This is number three of several videos on how we join sentences together, using linkers.

Here are the linkers we'll be looking at; today we looking at these three: because,

so and although. Hope you enjoy it! Right, let's get started. First we'll look

at because and so. Then we'll look at although.

Then we'll compare although, even though and though -- they're sometimes the same, but

not always. OK. Because and so. Here's a picture of Janice

coming out of her house, and she's putting up her umbrella.

The reason: it's raining. We can put those two sentences together, to

answer the question why...? And we can do that using because. There they are, and I

need to change the capital I for a small i, and we need a full stop or period at the end

of the sentence. 'Janice is putting up her umbrella because it's raining'.

We can also put them together with SO, and it means the same, but there is a big difference:

we put them in reverse order. So here we go again, this time with so:

'It's raining, so Janice is putting up her umbrella'.

Let me go over that again. With because, we put the solution first, and

the problem second, and with so, we put the problem first, and the solution second.

OK, here's a quick test: four sentences which need because or so to complete them. You can

stop the video if you like, think about it for a moment, and then hit the play button

again. OK, are you ready? Here we are with the four

answers: First one 'She ran up the stairs because she

was late'. Next one: 'I couldn't see Jack so I rang him

on his mobile' (or cell phone, if you like) And next 'I didn't know the word so I looked

it up in my dictionary'. And the last one 'Fraser emailed Hugo because

he wanted to ask him something'. Look at those sentences again: we've got a

problem, and a solution, and a problem and a solution, and a problem and a solution and

a problem and a solution. OK, let's move on to although, which is different.

Here's a picture of Lois, who is always punctual 'Lois always gets to work on time'. It's nine

o'clock, which is her starting time. And where does Lois live? Well, here's her house, she

lives over here, which is a long way away. And here she is, walking to work, which takes

her some time. Here's she goes, and again and again ... and she's there. I can join

those two sentences together, like this: 'Lois always gets to work on time, although

she lives a long way away'. I'll just change that capital S for a small

one. Now I want to compare three similar phrases:

although, even though and though. We use can use all three of them in the same

way, but even though is more emphatic, although is neutral, and though is more informal and

friendly. We use even though when what happens is quite surprising. Here's an example:

Here's Pete 'he has a broken leg. and he goes on cycling'.

Put those sentences together, and we have 'He goes on cycling even though he has a broken

leg'. That's quite surprising, and it sounds difficult.

But there he is. And you could use although or though there as well, they're just not

so emphatic; although is neutral, and though is more casual.

All three of these words are linkers, joining sentences together, but though can also do

another job. Here's Lois again, and here's that sentence,

but we can say it another way, using though as an adverb.

'Lois lives a long way away. She always gets to work on time, though'.

The meaning of though is about the same as although, but now, instead of joining the

two sentences together as a linker, it's adding the same idea as an adverb. Though is more

informal, and we use it more for speaking than writing.

OK, that's it for today, I'm done. Bye for now.