Discourse markers & connectors

Article excerpt · target grammar marked

What makes refusal difficult is less the word itself than the story we attach to it. Yet in practice the two are often conflated. Not only is a well-placed no honest, but it can also protect the other party. A pause — in other words, a strategic delay — allows pressure to recede before a decision is locked in.

Grammar Reference · Discourse markers & connectors

Concessive contrast

Use yet or nevertheless in formal writing to show unexpected contrast. The yes felt kind; yet it proved costly.

Fronted negative

Front not only or rarely to trigger inversion and add rhetorical force. Not only did she decline, but she gave no explanation.

Inverted concessive

Place an adjective or noun phrase before as to concede formally. Reasonable as the request was, she refused it.

Common error

Despite of the pressure... ✗ → Despite the pressure... ✓ — despite never takes of.

01Exercise 1 — Form · Write the Correct Form

Discourse markers & connectors

1. the request seemed reasonable, she declined without elaborating.

2.Not only she refuse, but she offered no explanation at all.

3.The cost of saying yes is high; , most people continue to agree.

4.Difficult it is to say no, the skill can be learned with practice.

5. did he agree to the extra project, but he also took on two more tasks.

6.She was exhausted; , she accepted every request that came her way.

02Exercise 2 — Transform

rewrite with the new structure

1.Although the task was urgent, she refused to take it on.

2.She not only said no, but she also explained her reasoning clearly.

3.Despite of the pressure from her colleagues, she held her position.

4.He was tired; however, he agreed to every request.

5.Even though the request was polite, she declined immediately.

03Exercise 3 — About You

in your notebook

Personalise: complete five sentences about yourself using the target grammar.

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