Conectores básicos en inglés
Los conectores lógicos (linking words) articulan el flujo de las ideas en una conversación o texto, indicando si una idea complementa a otra, la contradice, o explica su causa o consecuencia.
And & Or: Adición y Opción
'And' une dos elementos o proposiciones de igual peso ('I like coffee and tea'). 'Or' se utiliza para presentar alternativas o posibilidades ('Do you want tea or coffee?').
But: Contraste
'But' introduce un contraste, matiz o resultado inesperado ('I was tired, but I finished the report'). Cuando une dos oraciones completas independientes, suele llevar una coma antes de but.
So: Consecuencia y resultado
'So' conecta una causa con su efecto o resultado directo ('It was raining, so we stayed home'). Equivale a 'por lo tanto' o 'así que' en español.
Because vs. Because of: Causa o motivo
'Because' introduce una subordinada con sujeto y verbo ('She studied hard because she wanted to pass'). En contraste, 'because of' es una preposición compuesta que siempre va seguida de un sustantivo, pronombre o sintagma nominal ('We cancelled the game because of the rain').
Regla de puntuación: La coma con conjunciones
Cuando unes dos cláusulas independientes completas (cada una con su propio sujeto y verbo) usando and, but, or o so, coloca una coma antes del conector: 'She loves reading, but her brother prefers movies.'
Ejemplos
- I was tired, but I finished the report.
Contraste con coma antes de 'but'.
- It rained heavily, so we cancelled the outdoor trip.
Resultado / consecuencia con 'so'.
- She succeeded because she worked consistently.
'Because' seguido de cláusula completa (sujeto + verbo).
- The flight was delayed because of the dense fog.
'Because of' seguido de sintagma nominal.
- Do you want to eat at home, or should we order food?
'Or' ofreciendo una alternativa entre dos cláusulas.
Recuerda: 'because' va con sujeto + verbo ('because it rained'), mientras que 'because of' va con sustantivo ('because of the rain').
Ejercicios
Completa cada oración con el conector adecuado.
I was tired, I went to bed early. (so / although)
it was raining, we went for a long walk. (Although / Because)
She studied hard she passed the exam with top marks. (and / but)
He didn't call he forgot his phone at work. (because / however)
We couldn't play tennis the heavy rain. (because / because of)
He wanted to buy the laptop, it was too expensive. (but / so)
Would you like to pay in cash by credit card? (or / and)
She wore a warm coat it was freezing outside. (because / so)