connective
connective — adjective
- connectivepositive
- more connectivecomparative
- most connectivesuperlative
1. linking two or more separate things, ideas, or parts so that they form one large
linking two or more separate things, ideas, or parts so that they form one larger whole or work together as a unit.
Kabir added a connective phrase between the two paragraphs to improve the essay's flow.
connective + noun (phrase) in writing context
The bridge plays a connective role between the old town and the new shopping district.
play a connective role between X and Y
Music can be a powerful connective force across very different cultures.
Élise drew connective lines on the map to show how the rivers feed into one lake.
- separating
highlights division rather than joining
- isolating
stresses keeping things apart from each other
文法句型
connective + noun
用法筆記
Almost always attributive (before a noun); rarely used after a linking verb like 'be'. Common collocations: connective tissue, connective phrase, connective role.
常見錯誤
2. describing material in the body — such as tissue, fibres, or cells — that holds
describing material in the body — such as tissue, fibres, or cells — that holds organs and other body parts in place and joins them together.
Tariq pulled a muscle during the marathon and damaged the connective tissue around his knee.
connective tissue around a joint
The doctor explained that ligaments are tough strips of connective tissue inside the body.
ligaments / tendons + connective tissue
Some children are born with weak connective fibres, which can make their joints very flexible.
Connective cells form a thin sheet that wraps around each muscle in the human leg.
- supportive
in anatomy: tissue that supports organs
- binding
stresses the holding-together function
文法句型
connective + tissue / fibre
用法筆記
Almost always paired with 'tissue', 'fibre', or 'cell'. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense describes parts of a living body, not ideas or objects in general.
常見錯誤
connective — noun
- connectivesingular
- connectivesplural
1. a small word — such as 'and', 'but', 'because', or 'before' — used in writing or
a small word — such as 'and', 'but', 'because', or 'before' — used in writing or speech to join words, phrases, or clauses together to show how their meanings relate.
Christopher told the children to use connectives like 'because' and 'although' in their short stories.
connectives like + examples (and / but / because)
The English teacher underlined every connective in Esme's essay to show how the ideas linked.
underline / find connectives in a text
Without enough connectives, a paragraph can feel like a list of separate sentences with no flow.
Eitan learned that 'however' is a useful connective for showing a contrast between two ideas.
- conjunction
the standard grammar term; narrower than 'connective'
- linker
informal teaching term; same idea
- connector
broader; can also mean a physical link
文法句型
connective + such as / like + examples
用法筆記
A grammar / language-teaching term, common in school writing classes. Subject is usually a teacher, student, or writer; object is often the example word in quotation marks.