Speaking: Fluency & Coherence A2 - Lesson 2
Connecting Ideas with "and," "but," "so," "because"
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to connect your ideas using four common conjunctions, making your speaking more logical and fluent.
The Big Idea: Building Better Sentences
To express more complex ideas, we need to connect our short sentences together. We use special connecting words, called conjunctions1, to do this. Each conjunction has a different job.
| Conjunction | Function (Its Job) | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| and2 | Adds a similar idea | I like coffee, and my sister likes tea. |
| but3 | Shows a contrast or opposite idea | I want to go, but I am too busy. |
| so4 | Shows a result | It was raining, so I took an umbrella. |
| because5 | Gives a reason | I took an umbrella because it was raining. |
Your Fluency Toolkit
- Conjunction (Noun) | ឈ្នាប់ | A word that connects phrases or sentences. ↩
- and (Conjunction) | និង | Use to add more information (+). ↩
- but (Conjunction) | ប៉ុន្តែ | Use to show an opposite or different idea. ↩
- so (Conjunction) | ដូច្នេះ | Use to show the result of something. ↩
- because (Conjunction) | ព្រោះ | Use to show the reason for something. ↩
Pronunciation Focus: Pausing with Conjunctions
To make your long sentences clear, it is important to pause correctly. The rule is simple: when you use "and," "but," or "so" to connect two full sentences (two thought groups), you should make a short pause before the conjunction.
I will use a slash ( / ) to show where to make a short pause.
- I like the market, / but it's very crowded on weekends.
- He was very tired, / so he went to bed early.
Notice we usually don't pause before "because" when it comes at the end of a sentence.
Choosing the Right Connector
Think about the relationship between your two ideas.
- Adding Information (+): Use and.
He is a student, and he works at a restaurant. - Opposite Information (+ vs. -): Use but.
Siem Reap is beautiful, but it is very hot in April. - Showing a Result (Cause ➡ Result): Use so.
I wanted to pass my exam, so I studied very hard. - Giving a Reason (Result ⬅ Reason): Use because.
I studied very hard because I wanted to pass my exam.
Practice Connecting Ideas
Activity 1: Choose the Conjunction
Read the sentence and choose the best connecting word.
- I want to buy a new phone, ______ I don't have enough money. (and / but / so)
(Answer: but) - It was very sunny, ______ I wore a hat. (so / but / because)
(Answer: so) - She speaks English very well ______ she watches a lot of English movies. (so / and / because)
(Answer: because)
Activity 2: Combine the Sentences
Combine the two simple sentences into one longer, more fluent sentence using the conjunction in parentheses.
- I like to read books. I like to listen to music. (and) -> I like to read books and listen to music.
- He is tired. He worked for 10 hours. (because) -> He is tired because he worked for 10 hours.
- She wanted to visit her family. She bought a bus ticket. (so) -> She wanted to visit her family, so she bought a bus ticket.
Your Fluency Mission
This week in Siem Reap, your mission is to connect your ideas.
Try to make four longer sentences in your conversations this week. Make one sentence using "and", one using "but", one using "so", and one using "because". This will help make your speaking much more interesting and fluent!