enjoyed the concert. Moreover, I got to meet the band afterward.
Also: adds more information to what has already been said
She’s a talented musician. Also, she’s a great songwriter.
I’m going to the grocery store. Also, I need to stop at the bank.
Besides: means “in addition to” or “apart from”
Besides being a great athlete, he’s also an accomplished writer.
Besides the fact that it’s expensive, I don’t really like that restaurant.
Similarly: means “in a similar way” or “in the same manner”
Just as my brother loves to play sports, similarly, I love to play musical instruments.
The company values diversity. Similarly, they also prioritize inclusion in their hiring practices.
Likewise: means “in the same way” or “similarly”
He’s a hard worker. Likewise, his sister is also very dedicated to her work.
The teacher is strict with deadlines. Likewise, she expects her students to be punctual.

Connectors of Contrast:

Words and phrases that show differences or contrasts between ideas.

Examples: However, although, yet, nevertheless, despite, whereas, but, on the other hand.

However: indicates a contrast between two ideas or clauses
I know it’s raining. However, I still want to go for a walk.
He’s a great chef. However, his restaurant is always empty.
Although: introduces a clause that contrasts with the main clause
Although it’s cold outside, I’m not going to wear a coat.
Although I’m tired, I’m going to finish this project tonight.
Yet: indicates a contrast or unexpected outcome
I studied hard for the test. Yet, I still failed.
He’s a great athlete. Yet, he never seems to win any competitions.
Nevertheless: means “in spite of that” or “however”
I don’t really like the movie. Nevertheless, I think the acting is excellent.
The weather was terrible. Nevertheless, we had a great time on our vacation.
Despite: means “even though” or “regardless of”
Despite the rain, the game still went on as planned.
She continued to work despite feeling sick.
Whereas: indicates a contrast between two things or ideas
I love pizza, whereas my sister prefers sushi.
The company’s profits increased, whereas its expenses decreased.
But: indicates a contrast or exception to what has been said previously
He’s a good driver, but he’s always getting into accidents.
I love chocolate, but I try to limit how much I eat.
On the other hand: introduces an alternative viewpoint or contrasting idea
I don’t really like spicy food. On the other hand, my friend loves it.
The new policy may be good for the environment, but on the other hand, it could be bad for the economy.

Cause and Effect: Words and phrases that show a cause-and-effect relationship between ideas.

Examples: Because, as a result, since, therefore, consequently, so, thus.

Because: introduces the reason for something
I’m not going to the party because I have to work tonight.
The concert was canceled because of the weather.
As a result: indicates the outcome or consequence of something
I didn’t study for the exam, so as a result, I failed.
The company didn’t meet its sales targets, and as a result, it had to lay off employees.
Since: means “because” or “as a result of”
Since it’s snowing, we’re going to stay inside and watch movies.
He’s been studying hard since he wants to get into a good college.
Therefore: indicates a logical conclusion or result
The roads are icy, therefore it’s not safe to drive.
We didn’t have enough ingredients to make lasagna, therefore we decided to make spaghetti instead.
Consequently: means “as a result” or “therefore”
The company didn’t invest in new technology, and consequently, it fell behind its competitors.
I didn’t have enough money to pay for rent, consequently, I had to borrow some from my friend.
So: indicates a consequence or conclusion
I’m tired, so I’m going to bed early tonight.
The traffic was terrible, so I was late to the meeting.
Thus: indicates a logical conclusion or result
We didn’t have enough time to finish the project, thus we had to ask for an extension.
The study showed that exercise reduces stress, thus regular exercise is recommended for people with high-stress levels.

Time: Words and phrases that show time relationships between ideas.

Examples: After, before, during, while, until, next, then, and finally.

After I finish my work, I’m going to the gym.
Before we start the meeting, let’s review the agenda.
During the concert, the audience was captivated by the singer’s voice.
While I was studying for my exam, my roommate was watching TV.
Until the rain stops, we’ll have to stay inside.
Next, we’re going to discuss the budget for the project.
Then, we can decide on the best course of action.
Finally, after months of hard work, we completed the project.

Sequence: Words and phrases that show the order of events.

Examples: First, second, third, then, next, finally, subsequently, and afterward.

First, let’s gather all the necessary equipment.
Second, we need to review the safety procedures.
Third, we can begin the experiment.
Then, we’ll record our observations.
Next, we’ll analyze the data we collected.
Finally, we’ll draw our conclusions and write our report.
Subsequently, we can present our findings to the class.
Afterward, we can answer any questions they may have.

Example: Words and phrases that provide examples to support an idea.

Examples: For instance, for example, such as, namely, in particular.

For instance, I enjoy outdoor activities like hiking and camping.
For example, some common fruits include apples, bananas, and oranges.
Such as dogs, cats, and rabbits are common household pets.
Namely, the four basic arithmetic operations are addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
In particular, I am interested in studying marine biology.

Emphasis: Words and phrases that emphasize a point or idea.

Examples : Indeed, certainly, in fact, without a doubt, clearly, obviously, undoubtedly.

Indeed, the new policy will have a significant impact on our operations.
Clearly, there is a need for more resources to address this issue.
Undoubtedly, her experience and expertise make her the best candidate for the job.
Absolutely, we need to take immediate action to prevent further damage.
In fact, studies show that regular exercise can improve mental health.
Without a doubt, the team’s hard work and dedication led to their success.
Frankly, I find your behavior unacceptable and disrespectful.
Honestly, I have to say that I don’t agree with your decision.
Needless to say, safety should always be our top priority.
It goes without saying that honesty is the foundation of any successful relationship.

Using connectors in your writing or speaking can make your ideas clearer and more organized. They help to create a cohesive and logical flow of information and improve the overall effectiveness of your communication.

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Although connectors may seem like unnecessary words at first, they play an important role in English. Connectors can help you to make your point more clearly, and they can also add variety to your writing. In this blog post, we will explore some of the most common connectors in English. We will also discuss the functions of these connectors, and we will provide examples of how they can be used. So, if you want to learn more about connectors, read on!

Table of Contents

100 Connectors in English

Connectors of addition.

Additionally
Furthermore
What’s more
In addition
By the same
Besides that
For example
In line manner

Connectors of Sequence

By and large
For the most part
Subsequently
To conclude
First of all
As a result
By the large
In the long run
In conclusion
On the whole
Consequently
By the time

Connector for Opinion

Personally, I think
If I am not mistaken
As far as I’m concerned
I might be wrong but
As far as I know
It seems likely
It seems to me
In my opinion
In my experience
I tend to think that
Speaking for myself
As far as I understand
I believe that
As for me, I think
I am of mixed opinions about
What I mean is
I’d say that

Connector for Emphasis

As it happens
Significantly
More importantly
We could say
In particular

Connector for Contrast

Despite this
Nevertheless
In spite of
On the contrary
Alternatively

Connector for Conclusion

Summarising

C onnector for Comparison

In the same way
In comparison
In contrast
Even though
Of contrast

Connector for Illustration

An instance
To show that
In the case of
As an example
For one thing
In other words
For instance
As revealed by

Connector for Cause & Effect

Results from
Because of this
Is the result of
For this reason
As a consequence of
Is the consequence of
Brings about
Is caused by
As a result of
Contributes of

Connector for Persuasion

Undoubtedly

Types Of Connectors

Connectors are used to join 2 separate sentences together, different types of conjunctions are given below:

Subordinating Conjunction

To make a contrast

Coordinating Conjunction

Sentence connector.

And therefore

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Essay Connectors in English, Connection Words for Essay

Table of Contents

Essay Connectors

Did you know that there are many linkers and connectors that will allow you to use the English language more powerfully? Today, we will examine linkers with different meanings and give example sentences established with each linker. In this way, we believe that you can use these linkers much more easily in your essay works.

8 Tips On Writing An Effective Essay , Writing Essay Tips

When you use these connectors, which will give the meaning of contrast to the sentence, one half of the sentence and the other half should contain contradictory and unexpected statements. Let’s examine it on the example.

In spite of : In spite of studied all night, got a very low score on the exam, and did not pass the class.
Despite : I waited for you all day and I definitely didn’t start eating before you arrived, despite that it was clear that you didn’t care about me.
However : The tourism industry in this country is developing more each year; However, the current policies of the new government have raised concerns about these tourism revenues.
Although : Although these days I feel weak when you called me I got up and got ready and came here.

Reason and Cause

When you use essay connectors indicating the reason and cause in a sentence, two different clauses must be related to each other.

As : I didn’t come with you today, as I had been working hard for my exams for two days and I was tired.
Because of : Because of the paper he saw, he felt unhappy, weak, and depressed all day. I wish I could help him on this topic.
Due to Due to his fight with his wife was not performing enough at work and could not show all his skills.
Since : Since at the end of this year, my overall average is high, I think I will highlight it in internship applications and get what I want.

You can see that purpose connectors are usually used in sentences with an aim theme that contains information about the reason for any action. These have extremely powerful meanings and make your essay richer.

For : Who do you think I did all this for? Of course, I did it all for you!
In order to : When I went to the market today, I stopped by the sandwich shop in order to take something to you.
In order not to : In order not to late this much, I woke up early in the morning and took care of my work while everyone was sleeping.
So that : I worked all day today so that I don’t have to work tomorrow at all.
So as to : When I came to class yesterday, I gave my students the essay exam so as to that I could take two exams next week and complete the grading process in a short time.
So as not to : So as not to fight with my husband, I finished what he said before I got home.

When we are lining up information in a sentence or paragraph or trying to pass an event stream to the reader, we often need to use succession specifiers among the essay connectors. For this, we have the chance to benefit from the following alternatives:

First of all : First of all, all of these things meant something to me, but it wasn’t enough.
The next stage : So, the next stage is ready: From now on, he can finish our project without anyone’s help.
In short : Now you know all of this, in short, you got through your journeyman period and entered the master period.
In conclusion : When you consider all the above information, in conclusion, the basis of scientific knowledge is always experiments.

Paragraphs that indicate result in any subject can usually indicate cause and effect.

As a result of As a result of her beauty, everyone at the prom suddenly fell in love with her.
Therefore : I worked all day today to get your chores done; Therefore, you have no right to be angry with me for coming to this party late.

Detailed Conjunctions List in English

Connectors of Contrast List and Example Sentences

Writing a Letter in English For People with English As A Second Language

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Connectors / Linking Words for Writing – Functions and Tips

Updated On Sep 15, 2023

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How do Linking Words or Connectors Function?

Tips to Use Linking words or Connectors

Common linking words and connectors used in ielts writing.

Effective IELTS Essay Connectors for Writing Task 2 & Task 1

Linking words or connectors are the adverbs that turn out to be the easiest way to connect ideas or sentences with one unique word. Such linking words or connectors make the entire sentence look appealing. In IELTS, if you use the connesctors appropriately, it will showcase your advanced English communication skills.

So, in any way, if you find yourself stuck with handling these linking words or connectors, here are a few tips that will help you out.

How do Linking Words or Connectors Function?

Jotted down below are a few reasons why you should be using linking words or connectors in your IELTS writing tasks:

They make your writing clear and appealing.
You get to provide meaning to otherwise complex sentences.
They help readers understand how one sentence is related to the other.
They help to know the purpose of the question and also give an appropriate answer to the question.

Here are a few tips that you can keep in mind when using linking words or connectors:

Are you being accurate with your choice of words?

There are a lot of linking words that can be used in a sentence, so you need to be careful while using the linking words and use them accurately.

Are you overusing linking words or connectors?

The linking words can be used once or twice in the sentence. Making overuse of the linking words in the sentence makes the sentence meaningless.

Are you mixing up?

Try to use a lot of linking words in the paragraph, but make sure the sentence is meaningful while using these words. Using a single word many times in a paragraph doesn’t make any sense. So while using the linking words, use them wisely.

When writing an essay or a report in an IELTS exam, there are plenty of linking words or connectors used throughout. You can take ideas from the ones mentioned below:


Opinion
Agreement / Disagreement
Examples
Listing Points
Reasons and Causes
Extra Information
Results and Consequences
An Indication of Time
Highlighting or Emphasising
Presenting Contrast
Presenting Comparison
Conclusion

Also check :

IELTS Writing
IELTS Writing tips
IELTS Writing recent actual test
IELTS Writing Answer sheet
IELTS Writing Practice tests

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are connectors important in writing?

Name some of the common connectors used in IELTS Writing?

What are some linking words expressing differences or contrasts?

Mention some linking words that can be used to express a finale or summarization

Where do you use connectors or linking words in IELTS writing?

Explore IELTS Writing

Proven tips to score Band 9 in IELTS Writing

Janet had been an IELTS Trainer before she dived into the field of Content Writing. During her days of being a Trainer, Janet had written essays and sample answers which got her students an 8+ band in the IELTS Test. Her contributions to our articles have been engaging and simple to help the students understand and grasp the information with ease. Janet, born and brought up in California, had no idea about the IELTS until she moved to study in Canada. Her peers leaned to her for help as her first language was English.

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Development interdependence: Locally driven, globally informed

Subscribe to the sustainable development bulletin, essay by: george ingram george ingram senior fellow - global economy and development , center for sustainable development viewpoints by: sarah rose , sarah rose senior advisor for localization - usaid rachel leeds , rl rachel leeds strategy analyst - usaid tariq ahmad , ta tariq ahmad senior policy advisor - millennium challenge corporation martha bowen , mb martha bowen deputy vice president for policy and evaluation - millennium challenge corporation meghan armistead , ma meghan armistead senior research and policy advisor - catholic relief services marin belhoussein , mb marin belhoussein policy lead, aid and development finance - oxfam gretchen king , gk gretchen king former localization advisor - oxfam larry cooley , larry cooley nonresident senior fellow - global economy and development , center for universal education john coonrod , jc john coonrod founder and chair - movement for community led development gunjan veda , gv gunjan veda global secretary and executive director (u.s.) - movement for community led development justin fugle , justin fugle head of policy - plan international claudia gonzalez , cg claudia gonzalez executive director - ensena por paraguay anna molero , am anna molero chief government officer - tech for all brianna guidorzi , bg brianna guidorzi policy analyst - near karl hofmann , kh karl hofmann president and ceo - population services international dylan matthews , dm dylan matthews ceo - peace direct vahe mirikian , vm vahe mirikian managing director - washington dc peace direct anthony f. pipa , anthony f. pipa senior fellow - global economy and development , center for sustainable development susan reichle , susan reichle ceo and president - international youth foundation ritu sharma , rs ritu sharma co-founder and president - women thrive worldwide cynthia smith , cs cynthia smith director of global initiatives - humentum william von schrader , and wvs william von schrader senior director, localization - save the children jenny russell jr jenny russell senior director of development policy and advocacy - save the children.

September 9, 2024

92 min read

This compendium of essays expands on the conversation from a roundtable hosted by the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution on April 5, 2024. The event’s purpose was to generate a discussion on the role of international expertise and international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) in a localization frame, a topic mostly absent in considerations of locally led development.

An initial essay by Brookings scholar George Ingram, serving as background for the roundtable, poses three framing questions:

Is there a role for international expertise and entities in the localization frame, and if so, what is that role?
Can USAID, other donors, and intermediary organizations create structures and operating dynamics that provide global experience and expertise in ways that respect and support local actors being in control of priority setting, design, and execution?
In what ways can USAID modify its procurement processes to facilitate participation of local and national Southern organizations?

Because no one observer can represent the diversity of views on locally led development, and in order to broaden the conversation and audience beyond those at the April session, participants in the roundtable were invited to write follow-on commentaries on the topic.

This compendium can be read in its entirety or selectively, depending on the reader’s interest. Readers can access specific viewpoints by clicking on the authors’ names in the sidebar navigation menu at any time.

Opening essay

The first essay in this compendium is the essay by Ingram, updated to benefit from the roundtable discussion and subsequent feedback. It includes an addendum highlighting key ideas put forth during the roundtable discussion.

Concept of locally led development

The objective of locally led development is for national actors, including government, institutions, and citizens, to drive their own development. An outstanding issue in the path to localization is determining the appropriate role of external actors as they transition from a leading to a subsidiary role in development.

The donor community has been on a two-decade trek to sort out the meaning and execution of local ownership—the concept that development is most effective and sustainable when it is driven by local stakeholders based on local priorities, local design, local execution, local monitoring, and local evaluation. The 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness was seminal in emphasizing the role of local ownership, interpreted principally as the national government. Intergovernmental debates evolved through the 2008 Accra Agenda for Action and the 2011 Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, which stressed, among other stakeholders, the role of local governments and civil society organizations.

Much of the recent discussion on aid effectiveness has focused principally on local ownership. But the original Paris Declaration sets forth five interdependent principles that contribute to aid effectiveness, of which ownership, possibly the most essential, is but one—alongside alignment, harmonization, managing for results, and accountability. These principles remain a helpful guidepost, even as they continue to be updated. 1

The concept of locally led development is based on the shortcomings of traditional top – down approaches and the recognition that the agency of local stakeholders , a long with local management of resources , are what are most relevant . T he current laser targeting o n local ownership is an appropriate response to three-quarters of a century of development driven too often by donor priorities and perspectives and accountability to their own constituents , often at the expense of local priorities and perspectives. The shift is probably necessary to steer the supertanker -like operations of donors to a more locally driven dynamic .

The endgame

However, localization should not be seen as the destination. Nor is it appropriate for all circumstances, and it can be taken too far. While being guided by local voices and priorities is always essential, every country in the Global South is on a different development trajectory. For example:

Developing countries have a mix of capabilities to advance their own development and needs for external support.
Many countries are mired in conflicts, humanitarian crises, and fragility that impair locally led development.
Too many countries have governance that is predatory, non-inclusive, or non-responsive to the needs and priorities of citizens.

In addition, in these contexts and others, international knowledge, experience, capabilities, and access can contribute to the diffusion of innovation and successful participation in a global political and economic order that positively affects development. And there are universal values—human rights, inclusion, gender equity, democracy—that the U.S. and other donors seek to advance and will not abandon.

It is important to acknowledge that, despite localization being the focus in many dialogues on development, it is one of multiple steps along the development journey. Think of localization in terms of the related concept that self-reliance is not the economic endgame either. As far back as the 18th century, Adam Smith explained that trade and specialization surpass economic self-reliance in creating economic efficiency and wealth for the overall benefit of society.

The endgame is inclusive economic, social, and political development that is owned by national and local stakeholders and built on the best of local and global knowledge and capabilities, best characterized as locally driven, globally informed.

USAID’s targets

Take the case of USAID. Building on the path initiated by her predecessors, Administrator Samantha Power has made USAID a leading advocate for localization. Setting a hard target of 25% of “eligible” U.S. foreign aid being programmed directly to local organizations by 2025 is an appropriate goal to move processes toward the more ambitious 2030 target of 50% of all United States government aid being locally designed and implemented, an acknowledged innovation on how to measure locally led development.

But fixed targets lead to hard questions:

What is the appropriate definition of what organization/program qualifies as “local”?
What foreign aid falls under the rubric of “eligible”?
What are the pitfalls of promoting “local development autarchy” (e.g., executing development programs without the benefit of global expertise and experience), and how can they be avoided?
What is the appropriate role of traditional international expertise and development implementers (INGOs, universities, companies)?

In an interconnected world, it is difficult to define what is local and know how strict a definition is appropriate.

Definition of local

USAID (a) has a definition of “local entity” that is subject to interpretation by each of its operating units (country missions and headquarter bureaus and offices), and (b) identifies categories of assistance “eligible” for direct funding to local entities on a relatively narrow base of all U.S. development and humanitarian assistance. Publish What You Fund ( PWYF) bases its calculation on (a) a stricter definition of local (local organizations with no connection to international actors) and (b) a wider band of USAID budgetary accounts. Compared to USAID’s calculation that in FY 2022 10.2% and in FY 2023 9.6% of its funding is going to local organizations, a sampling of country programs by PWYF and Oxfam using their more rigorous definition of local and a broader scope of eligible fundings, found about half that level going directly to local entities.

The advantage of a strict, clear definition is it makes it easier to assess progress and accountability. The disadvantage is that it can miss important nuances. USAID’s practice of allowing each of its many operating units to determine what counts as local allows for nuance but permits inconsistent determination of what is local.

The conundrum of a definition revolves around who is in control and how to determine that. This can be seen in a few examples (both real and conceptual) of existing organizational and program structures that may or may not be determined as local:

Local and national government.
A U.S. nonprofit running a USAID-funded program 100% staffed by local citizens whose function is to respond to technical assistance requests from a government ministry.
A U.S. nonprofit, most of whose senior staff (VP level) are non-U.S. citizens resident in developing countries and whose function is to provide finance and other support to indigenous organizations, and with a third of the board from the Global South.
A regionally based NGO governed from and works only in developing countries—may be characterized as a “Southern-led INGO”.
An international nonprofit that is a federation of independent, sovereign national organizations.
A global consulting firm that is a network of independent national entities governed by the collection of Northern and Southern partners, sometimes with Southern partners in the majority.

These examples are mostly locally or regionally managed with a level of global input.

Role of international expertise

In the ongoing debate among USAID and its implementing partners, and within the broader development community, both in the U.S. and globally, as to the appropriate role of those international implementing entities, it is useful to identify what the role of international actors might be in supporting local actors in a localization frame. What are the functions of international expertise and implementers that are relevant to a local/global dynamic, and how can they perform a supportive rather than a controlling role? Possibilities include:

Share knowledge and experience from other countries and communities.
Provide access to global networks.
Serve as a mediator between local stakeholders.
Provide political coverage or protection for local stakeholders.
Strengthen capacity.
Convene partners and stakeholders, local and global.
Help access funding.
Provide administrative functions required by donors (i.e., back-office functions such as financial accountability, risk management, and reporting and compliance functions).

This mental walk-through of why and how international expertise and entities can contribute to locally led development occurs in a frame of broader questions that are almost philosophical in nature. The answers to these will be driven by context, values, and worldview. But there are higher-order questions that must be addressed first:

What does success in localization/locally-led development look like—sustainability, cost effectiveness, efficiency, best use of donor resources?
What do we mean by “local”—national government, local communities, women’s groups, NGOs, companies, individuals?
Different identification of who or what is “local” may depend on the circumstances and objectives.
Who determines who or what is “local”?

3 framing questions

The central issue of this essay is to consider what role international actors should play in the pursuit of successful development localization. The topic has received inadequate attention and would benefit from explicit discussion among local stakeholders, donors, and implementers. In particular, three specific issues need to be addressed:

Is there a role for international expertise and entities in the localization frame, and if so, what is that role?
Can USAID, other donors, and intermediary organizations create structures and operating dynamics that provide global experience and expertise in ways that respect and support local actors being in control of priority setting, design, and execution?
In what ways can USAID modify its procurement processes to facilitate the participation of local and national Southern organizations? 2

April 5 Roundtable Discussion—responses to the three framing questions.

Below is a summary of the ideas put forth during the roundtable in response to the three framing questions at the end of the essay. The conversation was robust and focused principally on the three framing questions. The views expressed were as diverse as the participants, with an overall perspective that there is a role for international actors in a localization frame, that power and control have yet to be effectively handed over, and lots of ideas but no consensus on the most effective way to accomplish that.

Question: Is there a role for international expertise and entities in the localization frame, and if so, what is their role?

Fund Raiser: Mobilize resources for local organizations.
Convenor: Provide a venue for dialogue between local organizations, INGOs, and funders.
Networker: Connect local organizations with INGOs.
Knowledge broker/Interpreter: Translate and interpret donor requests and requirements to local organizations.
Trainer/Coach: Strengthen knowledge and capabilities in technical areas of development.
Capacity builder: Strengthen capacity in areas of human resources, leadership, and responsiveness to local needs and priorities.
Intermediary: Serve as the go-between for local organizations and international funders, specifically for local organizations not capable or desirous of direct relationships with international donors.
Advocate: Represent Southern voices in international networks and dialogues.
Proposal writer: Assist with proposals to international donors.
Defender: Serve as a shield for local organizations from local political pressures.
Mediator: Mediate among local organizations and with international entities.
Administrative supporter: Provide back-office support to meet donor administrative requirements.

Question: Can USAID, other donors, and intermediary organizations create structures and operating dynamics that provide global experience and expertise in ways that respect and support local actors being in control of priority-setting, design, and execution?

Key recommendations included for USAID to:

Provide funding to cover the full overhead expenses of local organizations.
Translate proposals into multiple languages.
Hold convenings in the South and in places that do not require a visa.
Create standards and norms to manage risk and minimize inherent risks to local organizations.
Avoid implementing organizations co-opting the localization agenda (e.g., nationalization of country offices, decentralization of power from headquarters).
Extend funding through locally trusted intermediaries (like the United Way).

Question: In what ways can USAID modify its procurement processes to facilitate participation of local and national Southern organizations?

If there was one overarching point, it was that if the funder requires funding in a certain fashion, the implementer will comply.
Make local partners the default. Require documented rationale for why international actors are operating without a local partner.
Provide more transition awards.
Include funding for capacity strengthening of local organizations.
Provide standalone and integrated capacity-strengthening awards.
Make local organizations the prime applicant and the international implementer responsible for financial due diligence.
Move more funding through grants, thereby reducing the administrative/reporting requirements.
Include handing over the power of projects to local organizations as a required deliverable.
Measure against local capacity strengthening best practice indicators.
Separate the sub-contractor and prime relationship at the point of the award.
Change the program cycle to include the whole systems strategy development with international and local stakeholders participating in the development of the strategy. Then fund organizations, people, and partnerships rather than projects.
Require exit strategies for development and humanitarian assistance.
Provide funding for INGOs to serve as the convener of local organizations for project co-development.
Restrict solicitations only to local actors, excluding ones that are deemed affiliates.
Reduce the administrative paperwork, including simplifying periodic reporting.
Hold the local grantee against its own objectives, not the donor’s package of indicators.
Build in accountability to local stakeholders.

The following essays were authored by participants who accepted the invitation to present their own perspectives and experiences. The authors include U.S. government officials, representatives of U.S. and Southern civil society organizations, and individuals with experience in development.

Particularly noteworthy are the first two essays by senior staff of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which lay out how those agencies see the role of international entities in locally led development.

Additionally, the essays by development practitioners, especially by Southern voices—which must be central to this topic—provide important perspectives from their experience in implementing localization.

The role of international partners in advancing locally led development

USAID’s localization efforts build upon many years of past efforts and lessons learned around promoting local ownership. Many of these lessons inform how the agency understands the role of international partners—including INGOs, large and small development contractors, faith-based organizations, and United Nations agencies—in advancing locally led development.

One fundamental lesson relates to the rationale for locally led development. For years, the international community has considered local leadership and ownership over goals and processes to be critical for effective programming and sustained results. While there is still broad consensus on this point, the motivation for locally led development has expanded to include a focus on equity, with greater inclusion of the people and communities affected by the aid system. Shifting power requires rethinking everyone’s roles and practices, including those of international partners.

A second, related lesson pertains to how USAID frames its localization goals. In the past, the agency has emphasized direct local awards as the main way to advance localization and track its progress. Now, with more emphasis on shifting power, USAID is also examining how it creates opportunities for local actors to exercise influence over development programming. Control of resources is an important form of power, but local actors can also exercise power in other ways: setting the agenda; developing solutions; and bringing their capacities, leadership, and resources to bear to make those solutions a reality. International partners have an important role to play in creating opportunities for these types of local leadership and in supporting the broader development and humanitarian assistance community in being responsive to those locally identified priorities and solutions.

Drawing upon these lessons, USAID has reaffirmed its commitment to shifting funding and decisionmaking power to the people, organizations, and institutions that are driving change in their own countries and communities. Since 2021 , USAID has been working toward two agency-wide localization targets:

To channel a quarter of USAID funding directly to local partners.
To ensure that, for the majority of USAID programs, local actors are in the lead for project design, implementation, and results measurement.

While USAID’s direct local funding target often gets more attention, the local leadership target is equally important. And it is to this goal that international partners can make valuable contributions.

The (many) opportunities for international partners to advance locally led development

International partners can help shape international systems, including the aid system, to be more inclusive of local actors. They can support local actors’ integration into international networks and markets and facilitate coordination and collaboration between donors, INGOs, and local actors. They can contribute evidence on the impact of locally led approaches and help advocate and mobilize resources for locally led development.

In their work with local actors, international partners can collaborate, learn, and adapt with local stakeholders throughout program implementation, for example through accountability and feedback mechanisms . They can bring local actors into co-creation processes during design and implementation.

International partners can fund subawards to local organizations in ways that elevate local leadership . They can view their relationships with subawardees not just instrumentally, as a way to deliver specific elements of a program, but as an equitable partnership that aims to strengthen the broader local system. They can strengthen local subawardees’ organizational health by budgeting to support their full cost recovery (for instance, by implementing the revised federal regulations , effective October 1, that permit a 15% indirect cost recovery rate for subawardees). International partners can also serve as subawardees in support of directly funded local partners.

International partners can also engage in valuable capacity strengthening , mentoring, and coaching of local organizations, building on their existing strengths and supporting them to achieve their goals.

The international partner community is having important conversations about its role in advancing localization. INGO leaders are emphasizing locally led development and identifying the changes their organizations can make to advance these goals. Some INGO boards are paying increased attention to their organizations’ localization efforts, alongside other elements of organizational health. Movements like the RINGO Project (Re-Imagining the INGO and the Role of Global Civil Society) and the Pledge for Change are providing spaces for international organizations to think and talk with Global South-based organizations about what it means to form more equitable partnerships with local actors.

USAID’s enabling role

USAID also has a role to play in encouraging and shaping the nature of relationships between international partners and local actors. The Agency recently revised its operational policy on the program cycle to set expectations for staff to integrate local knowledge and local leadership across strategic planning; program design; implementation; and monitoring, evaluation, and learning processes. To guide efforts to integrate local leadership into its programs, USAID has developed tools and resources, many of which are relevant to international partners. Some are broadly applicable, like the locally led development spectrum and checklist tool . Some are sector-specific. For example, the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) produced a series of papers outlining the shifts that better elevate local leadership and support more effective rule of law , civil society , and governance programs. And the Bureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security (REFS) published new “ Localization Activity Design Guidance ” for activities related to Feed the Future initiative.

USAID is starting to be more intentional about understanding the ways its programs create space for local actors to exercise leadership. In 2023, the agency developed and piloted a new “ locally led programs indicator ” that tracks the extent to which programs utilize, over the lifespan of an award, a range of “good practices” that advance locally led development, including listening tours; co-creation; local subawards; participatory monitoring, evaluation, and learning processes. A new USAID report, “ Committed to Change: Localization Progress Report FY 2023 ” , discusses the results of the pilot, as well as some adjustments the agency is planning to make to the indicator. Forthcoming changes will streamline and clarify what the metric seeks to measure and reflect greater ambition for what it means for a program to demonstrate commitment to local leadership.

A role for everyone, grounded in values

The development and humanitarian ecosystems are made up of a wide range of actors. The central objective should be to leverage and build upon the unique expertise, resources, knowledge, skills, and networks of all actors in a manner that creates or supports the conditions for local actors to exercise their leadership. Those conditions are predicated on relationships based on transparency, listening, trust, mutuality, and respect. Attention to these values, by donors and international partners alike, can help build a more effective, inclusive, and equitable aid system.

Lessons from MCC: Implementing local ownership

In bilateral development partnerships, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) adopts a relatively unique operational model. MCC programs work with international contractors but under the authority and management of local stakeholders, which include representatives from the partner government, civil society, and the private sector. The model is an example of the question posed by George Ingram in the opening essay—can donors “create structures and operating dynamics that provide global experience and expertise in ways that respect and support local actors being in control of the priority setting, design, and execution”.

MCC’s operationalization of country ownership has three tangible dimensions: countries determine the investments, implement the programs, and are held accountable by their domestic stakeholders.

Countries control the prioritization process: Once eligible for MCC compact or threshold assistance, partner countries choose the sectors where MCC invests, based on an economic analysis of the countries’ key constraints to economic growth and informed by meaningful engagement with citizens, civil society, the private sector, and other donors. MCC and partner countries then work together to design investments that meet country priorities, are cost-effective, and have strong potential to reduce poverty through economic growth. MCC does not set out to focus its investments in any specific sectors.

Countries implement their own programs: MCC has small in-country missions in program countries (typically only two U.S. direct hires). MCC requires partner country governments to establish accountable entities to lead program implementation. These entities, typically established by law or other formal instruments and known as Millennium Challenge Accounts (MCAs), are led, managed, and staffed by country nationals and work directly with existing government ministries and other domestic stakeholders.
Countries are accountable to domestic stakeholders for results: Each MCA reports to its own board of directors (or similar governing entities), including ministerial officials and representatives of the local civil society and private sector. Thus, MCA boards are accountable to national governments and their citizens for the implementation of MCC-funded programs, transparent decisionmaking, and achieving results.

Notwithstanding how country ownership is operationalized in MCC’s model, as described above, the reality is that there are only a few entities, usually based in the Global North, that can build infrastructure at the scale required by MCC-financed programs or address specific due diligence requirements.

The uniqueness of MCC is characterized in two specific ways . First, the programs being implemented by international entities were codesigned with government counterparts. Second and more important, the local accountable entity, the MCA, selects the implementing contractor and oversees its work—i.e., the MCA is the client. The MCA performs procurement and contract management functions for implementing their programs—meaning they are at the helm of decisionmaking and monitoring the performance of the international (or local) entities they have selected to implement planned activities. This separates the MCC model from other donors’ models through a commitment to provide more authority and control (and thus, more power) to country counterparts. To illustrate: When MCC says it is providing a 345-million-dollar grant through a compact with Malawi, as we did in 2011, Malawians managed 100% of that money through their locally accountable entity.

There are some important nuances related to the degree to which the MCA can localize or fully manage the procurement process. First, MCC’s “ Program Procurement and Grant Guidelines ” ensure that MCA-conducted procurements are done through international competitive bidding. There is no American preference and no local preference. Second, once the required procurements have been identified and a procurement plan approved by the MCA board, they must submit key documents to MCC for “no objection” before proceeding with procurement. In other words, while the MCA performs the work, there is an accountability structure in place that is responsive to MCC’s requirements and standards.

Recently, MCC has undertaken an exercise called Procurement@20 aimed at shifting an even greater degree of ownership and responsibility for the procurement process to MCA partners. These reforms reduce the number of MCC touchpoints during the procurement process and optimize the role of the MCA Board of Directors in procurement oversight. On average, internal assessments suggest that the Procurement@20 reforms will reduce procurement timelines by 30%. These changes grant MCAs more authority and more accountability for ensuring quality procurements while also saving time.

Furthermore, MCC is undertaking an exercise to explore ways to deepen its commitment and implementation of country ownership and locally led development. This effort aims to pursue and reinforce principles at the heart of locally led development: more local ownership over priorities, implementation, and resources. The goal is to support development leaders to pursue development in the ways local partners see fit.

This review includes conversations across the MCC and within civil society. Most importantly, this review includes discussions with our MCA colleagues who know what it will take for MCC to support their ability to deliver MCC programs in close consultations with their local stakeholders.

We ask external audiences to pay attention to MCC efforts and keep the organization accountable to its commitment to country ownership and locally led development.

At the end of the day, donors such as the MCC don’t “do development.” Instead, the governments, their people, companies, and civil society are at the helm of solving their development challenges. MCC hopes to partner in a manner that supports its leadership. And ultimately, we hope the agency’s model, and what has been learned from 20 years of experience can be a successful approach from which other donors can learn.

An aid system of subsidiarity and solidarity: Centering local institutions, investing in quality partnerships

The development and humanitarian needs around the world in 2024 are daunting, and the aid system will require robust and effective responses from all stakeholders to meet global challenges. As an organization rooted in Catholic Social Teaching, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) centers its work on the ideas of subsidiarity and solidarity. Subsidiarity requires acknowledging that those closest to a challenge are often best positioned to identify a response and that all people have the right to be the authors of their own future. As such, one must look to local development and humanitarian institutions as expert voices on community and national needs and essential leaders for effective solutions. Solidarity calls on everyone to stand together with sisters and brothers around the world to support these solutions and to work together toward a world free of poverty and injustice, and in a way that respects the dignity of all people.

The drive for a more locally led future: Progress, and much left to do

These organizational values, as well as experience working in partnership with thousands of local organizations, lead to ardent support for the movement for more locally led development. It has, therefore, been heartening to see growing support for localization efforts in recent years from donor agencies, Congress, peer agencies, and other stakeholders. As George Ingram’s opening essay notes, the need for local leadership in development and humanitarian efforts is now widely recognized.

However, while it is important to recognize the increased attention localization has received and to celebrate policy progress (such as USAID’s Local Capacity Strengthening Policy , and recent changes in the “ Assistance and Acquisition Policy ”), it is equally important to be clear-eyed about where progress has stalled. Reflections on the roles of local and international actors in the aid system must be rooted in current reality. They must take care not to fall victim to outdated tropes or misperceptions.

Currently, nearly all donor resources and decision-making power remain in the hands of international actors. Despite ambitious targets, international entities still receive over 90% of USAID funding (see Publish What You Fund’s research , which indicates it is closer 94.3%). On the humanitarian side, USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance has reported that 99% of its funding goes to international actors. Localization efforts are, of course, about more than just funding. But leadership opportunities and significant decision-making roles remain elusive for local actors as well. As the Movement for Community-led Development notes in a recent open letter , there is “longstanding frustration by many local leaders [about] being effectively excluded from international conferences and meetings about locally-led development”, and this frustration is mirrored at policy tables, coordination mechanisms and policy dialogues. Given this reality, any argument that raises concerns about localization going too far should be approached with great wariness.

Similarly, despite some assertions to the contrary, in reality, there should be no lack of clarity around localization’s objectives nor confusion that localization of aid is the end goal. Poverty alleviation, effective and just development, and effective humanitarian assistance are the goal. The political question at hand is merely if the aid system is ready to realize a shift in power and move beyond assuming that international organizations are the only stakeholders ready and able to lead any part of the process.

Aid stakeholders’ changing roles

As the aid world has increasingly recognized these twin needs for both local leadership and global partnerships and solidarity, the debate has not been about whether global actors have a role to play but rather how each stakeholder can most effectively have the greatest development impact. Much has been written in recent years about the future roles, and potential impact INGOs can have in a changing aid system, including the Grand Bargain’s caucus on the role of intermediaries , Peace Direct’s “Nine roles intermediaries can play in international cooperation”, George E. Mitchell, Hans Peter Schmitz, and Tosca Bruno-van Vijfeijken’s “ Between power and irrelevance: The future of transnational NGOs ”, and the body of work coming out of the RINGO project . Throughout all of them, there is a clear consensus emerging that stresses the need for INGO adaptability and increasing their capacity to take greater intermediary roles such as technical assistance provider, process facilitator, advocate, solidarity partner, network supporter, etc.

Many INGOs have seen the powerful impact taking on these kinds of roles can have for local partners and communities, and for development outcomes. The biggest challenge for INGOs to take on these roles more robustly is the current INGO operating model and the lack of available resources to transform it. As long as INGOs are funded only to directly implement projects, ceding leadership to local actors and taking on new more intermediary roles will remain challenging. The most direct way to help INGOs transform is for donors to change what they fund.

Partnerships between local and global organizations can be effective. Whether via the United States President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) transition awards that have helped local organizations transition from sub to prime implementer of large-scale health programming, or through the High-Performing Implementers (HPI) Initiative where targeted solutions packages have helped national governments transition into principal implementers of Global Fund awards, or through the EMPOWER program , where demand-driven capacity investment and support result in local partners leading increasingly complex emergency response, INGOs can play a helpful role in advancing locally led development. However, too often these roles require self-funding, as they do not line up with donor funding opportunities.

If donors like USAID want INGOs to play more effective intermediary roles, their action must go beyond policy change and look firmly to resources. Specifically, USAID should consider:

Ensure adequate funding for effective, holistic, demand-driven capacity strengthening in line with its Local Capacity Strengthening The policy’s principles are powerful and hold the potential for transformational organizational change. However, its impact is directly correlated with the resources that are available and allocated for its application. Whether through stand-alone capacity-strengthening programming, or capacity-strengthening efforts that are integrated in key sectors, USAID must ensure that its level of investment in local organizations is aligned with its locally led development vision.
Increasing, expanding, and strengthening transition awards. PEPFAR has shown that transition awards can be powerful mechanisms for local organizations to grow into new leadership opportunities and for INGOs to play an effective part in advancing that process. Their success should be built upon, and their use should be
Supporting effective, trust-based equitable partnerships. It is well-documented that effective localization processes are often rooted in quality partnerships. CRS has found that the strongest partnerships are rooted in mutuality, trust, transparency, and commitment. However, too often, the time and resources required to support these relationships do not line up with procurement and grants management processes. USAID should ensure that partnership activities (identification, co-creation, strategic collaboration) that support effective capacity-strengthening and transition processes are also adequately supported and resourced.
Prioritizing accountability, including by tightening the definition of local actors and ensuring meaningful metrics: It matters what type of institutions are able to take advantage of newly dedicated localized funding vehicles and local actors (see the NEAR network’s paper on definitions) and the international community (see IASC’s position on definitions ) have been clear on what the parameters should be. A fair playing field specifically for local institutions to access funding is critical. It is not helpful to include misleading categories like “locally established” entities in the target group for access to localization funding if or to have a definition of “local entities” that includes international subsidiaries. Doing so will undermine policy goals.

Transforming the aid system is not easy, and there is much left to do. To be effective, donors and policymakers should focus on centering local leaders and their institutions, leveraging and strengthening quality partnerships, and supporting global stakeholders to adapt, all in the service of effective, efficient, sustainable and just development.

Continue to ask local actors what the role of INGOs should be

What role would local actors like INGOs to play in the humanitarian and development system? It is a question that INGOs should continuously ask local partners, other local organizations in the operating context, and representatives of local and national institutions, including government officials. While there will be myriad responses, common themes likely will emerge based on the sector, geographic location, and capabilities of the INGO doing the asking.

For example, Oxfam Pilipinas undertook a process to explore its role in the humanitarian and development sectors in the Philippines as it became a national organization and the country affiliate of Oxfam International. As a result, within the country, Oxfam Pilipinas will now focus its own localization agenda on localizing knowledge, decision-making spaces, and money. This will mean working to see local actors more substantively involved in the creation, diffusion, and articulation of knowledge; greater representation of local actors in spaces of discourse, debate, contestation, and decision-making; and greater access by local actors to development funds. These steps will have implications for Oxfam Pilipinas’ operating model, core competencies, and leadership role within the country.

In a different country context, partners in Iraq see an important, specific role for INGOs in their influencing capacity. A 2020 Oxfam America report described a local NGO’s perspective, “There is still a huge need for international actors, both for funding and capacity building. And the pressure they bring by shedding light on things has more impact than if locals shed that light. The watchdog role is real. If the internationals pull back, the checks and balances disappear.”

These two examples illustrate why it’s so important to ask local actors what they need in their context and that a “one size fits all” approach to the changing role of INGOs will not work. Donors, including USAID, also should continue to increase their engagement with local actors to design activities and awards that are responsive to local priorities and have local organizations implementing them. Out of that process, INGOs can then plug into where those locally driven projects need their support—not their leadership.

Fortunately, USAID has been creating tools and guidance for years to ask local actors what is needed and how to address challenges in their communities. These tools and guidance can be the building blocks for further clarifying the roles of INGOs and local actors in a specific context. For example, USAID’s “Whole Systems in the Room” (WSR) is “an approach that brings together as many different stakeholders as possible, often in an intensive workshop, to strengthen relationships, to learn from each other’s perspectives, to build consensus and identify solutions to development problems they are facing, and commit to collective action” (USAID, Toolbox of Empowerment , 2022). Co-creation resources abound for use by Missions and implementing partners, as do Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting resources. Finally, the Locally-Led Development Spectrum and Locally-Led Development Indicator also provide opportunities for gaining greater clarity on new roles for INGOs seeking to change power dynamics within the aid system.

Donors also must directly fund local organizations beyond current levels. Approximately 90% of USAID funding still goes to INGOs, international for-profits, and universities (USAID, Localization Progress Report , 2023). This must change. Local actors should be leading the response to humanitarian and development challenges. Donors have incredible power to shape the aid system and create incentives by choosing who and what to fund; specifically, donors should be funding local organizations to spearhead responses and INGOs to provide specific support. Therefore, it matters how donors define and differentiate between local stakeholders and INGOs.

Unfortunately, several donor definitions of “local,” including the one USAID has adopted for its current localization agenda, do not make a clear enough distinction between local organizations and INGOs. The current definitions leave significant room for international organizations with offices around the world to receive funding as “local” entities. This issue is apparent in the underlying data from USAID’s 2022 and 2023 Localization Progress Reports, among other sources. For example, recent research by Oxfam and Publish What You Fund on USAID funding to development and humanitarian assistance organizations has demonstrated that USAID’s current localization initiative would benefit from a stricter definition of a local entity by excluding affiliates connected to INGOs.

Ultimately, there is a need for the unique contributions of local partners, INGOs, and donors given the nature and scale of today’s humanitarian and development challenges. But if the sector is serious about having the individuals and communities most affected leading in the design and implementation of responding to these challenges, INGOs and donors must systematically ask local partners what role they would like INGOs to play and then create incentives and funding structures that enable each stakeholder in the system to embrace their new role.

Examining the links between localization and scaling

There are two compelling and complementary arguments for localization—one rooted in morality, politics, and history; and the other, an instrumental case, rooted in development practice. While each of the two arguments has merit in its own right, this essay focuses on the instrumental case for localization—specifically, the link between localization and achieving sustainable outcomes at scale.

Since 2015, I have co-led the Scaling up Community of Practice (SCoP) that has 4200 members from more than 400 organizations in 70 countries. Approximately half of the SCoP’s members and organizations, and a growing portion of its leaders, hail from and reside in lower- and middle-income countries. The SCoP operates 10 working groups focusing on scaling development, climate, and humanitarian outcomes in a range of sectors and settings. Three of the most important insights from that work are: (1) with few notable exceptions, only governments and commercial markets have the capacity and incentive to deliver goods and services sustainably at scale; (2) transformational scaling involves permanent change in country-level systems and institutions; and (3) the time required for an effective transition to scale innovative products, services, and practices is rarely less than a decade.

Given these realities, successful scaling is almost impossible if it is not driven, led, funded, and provided by effective local institutions with the needed reach, capacity, source of funds, and staying power. Official development assistance (ODA) and private philanthropy—often delivered through time-bound, one-off projects that collectively represent a small share of the recurrent budget in many sectors and countries—are significant only to the extent they support, foster and enrich these permanent, place-based, demand-driven institutions and solutions. Simply said, no meaningful localization means no sustainable scaling.

The “sustainable outcomes at scale” argument for localization has implications for the nature of localization as well as its importance. For some, “local” means community level. For others, it means national. From the scaling perspective, national trumps local, with community-level interventions necessarily accompanied by the need for a realistic strategy for reaching very large numbers of communities. Likewise, from a scaling perspective, the first priority goes to those local institutions with the capacity and incentive to achieve development, climate, and humanitarian outcomes over time and at scale. That usually means focusing first and foremost on national and sub-national governments, linked where appropriate with major local private sector actors and key local intermediary organizations like universities, banks, and think tanks. The important exception to this is cases where these institutions are unreliable stewards and partners, but even here, the bias should be to support their reform rather than their subordination.

Fragile states are a special case because of the outsized importance of foreign assistance and the challenges posed by predatory governments, disputed legitimacy, or underperforming institutions. In these countries, people often view issues through the prism of underlying grievances, and the selection of local partners can easily have the unintended effect of exacerbating rather than mitigating these tensions. The reverse is also true. Conflict-sensitive actors and engagement strategies can sometimes provide important secondary benefits in addressing a conflict’s underlying drivers. In either event, localization is not conflict-neutral, a reality that takes on particular importance in a world where fragile states are the recipients of U.S. and global foreign assistance.

Finally, the scaling perspective has implications for the choice of local implementing partners since those organizations ideally constitute important parts of the local institutional infrastructure. A competitive assortment of effective, country-based service delivery, policy analysis, and advocacy organizations, private firms, NGOs, think tanks, and public institutions play a central role in most wealthy countries, and the strengthening of these institutions should be an important priority in emerging economies and newer democracies. That requires organizations that are built-to-purpose for local markets and requires a willingness by host governments and others to engage those institutions through grants and contracts. Foreign aid can help catalyze the evolution of this set of institutions by using them in a way that facilitates and stimulates their broad use by a host country’s government agencies and other established institutions including, but not limited to, external donors. Thus, according to insights from the SCoP, anything that supports positive movement in that regard is progress. Anything that works against the growth of a dynamic and competitive array of local public and private institutions able and willing to serve an array of domestic clients is inadvertently a step in the wrong direction.

The potential roles of international funders and implementers are significant but not central in supporting the needed changes in policy and practice. On the funding side, while external resources are small relative to the size of most problems and tend to be time-bound, they often have outsized influence when they provide the bulk of the discretionary resources needed to introduce and scale new practices. Used properly, they can materially advance sustainable scaling. Likewise, when they are inattentive to the dynamics of long-term change, they can seriously distort the incentives and strategies of local actors.

During funding implementation processes, U.S. and other international partners can play important roles as well. To mention four:

Where necessary, most obviously in fragile states, external third parties are often able to position themselves as independent actors for key analysis, convening, intermediation, and fund management activities.
In countries where there continues to be a shortage of local organizations able to meet donors’ rigorous standards, international partners can play a capacity-building role and/or shelter local actors from some of the more idiosyncratic donor requirements.
In countries where there is not yet a strong competitive market for local analytic and implementation services, donors can help to seed that market and showcase its utility.
International partners can help establish linkages for host governments and other local organizations with global expertise and with relevant organizations in the U.S. or other countries.

To contribute to sustainable outcomes at scale and effective localization, it is essential that these external funding and implementation roles be designed and performed with an explicit eye to enhancing, not substituting for, the capacity of organizations with local legitimacy and permanent national presence to occupy center stage and to perform each of these functions over time.

As the opening essay and the subsequent roundtable discussion illustrate, these and other lessons are being learned and shared in real time and at warp speed. I am genuinely excited to know what the conversation will sound like the next time we convene.

Embracing locally led approaches for equitable and effective outcomes

Locally led development is a process of transforming the current system to a more equitable one where those closest to an issue decide how it should be addressed and do so with the support of allies. Such a systemic transformation requires the engagement of multiple stakeholders, including communities, community-based and local organizations, local governments, entrepreneurs, funders, and international civil society. Indeed, most local organizations do not want INGOs to disappear. What they seek are equitable, trust-based partnerships where their knowledge, lived experience, and leadership are recognized and supported. Thus far, local actors have been squeezed for resources and forced to follow expert guidance from external actors, often against their better judgment. William Easterly’s “Tyranny of Experts” illustrates how that notion of expertise has not only been a tool of dominance but an often misguided one.

The Minority World (typically called the Global North) needs to develop greater expertise in listening, fixing the deep inequities in the global development system and supporting the wealth of local expertise in the Majority World (often referred to as the Global South). Minority World entities have to support more Majority-World experts to take the lead in all relevant research and policy analysis. Locally led development is about centering the expertise of communities and local organizations, ensuring they have the power and resources to design and implement solutions, and recognizing their ownership over these solutions.

INGOs and Minority-World actors have a role to play in locally led development. They can use their influence and reach within their own countries to amplify the voices and demands of local actors. They can also dispel myths around corruption, lack of trust and capacity of local entities, which are grounded in patterns of colonialism and structural racism. They can protest budget cuts by bilateral agencies, advocate for greater cost recovery for local organizations, well-being funds, and contingency budgets. Minority World actors can also serve as facilitators, connectors, and interpreters; funder rules and guidelines are almost always impossible to decipher, particularly when they are in foreign languages (like English or French).

The report on “The nine roles that Intermediaries can play in international cooperation” by Peace Direct provides a good starting point for Minority World actors to re-examine their roles in a locally led ecosystem in the spirit of solidarity and humility. However, what local organizations seek are not intermediaries but allies. Participants in the April roundtable frequently spoke in terms of the ecosystem that supports locally led and community-led development. USAID and others must focus on investing in ecosystems that center grassroots communities and build outwards.

What is called for is a radical commitment to “local first” in all development activities, including systems thinking and strategy design—not just priorities and implementation. In situations of poor local governance and fragility, as noted in George Ingram’s opening essay, it is actually local actors and their networks who would be best placed to undertake a systems analysis and decide how to address those challenges in the fragile environments where they work. If local actors desire external perspectives and references, they can seek out sub-regional bodies or other Minority-World actors. The role of INGOs in these situations is to support and provide information and capacity strengthening as and when requested, without overshadowing the agency and leadership of local actors.

For communities to thrive, there must be a well-financed and responsive first tier of government able to work in effective partnership with grassroots civil society. Strong local governance is a key pathway to sustainability, and it has largely been ignored and starved for resources and decision-making autonomy.

Civil society thrives and can scale up its impact when it can operate within inclusive and resourced networks from both local and global funders. Are there intermediary funding institutions that can channel and steward larger governmental, philanthropic, or ODA resources to hundreds of community-based organizations in a manner that is responsive to their needs (timing, payment modalities, size of grants)? In many countries, this is largely missing. And yet, there exist, within almost every Majority-World country, local networks of organizations that can play this role with support and resources.

USAID has taken important initial steps in becoming more accessible, with translations, a simplified website, transition grants and increased audit thresholds and per diems. One of the biggest obstacles to realizing locally led development, however, is competitive processes. The challenges of development require a whole-of-society approach that facilitates all able and willing actors to work together, not a system that makes local organizations compete with each other for scarce resources.

Decentralized development in health, education, livelihoods, etc., can be tackled the same way one would plan polio vaccinations: put the money up first, then invite various stakeholders (local government, local civil society, community leaders) around the table at the district level with a good map, align on targets and distribution of activities and means of reporting. Currently, this is done in reverse—competing consortia are formed, almost always led by INGOs or large private contractors who come up with plans with their own money; local organizations have neither the time nor resources to compete in such processes. This situation is further compounded when country offices of international organizations begin to bid in funding for local organizations.

Funders like USAID can play a vital role in transforming the development and humanitarian systems to make them more locally led. They can do this not just by providing more direct, flexible, robust, multi-year funding to local organizations but also by putting in place measures that require all implementing organizations to put communities in the driver’s seat in their programming, from planning to design, implementation, and evaluation. The measures USAID is taking to increase the de-minimis rate for indirect costs to enable cost recovery for local organizations are noteworthy. However, as long as these measures remain optional, international actors may continue to starve local organizations of much-needed operational capital to make their proposals more competitive. Similarly, co-creation can become a highly extractive exercise unless it comes with adequate compensation for the time, knowledge, and leadership of communities and local organizations.

USAID can take the following steps to not just become more locally led in its approach but to strengthen the local ecosystem:

Ensure that the policy measures being taken to support local organizations (such as the increase in de-minimis rate for indirect costs) and community leadership (such as co-creating with community members) are implemented by Minority World actors, making funding conditional on performance on these measures.
Strengthen and fund local and regional networks – these networks are composed of local organizations and can, therefore, channel funding directly to them in ways that are suitable to their needs. They are more accountable to their membership than any external intermediary and work on the principles of collaboration, not competition.
Fund and support new organizational structures based on power sharing and equitable partnerships, and innovative initiatives that strengthen the local ecosystem.
Make provisions for pre-award costs to be reimbursed through mechanisms like design phase funding and paid co-creation.
Create and maintain spaces for direct interaction with local and community-based organizations to understand how they are experiencing USAID policies and calls for proposals and how the systems can be tailored to their needs.
Continue to take steps to ensure language access and total cost recovery for local organizations.
Invest in programs that strengthen local government institutions and their capacity to work with communities.

USAID’s procurement reforms are defining the ‘how’ of localization

The U.S. development community has been advocating for locally led development under banners such as country ownership, the journey to self-reliance, and localization for more than 15 years. Yet, a significant shift occurred in 2019 when USAID released its first-ever Acquisition and Assistance (A&A) strategy . Before then, localization was more of a policy question: Would USAID actually commit to initiatives like Administrator Raj Shah’s 30% target or would that be undermined and minimized? After the A&A strategy was released, localization became more of an operational question: How would USAID do it? How would USAID change the way it does business, simplifying its requirements to award funding to acquire services and deliver assistance? How would USAID reform its procurement processes and compliance requirements so that local organizations in developing countries would see USAID as an attractive partner?

Then-USAID Administrator Mark Green wrote, “ The A&A Strategy is a shift away from traditional approaches that can unduly constrain our staff and partners … we will embrace USAID’s new approach to self-reliance … Diversifying our partner base and integrating locally-led development into how we deliver ….”

Since 2019 and the launch of the New Partnerships Initiative (NPI), less burdensome USAID procurement approaches like co-creation and concept papers have become widespread. Procurements restricted to local organizations occur regularly. USAID has begun to publish key documents in languages other than English. It has set up a website called Work with USAID.gov where local organizations can learn the basics of working with USAID and make themselves more visible to the development community.

USAID’s procurement team has also looked within the Federal Regulations to identify other opportunities for procurement reform. This year, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) took several steps in the right direction by issuing new Uniform Grants Guidance , affecting USAID and all federal agencies. One key change will allow federal grant recipients to charge up to 15% for their indirect cost recovery. That is a 50% increase over the previous ceiling, recognizing that local organizations have been absorbing the costs of doing business with USAID and that USAID should cover more of those expenses.

This issue is particularly important for expanding USAID’s partnership with local civil society organizations. Indirect cost recovery provides funding that organizations can use to strengthen their institutions, including compensating their leadership, developing proposals, training their staff, and keeping the lights on. Local organizations seeking to work with the U.S. Government for the first time do not have a Federal negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA) like established implementers and must absorb most of those costs themselves – an expense that can be prohibitive. OMB’s new Uniform Grants Guidance also embraces accepting proposals in languages other than English, lowering another barrier to entry and recognizing that local language skills are often vital for successfully implementing development and humanitarian programs.

In the same vein, a draft, the Locally Led Development and Humanitarian Response Act, would enshrine these procurement reforms and embrace several more by authorizing USAID to:

Restrict bids to local entities on awards up to $25 million, five times the current ceiling.
Accept the international accounting standards commonly used outside the U.S. so local entities expert in those practices can still apply.
Allow USAID to begin working with organizations that have been unable to register in the System for Award Management (SAM), a United States government platform for paying vendors, due to its long waitlist.

At a recent Plan International policy event , USAID’s new Chief Acquisition and Assistance Officer Jami Rodgers outlined his goals for the team of six hundred procurement professionals he leads, as they make the binding day-to-day decisions about how USAID does business. He outlined the goals of the recently launched “A&A Accelerate” initiative. This includes a focus on recruiting and retaining contracting officers and agreement officers, including by investing in the USAID mission Foreign Service Nationals (FSNs), hiring eligible family members, and leadership certification. The recent 250% increase in the number of FSNs with administrative warrants certainly helps in this regard, and their ranks should continue to expand.

Rodgers also mentioned increasing interest in innovative procurement mechanisms like transition awards (an award to a local subrecipient to help it transition to becoming a direct recipient of USAID awards) and said he has encouraged his staff to continue to pilot, test, and scale novel approaches. He pledged to provide risk tolerance that would allow USAID to do business differently in service of the goals of locally led development. Transition Awards are a type of USAID award that delivers program results while also preparing local subrecipients to manage a USAID award in the future.

Yet much remains to be done. In April , the current USAID Administrator Samantha Power testified before Congress that, “It’s also just famously hard to work with USAID. We have a lot of compliance requirements, many of which are imposed by folks up here, but many of which we would embrace ourselves … . We’ve tried to simplify the application process, so it doesn’t crowd out those who don’t have the lawyers, the accountants, you know the armies of people to be able to comply.”

As the recent USAID and OMB procurement reforms become operational, a few more of those barriers will be coming down, making USAID’s shift to direct funding of local entities less burdensome and more impactful.

Networks as the new intermediary of a locally led and globally informed approach to development

The localization agenda has helped steer the global conversation on sustainable development in new and helpful directions–centering the critical role of local leadership and expertise and challenging old ways of working informed by colonial-era practices and mindsets. This said, current commitments from global donors to local organizations alone will not be enough to achieve the locally led development paradigm. Local actors still face barriers to accessing funding and recognition. For example, USAID support remains elusive and out of reach for a significant number of local organizations despite their meeting the criteria of local actors . To bring forth the needed investment in developing new mindsets among local and global actors alike, and also to support local actors to gain access to global insights and knowledge that will enable them to work in ways that are both locally rooted and globally informed. Intermediaries, such as networks, can play a valuable role in operationalizing localization agendas.

Sustainable development happens when the people closest to the developing context drive and own the process. When the people in local communities are exposed to what’s working and what’s been learned in other similar contexts through a network of local actors, progress happens faster. This “locally led, globally informed” approach is ingrained in intermediary organizations such as Teach For All, a global network of 62 independently led and locally governed civil society organizations- including Enseña por Paraguay – that is guided by a shared purpose, values, and vision, as well as unifying principles and standards that all network partners and our global organization are governed by.

The role of a global network is to accelerate the progress of its locally led partners. Yet this network structure has to date been under-appreciated by USAID and other bilateral and multilateral organizations as a potential intermediary to both accelerate locally led development and provide operational support. For example, through networks local organizations can access coaching and guidance to bid competitively for bilateral and multilateral partnerships. Enlisting the support of a global network intermediary could help USAID move the needle towards their 25% local funding target by accessing local partners with built-in support from global counterparts. Additionally, local partners within networks could have the benefit of accessing funding and partnerships they wouldn’t otherwise have the capacity to approach or implement alone.

In some instances, local partners who participate voluntarily in order to advance their own local interests have faced penalties for being connected to a global network. This dynamic has raised the question of who defines localization. Even within the current discourse and despite well-intentioned efforts, it is too often Global North actors who set the localization priorities and approaches, while the voices of what local partners want and need are left unheard. Here again, networks are a way to enlist local partners and amplify their voices across contexts and towards a shared orientation of collective learning and impact towards our broader localization goals.

Networks are an untapped resource that could help shape a new path forward and help bridge the gap from discourse and policy to implementation and action.

Pushing the needle on localization: How international actors can find a new role through centering local actors

The Network for Empowered Aid Response (NEAR) defines localization as a transformative process of changing the way support to communities is designed, funded, and delivered, where local response systems have the agency and resources they require to support communities before, during, and after crises. This approach not only strengthens the efficacy and sustainability of aid but also challenges existing power dynamics within the aid system by placing local response systems at the heart of community support. Local actors and communities must be at the forefront of driving, designing, and delivering aid, given their deep understanding of the complexities and needs within their communities.

International actors have a role to play, especially in response to increasing needs and more complex crises. To find their new role within the system, they must actively shift power to local organizations and be rooted in the values of solidarity, complementarity, trust, and equity. In practice, this would mean not only supporting but actively facilitating and centering the work of local actors and communities, strengthening their existing efforts without overshadowing their leadership.

There is concern, though, about the instrumentalization of the localization agenda by some international actors as the agenda gains greater political visibility within the global development sector. For example, there have been instances where INGOs nationalize their country offices or decentralize power from headquarters to country offices, conflating this with localization. Such actions can not only stall but even undermine the more ambitious objectives of localization—not to mention negatively impact the agency of communities and the role of local and national civil society. While the continuous growth of some international intermediaries is antithetical to localization, it is noteworthy that other INGOs are beginning to explore different business models. One example is ADD International , an INGO that is successfully shifting away from a traditional INGO structure with a UK-based head office and country offices, establishing a new global structure and exiting from existing programs within five years.

The challenges laid out above underscore the importance of establishing an agreed-upon definition of localization and of local actors, supported by local actors themselves. Definitions are indeed challenging; however, extensive work on the definition of local actor has already been done, paving a way for international actors to stand in solidarity and utilize a robust definition that has broad-based support among local civil society. For example, NEAR’s membership has defined non-state local organizations as those that are “present in locations before, during, and after a crisis; accountable to local laws; accountable to communities where they work; led by local nationals, and not internationally affiliated in terms of branding, governance, or financing (that results from that affiliation)”. The Inter-Agency Standing Committee also has a widely endorsed definition of local actors , utilized by a number of donors.

Another concern is that localization has stalled in humanitarian contexts. Both of USAID’s “Localization Progress Report” show that USAID funding to local actors for humanitarian assistance sits at approximately 1%, compared to the FY23 overall average of 9.6% of agency obligations. This figure is mirrored in the wider global humanitarian system, where only 1.2% of funding went to local actors in 2022. That same year, funding to international multilateral actors increased by 47% .

While international actors struggle to meet their localization targets, particularly in humanitarian contexts, local actors are creating ways to advance localization within even the most challenging environments. The Local Intermediary Actor Network (LIA) , for example, is committed to increasing funding accessed by smaller local and grassroots organizations. Another example is NEAR’s Change Fund , a global humanitarian response fund that is locally led, from its governance to its funding decisions. In some cases, philanthropic organizations—due to their higher degree of flexibility in funding—have played a key role in supporting new initiatives to get off the ground. USAID and other donors should leverage the collaboration and learning potential presented by the “ Donor Statement on Locally Led Development ,” which includes both government and philanthropic signatories.

Recommendations

Donors such as USAID play a vital role in creating policies and guidance that push international intermediaries to rethink their business models, act as equitable partners, and channel higher-quality funding to local actors. Donors can also require international actors, including U.N. agencies, to provide justification when not working with local actors, as well as exit strategies that were once common but increasingly a thing of the past. These changes, both incremental and cultural, push the needle toward local actors being in control of priority setting, design, and execution.

USAID should also:

Incentivize and prioritize international intermediaries that are adopting new business models, shifting from models centered on their own continuous financial growth to models that are based on solidarity with local actors.
Listen to local actors and measure progress on localization based on how local actors define progress themselves.
Sustain and scale localization efforts in humanitarian contexts, where solidarity is needed most.

Support emerging and transformational locally led financing models to play a role in creating the system of solidarity of the future.

Global health and localization: While debating the need, we are missing the fact

Like the debate around renewable energy in the U.S., the debate around localization feels removed from reality.

In terms of energy, people joust about coal, renewables, and fracking, but the energy marketplace is already moving to its own rhythm toward pragmatic energy investments. For example, more than 80% of new electric generating capacity in the U.S. this year will be solar and battery storage investments.

Similarly, few people contest any longer the reality around localization in the development sector, and localization themes already dictate decision-making by funders and INGO implementers. The INGO development landscape “operating system” is heavily weighted toward local ownership, solutions, and implementation.

Yet, the binary of the localization conversation persists, and it’s a risk. Are you local? International? Both? One, but trying to pretend to be the other? The goal should be a healthy ecosystem that advances development, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), rights, progress, universal health coverage (UHC), and more. (Ruth Berg’s Friday Notes from December of 2023 captures the risk of the binary nicely.)

Instead of local versus international, it is the networked, transnational development model that appeals to an organization like mine, Population Services International (PSI). Like many INGOs, we see the value in local leadership and local context expertise, and we see the primacy of individual health consumer voices in the conceptualization and design of our interventions. National governments play a critical role in directing the flow of donor resources and coordinating civil society interventions—in our case of the health sector—to drive progress on health indicators and system resilience. Our role as an INGO is constantly evolving and adapting as local capacities strengthen and different actors become better positioned for implementation.

But just as local or national context specialists and implementers become more important, the need for transnational connection and learning grows even stronger. International implementers have decades of experience with large institutional funders and their compliance loads (e.g., USAID, the Global Fund); INGOs have developed purpose-built capabilities for resource mobilization from institutions and individuals that meet an obvious need in a sector where access to funding is getting more challenging, not less.

Funders looking for scalable solutions to transnational health and development challenges often insist on transnational implementing partners. This preference arises from a desire to try a similar approach in multiple settings, achieve economies of scale in implementation, and to capture wider learnings faster.

PSI has observed a growing number of USAID awards that require INGOs to help to nurture and grow local implementers to eventually assume a “prime” role during the latter stages of an award. In some cases this has involved creating a local entity that can mature quickly or working with existing local entities to advance their institutional development. PSI has prioritized the institutional development of its own implementing infrastructure. This includes establishing structured governance processes at the country level, building networks for independent board directors who will become future governors of independent institutions, solidifying risk management and internal audit cultures within local entities, and partnering in these efforts once parts of PSI have been spun off to become independent.

In the last decades, we have spun off more than a dozen such entities, in our own institutional development journey. Examples include the Society for Family Health (Nigeria), Population Solutions for Health (Zimbabwe), and Family Health Solutions (Malawi). These entities have established themselves as national civil society implementers providing value to their host governments, funders, and health consumers. Whether they choose to work with us on future opportunities is a matter of sovereign decision-making. But we value sustaining bonds of connection with these entities, as they share our strategic approach and engage in parallel problem-solving to PSI.

How can USAID and other funders continue to foster the development of this ecosystem of health implementers, including local, national, and international entities from both the Global North and the Global South? Much work has already been done in this regard. Key elements to ensure continued progress include:

Transparency of dialogue and discussion with partners (to the extent permitted by procurement and acquisition restrictions) by USAID missions, regarding what is possible and by when as countries continue to take ownership of their development journeys. The fact that INGOs or local partners may be interested parties does not mean they don’t have valid points of view to share about the unintended effects of local or international procurement mandates. As U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator John Nkengasong often says, localization is not the objective; ending the HIV epidemic is the objective. Respectful dialogue about tactics versus strategies is often a missing part of the wider conversation with USAID.
More resources for the Office of Acquisitions and Assistance (OAA) and more contracting and agreement officers overall across the agency are vital. Because more partners and more local partners mean more and smaller awards. The personnel needed to speed up this process are often lacking.
The agency’s decision to increase the de minimus indirect cost recovery level from 10% to 15% of an award is very important and should unlock easier participation by local or national entities that do not have the track record to have justified a NICRA (negotiated indirect cost rate agreement). The lower level was too much of a disincentive to established local players whose cost structure and ability to deliver value were not meaningfully captured by a 10% cap. No one should fall for the fallacy that local implementation is or should be cheaper implementation, because it is not.

From Paris to progress: Moving the locally led agenda forward

George Ingram’s opening essay uses the 2005 “Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness” as its opening framing. We would argue that the Declaration, certainly a milestone when it was released almost twenty years ago, is no longer the most appropriate framework for assessing development effectiveness.

Since the “racial reckoning” that emerged in 2020, the international development sector has witnessed arguably the most profound challenge to its legitimacy in its history, with calls to decolonize donor and INGO practice and shift power to local organizations and leadership. Through this lens, the “Paris Declaration,” with its five equally weighted principles, looks outdated.

In global consultations Peace Direct has organized over the years, local actors around the world have articulated time and time again that local ownership is both the process and the destination. It is not simply a means to an end. This is the case even if it is less effective, at least in the short-to-medium term. This may seem counterintuitive to development professionals who wax lyrical about the virtues and importance of aid effectiveness, but let’s pause for a moment and consider the following:

Are local organizations allowed to make mistakes as they navigate the complex contexts they operate in and gain experience in aspects of work that they have not had the opportunity to lead before? Mistakes are a rich source of learning, and yet local organizations are punished for making them because to do so makes them less effective implementers in the eyes of donors.
Should local organizations in all areas be expected to compete equally as effectively with infinitely better-resourced INGOs despite decades of under-investment, prejudice, and patronizing behavior by donors and policymakers?

There has never been a level playing field, and there still isn’t one, so let’s not assume that local organizations can score goals each and every time the ball is passed to them. To be clear, local leadership does lead to better outcomes for communities, but one cannot assume that this will always happen quickly. This is why discussions around aid effectiveness should be reframed to consider issues of power, equity, dignity, and agency, which are aspects absent in most global frameworks. Inserting these dimensions reinforces why local ownership is so important in the debate around aid effectiveness.

If local ownership is both the journey and destination, it then becomes abundantly clear why definitions of local matter so much. Ask a local organization based in the Global South whether a country office of an INGO is genuinely local, and they’ll typically tell you no , in no uncertain terms. They will tell you the same for any of the other contortions that Global-North actors are performing to persuade themselves that there is a definition of local that applies to them. It is important for INGOs to accept the role of external actor.

What has been encouraging throughout Peace Direct’s consultations at the global, regional, national, and local levels over the past few years with local actors is that INGOs, donors, and other intermediary organizations do have important roles to play in rebuilding a new system of international cooperation. The quicker INGOs, bilateral donors, and other intermediary organizations can embrace their new roles and give space to local and community-based organizations, the more likely a reimagined system can begin to take shape.

So, what do these roles look like if they are not the traditional implementer, technical expert, funder, or grant manager? In early 2023, Peace Direct, an organization that has no country offices, employs no overseas staff, and does not implement projects directly, published a report outlining “ The Nine Roles that Intermediaries Can Play in International Cooperation . ” The report highlights tangible, important roles for INGOs to play: interpreter, knowledge broker, trainer, convenor, connector, advocate, watchdog, critical friend and sidekick. Each one of these roles offers enormous potential to support locally led development in ways that are respectful and appropriate for this moment of transition, moving from an old paradigm into a new one.

It is important to note, however, that some of these roles should be temporary. They are designed to plug holes in a system that does not work as it should. In the effort to find relevance in a system in which Northern organizations have been dominant for so long, let’s not rush headfirst into a new set of roles that entrench positions of power and privilege. Ultimately, any new roles for intermediaries will not sustain the sector at the same size as it is now, and nor should they. The international role should diminish over time. That’s a measure of success in this new important reality.

In reimagining a new system, new structures, and operating dynamics should not come from the existing ways of doing. They must come from collaboration with the communities the locally led agenda seeks to center. A reimagined system of international cooperation should be mutually beneficial and uphold the value and dignity of local and community-based organizations in the Global South. It should address conscious and unconscious power dynamics, overcome the negative perceptions between local organizations and donors, and move away from extractive practices and toward more collaborative approaches. This is the message we heard loud and clear from a recent global consultation with activists and local actors from the Global South on how partnerships should look between the Global North and the Global South. The findings from that consultation can be found in the report “ Transforming partnerships in international cooperation .”

Most importantly, the four most commonly cited values that emerged from the consultation that should underpin the new system of international cooperation are trust, humility, respect, and mutuality/reciprocity. These might sound simple, but based on existing practice, they appear fiendishly difficult to embody. This is perhaps the most damning critique of the international development sector to date; that the values considered commonsense in how we treat our fellow human beings are not how Global South actors experience Global North professionals. We can and must do better.

Shifting INGOs to be the backbone of locally led development

As international development NGOs seek to adapt their expertise, experience, and leadership to support localization, they might find value in seeing themselves as a version of a “ backbone organization ,” a typology that has emerged from the collective impact movement in the U.S.

Collective impact is an approach that brings a diverse array of stakeholders together in collaborative partnerships focused on making social progress, often across a whole system, in a defined geographic place. A good backbone organization helps build and deepen the “civic infrastructure” that is key to successful collective impact, enabling expertise, relationships, resources, goal setting, data collection and analysis, and more. Backbones do not directly execute or manage programmatic interventions but instead enable the local changemakers who are doing the work by providing a variety of expertise, resources, and training.

Backbone organizations at the national level generally support a network of local place-based partners to succeed: Strive Together (where I serve on the board of directors), for example, serves a network of roughly 70 partnerships in communities across the U.S. The activities of a national backbone mirror many of the competencies and skills that INGOs have developed over time. While the analogy is not a perfect one, one could imagine an INGO developing a core strategy that is focused on serving and enabling a range of locally led organizations in the Global South, using lessons learned from the approach and mindset used by backbone entities in the U.S.

What are some of the key responsibilities of a backbone organization that could help define the core elements of a modern INGO in the age of localization?

Help local changemakers have a clear purpose and vision, and build the capacity and organizational strength to pull it off.

A backbone in the collective impact model offers tools and training designed to help its local place-based partners maximize their impact, taking advantage of proven methods to strengthen organizational development and ensure an effective purpose, strategy, and execution.

Strive Together, for example, has developed a theory of action that lays out the pillars of success for its partnerships mapped across a continuum of stages, so a local partner has the basis for building its strategy and can measure its own growth. Strive also facilitates peer exchange and relationships among all the partnerships in its network, providing the basis for shared learning, support, and leadership.

It has also created a training hub that offers a wide range of courses and trainings designed to help the staff and leadership of its local place-based partnerships grow in effectiveness and leadership. It also provides crucial and trusted support as organizations experience leadership transition, changes in resources, and other challenges.

Help set up and enable the effective collection and use of data.

Locally led partners often find it challenging to access, collect, manage, and make the most effective use of data. Backbones entities can leverage economies of scale to access investments in data infrastructure, collection, and analysis, bringing specialized expertise and offering training, experience, and infrastructure to their local partners. From technical data-sharing agreements, to physical infrastructure, to staff expertise to maximize the use of evidence and data in driving results, national backbones are the nexus for a wide range of services specific to the needs of the organizations in their networks.

Help build sustainable leaders, organizations, and interventions.

Backbone organizations help the partners and organizations in their network strengthen their long-term viability. In an era of localization, this might mean managing investments that require mechanisms at a scale that would be difficult for a local partner to do. It could also mean enabling a collective push for policy changes that the members of its network are prioritizing. A backbone is well-placed to help a network of local partners develop a shared policy agenda and collective strategy, and help that network sustain their efforts and facilitate the relationships necessary to make it a reality.

INGOs that follow best practices currently root their work in local expertise and knowledge, utilizing local people to run their projects. Many of them already perform various elements of what a national backbone organization does. Yet they are still often in the primary role of receiving the funds, developing the interventions, running the programs, and being accountable for the results. Adopting a backbone mindset means that INGOs would shift to see themselves as enablers of local organizations that would be the ones leading, owning, and doing that work.

Rather than create the program or system, ensure its effectiveness, and—once established—hand it off to local civil society or government, an INGO with a backbone mindset would see their role as bringing and building the capacity of local actors, who from the start would own and direct the programmatic interventions. Their currency and value proposition would lie in accompaniment, building the expertise and impact of local actors, facilitating a network that collectively engages on shared priorities and policy imperatives, and elevating that network’s shared purpose to new audiences. Many INGOs already do much of this: the change would be to take themselves fully out of the driver’s seat.

Not whether, but how international expertise can advance locally led development

There is a role for international expertise and intermediary organizations to facilitate global development. But that role has shifted since the pandemic, which shut down international travel and forced organizations to reimagine their operations. Moreover, the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 sparked a global reevaluation of organizational structures and systems to promote inclusivity and equity. As a result of these two dramatic societal shifts that intensified calls for the decolonization of development, international assistance organizations have been forced to not only make statements about more inclusive and equitable development but also walk the talk internally in their operations.

During my 26 years as a Foreign Service officer at USAID, including as counselor when I was designated to lead the localization efforts on behalf of the administrator under the Obama administration, I saw progress. But I am struck by today’s unparalleled focus on locally led development across the international assistance community. Under Administrator Raj Shah, a target of 30% was set for local organizations to receive direct USAID funding. Under Administrator Mark Green, the journey to self-reliance was the mantra with each USAID Mission developing country roadmaps in partnership with host countries. Under Samantha Power’s administration of USAID, locally led development builds on previous efforts and is augmented by the upheaval over the past four years that has accelerated a questioning of the role of international expertise and intermediary organizations. Although targets have been set for 25% of funding to be directed to local partners and 50% of programming to place local communities in the lead, the global development landscape has changed dramatically and requires an enhanced approach to how international organizations approach the use of international expertise. A target such as 50% is no longer acceptable. Rather, the goal of 100% for local engagement should be the new norm. This awakening not only affects bilateral and multilateral donors but also philanthropy and corporate donors.

International development is at an inflection point, demanding more be done by global donors who control resources to improve global human development. As Administrator Power recently testified (at minutes 37:40-38:25), “We basically have programmatic dollars that have gone up 68% over recent years and operational expenses that have gone up 27%. So even with you (Congress) protecting our operational expenses, we’re still seeing a 3% cut in FY 24 … But that’s a big issue as we seek, again, to invest the staff time in working with local organizations and smaller organizations.” 3 The administrator went on to highlight the importance of growing USAID’s contracting officer workforce and empowering local staff, but there will never be enough USAID staff to partner with a larger percentage of local organizations, which is exactly the reason international intermediaries are needed.

In 1991, following the Haitian coup d’état that deposed President Aristide, I, an inexperienced 25-year-old Presidential Management Fellow, was sent by USAID to run an office in Haiti. I quickly learned that the local Foreign Service National (FSN) staff and partners were the true knowledge centers, not Washington and surely not me. Over the years, I saw USAID make changes to ensure FSNs were at the table and local voices were consulted on everything from strategy to program implementation. I was heartened under the Obama Administration that this was elevated as a priority, which continued during both the Trump and Biden administrations. But given security access and unconscious bias, local staff and partners were and still continue to be prevented from being treated as equals in USAID.

There should be no debate about whether international expertise and organizations are needed, but there should be great debate about how they engage with local organizations. The organization I led from 2019 to 2024, the International Youth Foundation (IYF), was founded with localization at its core, as demonstrated by its policy of not placing expats overseas unless required by the donor.

However, like other international development organizations, IYF had a large headquarters based in the U.S. with American executive and senior leadership teams responsible for the management and expertise delivered in countries across the globe in partnership with local actors. With the onset of the pandemic and global protests in 2020, IYF restructured its operations to reduce the size of its U.S. operations and shift roles to its local offices to directly deliver technical and operational support to local partners. This flipped the role of international expertise to one of supporting local teams as they directly strengthened local systems and built capacity, including financial, administrative, measurement, and evaluation, along with a host of technical areas led by local program teams. As a result, IYF’s executive and senior leadership teams evolved from being wholly American based in the Washington D.C. bubble to a diverse and inclusive team with representatives across the world. Moreover, the global team consisting primarily of Americans now plays a very different role than previously by supporting rather than leading local teams.

This is but one model of how an INGO can play an intermediary role in supporting locally led development. There are many more across the international development community. I would urge USAID to create an incentive for the sharing of case studies that can then inform USAID’s approach.

Many international organizations are on this journey of creating more equitable and inclusive models, which are critical to meeting the moment of a dramatically changed development landscape. International expertise will continue to be needed to play a supporting role to local organizations and actors. As much as USAID and other large bilateral donors and large philanthropies would like to increase direct engagement with local organizations, it requires staff. It is much easier for intermediary organizations that have a diverse funding pool to work in partnership with local actors, including government, private, and civil society, to co-design and implement initiatives. I hope people stop asking if there is a role for international expertise and start focusing on how it can be done for more inclusive and equitable development where local actors are in charge of their destiny.

As local as you can get

At the heart of locally led development and humanitarian action is the fundamental question: What, exactly , is local? Is it having local leadership, local boards, local registration, local affiliation, or all the above? These issues consume many of debates within CARE’s advocacy community.

Ironically, all these questions exclude the most local of all entities: community-based organizations (CBOs). These are the actors we should be centering. They are as local as you can get.

While there is no official data for assistance flows to sub-national organizations, it’s safe to say that very little aid reaches CBOs, which are, by definition, created and run by people from and in the community they serve. Many are not officially registered units, nor do they have organizational bank accounts or boards of directors, rendering them invisible to the locally led agenda. Most often, a visionary leader represents the entity, but that does not mean they are opaque, undemocratic, or unaccountable.

In every country to which I have traveled over three decades in the international development sector, there are virtually always local initiatives run by women at the village level. Some, like the Mata Masu Dubara networks of Niger , are highly organized networks with transparent governance systems. But most often, they are simply a motivated group of women who decided to take matters into their own hands and uplift their communities.

These micro-sized CBOs can have macro-sized impacts. One example of this type of group is the Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA). These are far more than the typical savings group. VSLAs in over 77 countries have launched women into politics, taken on COVID-19 surveillance and education, reduced gender-based violence in households, and sent generations of children to school —all without an outside financial investment. Small impact? Multiply this by more than 800,000 VSLA groups worldwide.

It is rare that a CBO will be able to access anyone at USAID, let alone complete an application or meet compliance requirements. So, how to get funds to these highly impactful informal actors?

One answer is through a process called accompaniment in which intermediaries, which take many forms, walk alongside CBOs and provide advice when asked, capacity when invited, and small grants or fixed obligation awards exactly when and how the CBO needs them. Sometimes, this takes the form of buying a group a vehicle, paying for event space and catering, purchasing building supplies for the community, or paying for a trainer. It is really not that complicated. But it does require intermediaries to be in close contact over a long period of time with CBOs and their communities, much like foundation program officers track their grantees over time. Some international organizations have been doing this effectively for decades.

This approach delivers transparency and accountability to taxpayers and lawmakers. The intermediary organization is responsible for justifying and documenting each and every disbursement of funds or purchases, as every single partner to USAID does already.

A year after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, I traveled to rural Sri Lanka and met an extraordinary group of women who named themselves the Tsunami Women’s Network. This group of women banded together and pooled what little they had to start helping other women in the community recover from the physical and emotional devastation.

As I wrote in my book, “Teach a Woman to Fish,” one of the women in the group shared with me:

“All these charity groups came and then they withdrew. They did not have a long-term plan or program. Asha (name changed) suggested to us that a women’s savings society wasn’t the end of the journey, that we have to go further. At the initial stages she visited us several times, and she told us about how they organized themselves in [her village, location removed]. Asha pointed out the value of organizing and getting together. She also invited us to go to [her village]; that gave us an insight as to how we could organize ourselves. We started with the savings scheme, and now we have four divisions of savings groups. We got ourselves all together and formed the Tsunami Women’s Network. … It was a new era for us. Now we can go anywhere, talk to anybody, and ask any question we want. We are powerful now.” 4

Another of the members of the network scaled up this power for broader impact. Aruna’s (name changed) village had no water to drink. So instead of doing nothing, she organized a strong advocacy campaign. As she told the story : “I said to the local politician, ‘You provide the water, we’ll provide the labor.’ The village got the trenches ready, laid the pipes, and then told the guy, ‘Now turn on our water.’ The politician was so shocked, he went running and did it right then.” 5

Local groups of women acting together. This is where the magic is happening. Let’s get as local as we can and help these powerful community change agents get things done.

Cultivating a healthy global development ecosystem by harnessing the strategic power of organizational operations

George Ingram’s opening essay notes that the “2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness” memorialized donor commitment to an effective, sustainable sector by adopting locally led approaches. Since then, donors have set increasingly specific targets for both the direct funding of local organizations and the integration of local leadership into the framing, design, implementation, evaluation, and accountability of development interventions.

As a Humentum report noted earlier this year, donor governments have deepened their fidelity to localization through the 2016 Grand Bargain localization commitments, the partnership principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development , the Local SDG Platform , the Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability , the Charter for Change , and the 2022 Donor Statement on Supporting Locally Led Development endorsed by 21 donor countries and subsequently by 26 private foundations. While divergent in their definitions of what constitutes local, these mechanisms reflect a general appreciation that donors and other stakeholders should be “recognising and enabling local actors’ agency in: framing; design; delivery, including control over resources; and accountability, in given local and operating contexts” where they work.

Given this nearly two-decade push for locally led approaches, some have expressed exasperation and disillusionment with the sheer dearth of funders, including USAID, who have yet to achieve these targets. They ask, “Why aren’t we there yet, and is it even possible?”

It is possible, and necessary. Increasingly, global development professionals view the sector as an interrelated and interdependent ecosystem. It is an ecosystem in which USAID and other donors, INGOs, and local organizations, including civil society organizations (CSOs) and national nongovernmental organizations (NNGOs), are highly interdependent for their institutional health and overall impact.

Humentum ’s recent report, “ Operationalizing Locally-Led Development: Cultivating a Healthy Global Development Ecosystem ,” stresses that the current health of this ecosystem, however, is undermined by power imbalances, collective mistrust, funding inefficiencies, and largely transactional partnerships. Indeed, for far too long, donors and international organizations have dictated too many programming elements. With few exceptions, donors have meted out highly restricted, compliance-laden funding that fails to fully cover CSOs’ costs of doing the work. As a result, CSOs and their leaders—those closest to the need—are frequently under-resourced, under-valued, and marginalized by the very sector that depends on their success. All of this, in turn, has reinforced deeply entrenched power imbalances.

There is a growing recognition that for the whole to be healthy, each institutional actor needs adequate resources, organizational autonomy, operational capacity, and relational power to thrive. Adopting a systems-change approach, seen through the lenses of locally led and equity, can channel common values to build and buttress the systems and structure of collective work, determine who does the work and how to work together, identify how that work is funded, and agree to shared accountability structures for how the work is being done.

Since 2021, Humentum’s engagement with around 5,000 professionals from over 100 countries to identify and interrogate the hydraulics of sector transformation uncovered within four key components of organizational operating models strategic steps to cultivate a healthy ecosystem. These include:

Institutional architecture : Make change happen through more decentralized, democratized governance and organizational structures , bringing decision-making and resources closer to those who do the work.
People and culture : Implement equitable and values-based human resources and compensation policies and practices , taking a principles-based approach to managing people, organizations, and partnerships.
Funding and financial systems : Fully fund organizational operating and overhead costs, ending the non-profit starvation cycle , invest in institutional capacity, and create mechanisms for more locally defined, flexible, trust-based funding.
Risk and compliance : Design and implement protocols for risk-sharing (rather than risk transfer), mutual accountability, and simplified and harmonized due diligence and compliance requirements.

For a healthy global development sector, the focus must be on “how” locally led and equitable development is operationalized. Truly transformative change to the ecosystem will most readily happen when the sector harnesses the levers of change within individual and collective operational policies, practices, and principles. This can be simultaneously simple and complex because the “how” looks different depending on where you sit in the ecosystem:

Donors: Donors have a special opportunity and obligation to nurture and sustain the global development ecosystem. Because they control the purse strings, donors’ power can subordinate and stifle the role of international and local actors alike. To enable the sector’s transformation, donors must fund the transformation process. (Re)balancing power requires the financial resources, systems-change tools, and accountability mechanisms necessary to incentivize transformation. Donors should invest their resources in the operational vitality of organizations and then get out of their way. Let them do what they do best without imposing arcane and burdensome compliance requirements: Provide flexible, multiyear funding, full cost recovery (cover overhead expenses), and unrestricted funding. Donors should challenge themselves to implement simplified, flexible procurement processes that facilitate local actor design and leadership. Finally, all donors with locally led targets, such as USAID, should set and mandate reporting on indicators that track progress to local ownership as both a process and an outcome. USAID could increase accessibility to its funding by simplifying procurement mechanisms and compliance requirements that are within its control. For instance, USAID could uniformly apply its policies and practices to U.S.-based and non-U.S. entities alike, mandate reporting on its localization indicator, and include in its funding agreements clear expectations, when and where applicable, for CSO leadership and INGO capacity-building, networking, advocacy, and similar roles.
International (for-profit and non-profit) organizations: INGOs can make a change when they interrogate their operating structures, hiring, retention, and compensation policies, examine their due diligence requirements of CSO partners, and ensure they are playing a value-add role in the sector by bringing globally-tested approaches, experience, tools, and advocacy for locally led development. INGOs can infuse the values underpinning locally led, equitable development in how they convene, partner, capacity build, and implement programs. By being introspective and transforming their operations, INGOs exercise their power to enable a healthy ecosystem. This work is well underway – with many INGOs in the “messy middle” of the transformation journey.
Local or national civil Society organizations : CSOs can live their values by reflecting them in their operating policies and practices. They can invest time and resources in peer-to-peer learning opportunities, operational development, and storytelling for greater impact. CSOs are increasingly harnessing the power of the collective through regional and global networks to influence donor policy change, demanding greater deference to their deep experience and expertise.

Save the Children’s recommendations for advancing local engagement through programming and procurement

Localized approaches that shift power, influence, and resources to those affected by development challenges and humanitarian crises produce better and more sustainable results. Save the Children’s localization policy supports this understanding by acting as an ally to local actors, including communities and children themselves, in elevating their voice and leadership to drive locally meaningful change. Historically , Save the Children has emphasized the agency and leadership of children and local actors to drive this change through various initiatives, including child rights governance and community-led development. In response to growing development and humanitarian challenges the world over, and an intensified sector-wide push to advance locally led solutions, Save the Children is reevaluating its engagement with local stakeholders and communities. A long-term transformation is taking place to better fulfill this ambition.

USAID’s efforts to advance locally led development and humanitarian assistance in its programming and procurement represent a significant advancement. While progress is ongoing, concerted efforts have resulted in increased and higher-quality funding going directly to local and national actors. Additionally, the introduction of 14 Locally Led Programs indicators will guide more equitable and meaningful engagement of local actors across USAID’s portfolio. USAID’s efforts to engage with peer donors to influence their adoption of this agenda showcase a significant advancement beyond its own programs. These efforts, and more, have the potential to contribute to a fundamental shift in how the development and humanitarian sector operates, fostering a more complementary ecosystem of actors working together at the international, regional, national, and local levels to effectively respond to the greatest challenges of our times.

Much remains to be done. Globally, local and national actors still struggle to access direct funding despite various pledges and commitments, and in some contexts are being pushed out of their own markets by local affiliates of international organizations they struggle to compete against. Moreover, despite sector-wide efforts to foster more meaningful and equitable partnerships between local, national, and international actors, many of the local actors Save the Children interacts with in many countries report not feeling the results of this transformation at scale. In many contexts, Save the Children staff observe the push for localization resulting in the consolidation of considerable resources and power in the hands of a limited group of large, well-established national entities, limiting the engagement of a diverse range of local stakeholders and diminishing their ability to meaningfully lead change in the communities they represent.

In order to better ensure the meaningful participation of local actors and to foster a more complementary ecosystem of actors at all levels, donors like USAID can and should leverage programming and procurement practices to incentivize this change at scale. USAID could consider the following actions:

The Locally Led Programs indicators are intended to create agency-wide incentives to use partner-led approaches like program co-design and demand-driven capacity strengthening. To maximize the transformational impact of these indicators, USAID should extend these reporting expectations to INGO partners for their engagement with local and national actors. 
USAID is now translating bids into multiple languages and allowing non-English submissions. Simplifying proposal instruments, specifically notices of funding opportunities and requests for proposals, and increasing the use of concept notes and oral submissions must make headway. The current instruments are dense, burdensome, and difficult to navigate for local groups, especially from non-English speaking countries.
 International actors clearly have important roles to play in localized development and humanitarian sectors. However, many will not grow into these roles without the right incentives. To foster these shifts in roles, USAID could make greater use of existing and new procurement mechanisms that delineate specific roles for international, local, and national partners such as the New Partnerships Initiative , Transition Awards , eligibility restricted solicitations (e.g., “locals only”), and more.
When considering how to foster more meaningful and consistent engagement of local actors in USAID processes, it becomes critical to define whose engagement is being sought out. As indicated in Publish What You Fund’s “ Metrics Matter II ” report, roughly half of the funding reported under USAID’s 25% direct local funding target is going to truly indigenous entities originating from the communities they serve. To ensure that a diverse range of truly local voices are engaged in USAID programming and procurement, USAID could apply the IASC (Inter-agency Standing Committee) definition of local and national non-state actor in reporting against its 25% direct funding target, in line with its status as a signatory to the Grand Bargain .
Fostering meaningful engagement with local actors takes time and visibility. Tools like the USAID Business Forecast offer invaluable insights into USAID’s programming priorities in advance. However, in the absence of a Request for Information, draft Request for Applications , and other forms of prior notice, development partners often lack insight into the detailed programmatic priorities of USAID Missions. Without these insights, organizations may struggle to identify the right partners to engage meaningfully in the early stages of program design. USAID could provide more details on their programmatic priorities in the USAID Business Forecast to better support the early engagement of local partners in true co-design.

USAID has made important progress on commitments to be more locally led and to shift more and better-quality funding to local actors. To enhance locally led development and humanitarian solutions, consistent and scalable implementation of these commitments will be essential.

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1. List of linking words: how to use connectors to enhance your essays. List Words: Use list words in your paragraphs in order, or inside a paragraph to put your points in order. firstly. secondly. thirdly. finally / lastly. Example 1 uses listing words to start a sentence.
Development interdependence: Locally driven, globally informed
This compendium of essays expands on the conversation from a roundtable hosted by the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution on April 5, 2024. ... connectors, and ...

200+ Linking Words – Full List, Examples

What Are Linking Words?

List of Transition Words

Agreement/Addition/Similarity

Negative Ideas

Opposition/Limitation/Contradiction

Cause/Condition/Purpose

Examples/Support/Emphasis

Effect/Consequence/Result

Conclusion/Summary/Restatement

Time/Chronology/Sequence

Space/Location/Place

Common Mistakes With Transition Words

Starting a Sentence With So, And, and Also

Combination of Transition Words And/Or

Using As Well As as Alternative to And

Archaic Words

Linking Words Summary

Connectors in English: How to Use Them

What Are English Connectors?

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Transition Words & Phrases | List & Examples

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Table of contents

Example text with and without transition words

Don’t overuse transition words

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Additive transition words

Adversative transition words

Causal transition words

Sequential transition words

Confused use of therefore

Starting a sentence with also , and , or so

Transition words creating sentence fragments

And vs. as well as

Use of and/or

Archaic transition words

Using a paraphrasing tool for clear writing

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Jack Caulfield

Essay Connectors in English and Examples

What are Connectors in an Essay?

Why use Connectors in an Essay?

List of Essay Connectors in Detail

2) Contrast

4) Condition

5) Addition

6) Cause and Effect

7) Location

9) Comparison

10) Conditionals

How do you use Connectors in an Essay?

Cause & Effect

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70+ Connective Words To Power Up Your Essays [COMPREHENSIVE LIST]

What are connective words?

Definitions: The grammatical bit

Definitions part 2: Connectives in sentences

The where, what and how of using connectives

Where to add connectives:

What to use connectives for:

How to add in useful connective words:

The three types of connective words:

Comparative connective words

Causal connective words

Temporal connective words

The TOP 70 connective words for effective essay writing!

Good luck with your essay!

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What are linking words?

Linking words for addition

Linking words for contrast