IELTS Grammar: 'however' and 'whereas'

You can't use 'however' and 'whereas' in the same way. Follow these general rules in order to avoid grammar mistakes:

Use 'however' (followed by a comma) at the beginning of a sentence to contrast with the previous sentence:

• Some people believe that schools are responsible for the behaviour of their students. However, others argue that discipline is the responsibility of parents.

Use 'whereas' (after a comma) to contrast two ideas in the same sentence:

• Some people believe that schools are responsible for the behaviour of their students, whereas others argue that discipline is the responsibility of parents.

You can use 'on the other hand' or 'by contrast' in the same way as 'however'. You can use 'while' instead of 'whereas'.

Comments

[Isa]

Can we use: "Although some people believe that school are responsible for the bejaviour of thei students, others argue that discipline is the responsability of parents."? what is it better?what is the more/less formal?

[Phattery]

Hey Simon. Would you minded if I ask you to help me distinguish "increase" and "augment"? Can I utilize "augment" in task 1?

[Johnny]

To improve English, all of these websites Simon and name metioned above are beneficial, but I think it is difficult to distinguish which website is more useful. About reading practice, we can focus on our interested affairs. Take me for example, I am in favour of traveling on bicycle,so always throw myself into reading a British cyclist's tour diaries. He's name is Joff Summerfield, and had traveled around the world on his Penny-Fathing( a kind of old-fashioned bicycle) in the past few years. Many times I was deeply attracted by his funny or astonishing stories and the splendid views in his photos,even nearly forgot I was reading in English.
This is my way of doing some extra reading practice, because you know,sometimes the academic articles tend to be a little tedious.
This in only my view,and I think other guys give better ones.
Please don't mind my blah,Simon! :-)

[Simon]

Hi Isa,

Your use of "although" is good. It's no more or less formal than the other words.

...

Hi Phattery,

I don't recommend using "augment". It is only used in very specific situations. You will not need it for IELTS. Just use increase, rise, or go up.

...

Hi Johnny,

You raise an important point: the best learning happens when you enjoy it, so it's a great idea to find something to read that you find interesting.

[simran]

sir is this sentnece correct?

the number of people moving to japan increased in the following yaers. However, the growth was more signifcant from 1990 to 2000 as the figure rose by 15%.

[Simon]

Yes, that's fine.

[Shams]

Hi Simon
Is it correct to use however in the middle as below?-

Some people believe that schools are responsible for the behaviour of their students. Others, however, argue that discipline is the responsibility of parents

[Simon]

Yes, that's fine.

[yan]

Hi Simon,
I also took part in the exam on 21/1/2012.
I thought I got a high grade in w, howeve, it turned up to be 5.5. I completed the task with 5 points in 2 paragraphs. And I used linking words...what's wrong with me?

[Simon]

Hi Yan,

It's difficult for me to help you because I don't know what your individual problems are. It would be a good idea to take a few lessons with a private teacher who can analyse what you are doing wrong

[Mario]

Hi Simon. You can help me distinguish between when using "in year" and when using "by year"?
thank you

[musharaf]

its really very helpful .thanks simon

[Carol]

Hi Simon,

Can I use 'whereas' at the start of a sentence?
E.g. Whereas Jane loved apples, John thought they tasted disgusting.

Thanks!

[Simon]

Yes, that's fine Carol.

[every one]

Good every one, iam so happy seeing this side.

[Chris Sol]

Dear Simon!

Would you please explain how to know when 'as' means 'because', and when it means 'exactly at the moment when'? The conjunction 'since' is in the same situation.

Thanks so much, Simon.

Chris Sol.

[jin]

Hi, please help me with this.

'Whereas the play was wonderful, the film commercial was a failure.' (this sentence is correct, right?)

'Whereas the film commercial was a failure, the play was wonderful.' (is this also correct? if not...why?)

[Raveen]

Hi Jin,

Yes, both are correct because you had used correctly whereas.

Thanks

[tien.p]

Dear Simon,

How about this sentence, is it correct if I use semi-colon in front of 'however', making this a complex sentence in stead of two separate ones?

--> Some people believe that schools are responsible for the behavior of their students; however, others argue that discipline is the responsibility of parents.

Thank you very much this blog and everything,

Tien

[JM]

Hello,

When is the use of a semicolon and a comma appropriate for whereas? I'm wondering if the semicolon is necesary. See below:

Certain competitors have more resources than the Company, and many manufacture their own products; whereas, the Company has a distribution business model.

[Rahim Mahmudzade]

thanks

[hesham kamal]

can i use although and wherease in the same sentence....please give example

[Ali]

Is it necessary to use a comma before while or whereas when they are in middle of sentence?

[Chidi Ike]

Is this sentence correct "Therefore, whereas functionalists describe how society adjusts to changes, conflict theory describes the process of change"

[Hugo]

Excuse me sir. But some say we can use "however" in the middle of a sentence when adding a semicolon in front of the word, for example:

" Some people disagree with this theory; however, it's never been proven wrong."

So what's wrong about this case?

[Giacomo]

Why do I keep thinking that whereas sounds terrible at the beginning of a sentence? Instinctively, I would use "while" all the time, e.g. While most people think that watching football on TV is exciting, I find it really boring.
I would only use whereas after a comma, at the beginning of a sentence expressing contrast with the previous one, e.g. I love jogging, whereas my wife prefers biking.

[Simon]

Hugo,

Yes, you can do that. I was just trying to give people a simple 'rule'.

...

Giacomo,

I also tend to prefer 'while' over 'whereas' at the start of a sentence.

[Mishel]

Some people believe that governemts have the responsibility for the care for aged citizen , whereas others argue that familes are way more liable towards the care for their old relatives.

Some people believe that governments should be responsible for the quality life of old citizens. However, others argues that family support for their old relatives is crucial.

[Mishel]

While some people argue that sports people are overly paid , i strongly incline to support their higher pay rate.

Some people believe that sports people are paid extravagently, whereas others Argue that level of the sports people ‘s pay is undoubtedly justified and therefore they should be paid well for the work thay do.

Some people believe that sports people should not be paid too highly. However, other argue that the level of sports people ‘ s effort is fairly justify their stupendous salary.

[Amanpreet kaur]

Is however word can be used in ielts task 1

[sawan]

However,this problem can be solved by taking some certain steps.

is it correct to use in BP2 of problem solution task 2