To reason in words, people need to link their ideas, including by showing contrast. From around 3 years of age, most people rely on “but” for this purpose. But too much reliance on one word to show contrast can make speech and writing repetitive, as many parents of outraged pre-schoolers will attest (“But, but, but…”)!
A – perhaps stronger, perhaps more formal – alternative for “but” is the compound conjunction “yet”. Although not used as frequently as “but” in casual conversation, “yet” is used commonly to contrast ideas in more formal speech (e.g. debating, speeches or presentations) and in persuasive writing.
In this 23-page no preparation pack, we demonstrate the use of “yet” as a conjunction to communicate contrast, with a variety of scaffolded sentences. Featuring pictures and orthography, this pack is designed for people of all ages who need practice in using “yet” to improve their speech or writing (or both).