“However” can be used both at the beginning and at the end of the sentence, “nevertheless” is used only at the beginning of the sentence. Though is the most versatile– it can be placed at the beginning, middle, or end of the sentence.
Examples with though:
Though he put forth his best effort, he did not get his desired score.
He failed the test, though he practiced a lot.
He put in a lot of effort. He failed, though.
The rooms were very spacious. The location wasn’t ideal, though.
Though the rooms were very spacious, the location wasn’t ideal.
Examples with however:
Her attitude is not positive at all. However, she has very good technical skills.
Her language skills are far from perfect. She excels in her determination to learn, however.
She wants to take the TOEFL this month. However, her tutor says she needs to practice more.
She wants to take the TOEFL this month. She needs to practice, however.
Examples with nevertheless:
This has been a tough year for the corporation. Nevertheless, there is hope for growth this year.
He was really skeptical he would pass. Nevertheless, the results of his test were incredible.
She was very well prepared for the TOEFL. Nevertheless, she was so nervous the night before she could not sleep.
Such phrases are used a lot in the TOEFL exam because they help connect complex ideas. You’ll probably hear many of them in the academic lectures you’ll listen to.
In the reading passages they will help you establish connections between ideas. They will also be of great use in speaking, especially in prompt two. For instance, you may say something like, “However, the man doesn’t agree with the proposal.”
If you use them correctly in writing, they will help organize ideas more effectively and you are likely to get extra points. They will also show you understand the contrast between the reading and the lecture in the integrated writing task.
That’s why it’s really important to get the structures right and to use them interchangeably so you can avoid repetition. You know how! YOU MUST PRACTICE. Join the sentences below using the words given in parentheses to obtain complex sentences that express contrast:
- The weather was nice. The hotel facilities were terrible. (though)
- Her presentation to the class was very good. The professor was not impressed. (however)
- She is making progress with writing. She is still struggling with speaking. (though)
- The TOEFL is very challenging. I think I can pass. (though)
- The marketing campaign went really well. We didn’t sell much. (though)
- She knew it was time to practice for TOEFL. She had to take care of her baby. (though)
- He thought he was not going to get his desired score in TOEFL. He passed with flying colors. (though)
- She had saved a lot of money to move to the United States. Life was still difficult. (nevertheless)
- He read dozens of books on the subject. When it was time to take the test, he was so nervous he failed. (however)
- Getting into dental school is extremely difficult. Nithya’s application was accepted by her top choice. (nevertheless)
POSSIBLE ANSWERS: (Your answer may vary.)
- Though the weather was nice, the hotel facilities were terrible.
- Her presentation to the class was very good. However, the professor was not impressed.
- She is making progress with her writing. She is still struggling with speaking, though.
- The TOEFL is very challenging. I think I can pass, though.
- Though the marketing campaign went really well, we didn’t sell much.
- She knew it was time to practice for TOEFL. She had to take care of her baby, though.
- Though he thought he was not going to get his desired score in TOEFL, he passed with flying colors.
- She had saved a lot of money to move to the United States. Nevertheless, life was still difficult.
- He read dozens of books on the subject. However, when it was time to take the test, he was so nervous he failed.
- Getting into dental school is extremely difficult. Nevertheless, Nithya’s application was accepted by her top choice.
Learning grammar may seem like a lot of hard work. The good part about it is that it gives you the structure and confidence you need to learn a language correctly. In exam situations, you need that confidence. It can help you gain time and points!
Whenever you proofread your writing or try to express an idea in speaking, you can rely on the rules you learned, they stay the same. The whole trick is to keep practicing!
