What relationship is it showing? connectives
The Short Answer
A connective joins two ideas and shows how they relate — adding, contrasting, giving a cause, or placing something in time. Choosing the right one means choosing the right relationship, so the question is about meaning rather than grammar. Which kind you choose also decides the sentence: and, but and or join two main clauses; although, because and until introduce a subordinate one.
What is a connective question?
Your child is given a sentence with a gap between two ideas, and a choice of words to fill it.
Several of the options will fit grammatically. Only one says what the sentence means, which is why this is a question about meaning wearing grammar's clothes.
Name the relationship first
Before looking at the options at all, ask what the two halves are doing to each other. There are four common answers.
| Relationship | What it does | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Addition | Puts two ideas together | and, also, as well as |
| Contrast | Sets them against each other | but, although, however, whereas |
| Cause | One brings about the other | because, so, since, therefore |
| Time | Places them in order | before, after, until, when, while |
Naming the relationship usually removes three of the four options in a second, and it stops the commonest error, which is choosing a word that sounds comfortable and says something the sentence never claimed.
Can you show me a worked example?
Which kind decides the sentence type
There is a second thing these words do, and questions sometimes ask about it instead.
Coordinating connectives — and, but, or — join two clauses that could each stand alone. That makes a compound sentence.
Subordinating connectives — although, because, until, while, if — introduce a clause that could not stand alone. That makes a complex sentence.
So the engine failed but Nadia repaired it is compound, and although the engine failed, Nadia repaired it is complex. Both show contrast; they build different sentences.
Where do pupils lose marks?
Choosing by sound, which produces a sentence that reads well and means something else.
Reversing cause and effect. Ola kept practising because her fingers ached has the causation backwards, and it is an easy slip when reading quickly.
Ignoring what the connective does to the sentence type, when that is what the question was really asking.
Try it yourself
Say what relationship the two halves have before choosing. The grammar rarely decides it; the meaning does.
- The hall was crowded ___ Bilal spoke confidently. (and / but / because)
- We packed the car ___ the rain started. (before / although / so)
- Ola kept practising ___ her fingers ached. (until / because / or)
- The engine had failed, ___ Nadia repaired it. (so / although / until)
- Which of these makes the sentence complex rather than compound: and, but, although?
- but. The two halves pull against each other — a crowded hall would normally make speaking harder. That is contrast. 'And' would merely add them together and lose the point; 'because' would claim the crowd caused the confidence, which the sentence does not say.
- before. This is a relationship in time — one thing happened first. 'Although' would suggest a contrast that is not there, and 'so' would claim the packing caused the rain.
- until. Time again, marking the point at which the practising stopped. 'Because' would say the aching fingers caused the practising, which reverses the sense.
- so. Cause and effect, in that order: the failure led to the repair. 'Although' would deny the connection and 'until' would make the repair a stopping point rather than a consequence.
- although. It introduces a clause that cannot stand alone, which makes the sentence complex. And and but join two clauses that each could, which makes a compound sentence.
How much practice does this type need at home?
Two sentences, three joins. Give your child a pair of short sentences and ask them to connect them with and, then but, then although — and after each one, ask what changed.
It takes a minute and it makes the point better than any explanation: the connective is not glue. It is carrying an argument, and choosing the wrong one changes what the sentence says.
Free: an English workbook
Questions across the English question types, with the method printed at the top and full answers at the back. One workbook for the whole strand, not a sheet per question type.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does my child choose between connectives that all fit grammatically?
By naming the relationship first, before looking at the options. Are these two ideas being added together, set against each other, explained as cause and effect, or placed in time? Once that is named, most options disappear. Choosing by how it sounds is the trap, because several will sound fine and only one says what the sentence means.
What is the difference between and, but and although?
And adds, but contrasts, although also contrasts — and the difference between the last two is grammatical rather than about meaning. But joins two clauses that could each stand alone, giving a compound sentence. Although introduces a clause that could not, giving a complex one. So a question asking about sentence type is often really asking which kind of connective is in play.
Are connectives and conjunctions the same thing?
Close enough for the 11+, with one distinction worth knowing. Conjunction is the word class — and, but, because. Connective is the broader job, and it includes phrases such as 'on the other hand' and 'as a result' that link ideas across sentences rather than within one. If a question asks for a word class, the answer is conjunction.
How do we practise this at home?
Give your child two short sentences and ask them to join them three different ways. 'The hall was crowded. Bilal spoke confidently.' With and, with but, with although. Then ask what changed each time. That is the whole question type, and it teaches the thing that matters — that the connective is carrying meaning, not just holding two halves together.
Sources
- GL Assessment — 11+ familiarisation materials and question type descriptions Published 2025.
- Clever Clogs Academy — our own Year 4 and Year 5 lesson records, Winslow Published September 2025 to July 2026.
We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to GL Assessment or Buckinghamshire Council. Test arrangements change; always check the council's own pages for the current year's dates.
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