Language Form and Meaning: connectors, pronouns and word choice
Introduced| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| connector | connector |
| pronoun/ˈprəʊnaʊn/ | pronoun |
| collocation/ˌkɒləˈkeɪʃn/ | collocation |
Four correct words, one right answer
- "It was raining, ___ we played inside." Because, so, although and unless are all real English words. Only so shows the result.
- In Language Form and Meaning, grammar is only half the question. The other half is meaning.
Connectors show how ideas link
- A connector 连接词 tells the reader how two ideas are related:
- Result: so, therefore, as a result · Reason: because, since · Contrast: but, although, however · Condition: if, unless · Time: when, while, after, before.
"The tickets were cheap. [ (A) Because (B) However (C) So that (D) Unless ], the hall was nearly empty." Cheap tickets but an empty hall is a surprise → contrast → (B) However.
What kind of link is it?
Choose connectors that show the right link between ideas
I forgot my umbrella, ___ I got very wet.
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Getting wet is the result of forgetting the umbrella.
___ the test was difficult, most students finished early.
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Difficult but finished early is a contrast inside one sentence, so although.
Complete with one word meaning "if not": "You will miss the bus ____ you leave now."
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Unless means if … not.
Who, which, where, when
- Relative words add information about a noun: who for people, which for things, where for places, when for times.
- We visited the old town where my grandfather was born. (a place) · That was the year when the bridge opened. (a time)
This is the café ___ we first met.
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The café is a place, so where.
The scientist ___ discovered the comet gave a talk at our school.
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A scientist is a person, so who.
Pronouns need one clear noun
- A pronoun 代词 (it, they, them, its, their) must point back to one noun. Check number and person: the students → they, the school → it.
- Its (belongs to it) ≠ it's (it is). Their (belongs to them) ≠ there (a place) ≠ they're (they are).
The school opened ___ new library on Monday.
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Its means belonging to it (the school). It's means it is.
The right word for the meaning
- Some boxes test vocabulary: all four options are grammatical, but only one has the right meaning or collocation 搭配.
- Learn words that go together: make a mistake, do homework, take a photo, pay attention, raise money.
"Our class sold cakes to [ (A) raise (B) rise (C) grow (D) lift ] money for the library." The collocation is raise money → (A).
Match each verb with the noun it usually goes with.
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These collocations are tested often; learn them as pairs.
The price of tickets will ___ next year.
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Prices rise (no object). You raise something (raise money, raise your hand).
Read the text, not just the gap
- The boxes sit inside emails and articles. The sentence before and the sentence after often decide the answer.
- If an article is about a past event, verbs in the box are probably past too; if a sentence explains a reason, look for because or since.
You can always answer a Language Form and Meaning question by reading only the sentence with the box.
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The sentences around the box often show the time, topic or link you need.
Common mistakes
- Choosing because when the second idea is the result (it should be so).
- Using which for people or who for things.
- Picking a word that looks like one in the text but has a different meaning (rise vs raise).
Unless you read the whole sentence, you will choose "unless" in the wrong place. (That one is a joke, but also true.)
Recap
- Name the link (result, reason, contrast, condition, time), then choose the connector.
- Who people, which things, where places, when times; each pronoun points to one noun.
- When all options are grammatical, choose by meaning and collocation.
Official sources
- Checked on 15 November 2026: Language Form and Meaning sample questions (ETS) and the Test Taker Handbook (ETS, PDF). The examples here are original.