‘Whereas’, ‘although‘ and ‘while’ are red flag words because they cause a lot of punctuation errors.
The errors are easy to fix:
- ‘while’ and ‘whereas’ join 2 independent clauses (usually in the middle, so you need a comma before them)
- ‘However,’ usually starts a sentence, so you need a capital H, then a comma.
- There’s no comma after ‘Although’.
See also the full lesson on linking words.
Test yourself: can you link these two sentences?
‘He’s well qualified. He can’t find a job’.
Check your answer here
- He’s well-qualified but he can’t find a job.
- He’s well-qualified. However, he can’t find a job.
- Although he’s well-qualified, he can’t find a job.
When to use ‘although’?
‘Although’ introduces a statement that makes the next statement seem surprising or unlikely.
Can we replace ‘although’ and ‘but’ with ‘whereas’?
Look at what happens when you replace ‘but’ and ‘however’ with ‘whereas’.
Are these sentences correct?
- He’s well-qualified, whereas he can’t find a job.
- Whereas he’s well-qualified, he can’t find a job.
Check your answer here
These sentences are NOT correct.
We cannot replace ‘but’ and ‘although’ with ‘whereas’.
It is not the same type of linking word.
When to use ‘whereas’
He’s well-qualified, whereas I don’t have any qualifications.
He couldn’t find a job, whereas I found one easily.
- The topic is the same but what is true of one is not true of the other
- Grammar: ‘whereas’ is always followed by a S-V-O phrase.
It is ok to start with ‘whereas’, but ONLY IF you are linking two phrases into ONE sentence.
e.g. Whereas he struggled to find a job, I found one easily.
Your examples:
- My sisters are tall whereas I’m quite short.
- In the past most jobs were physical, whereas nowadays most jobs are sedentary.
Do you need a comma before whereas?
A comma is not essential. The meaning is clear both with and without a comma.
‘whereas’ vs ‘but’
‘But’ can be used in most situations (but it’s simple, so Band 5/6).
He’s well-qualified, but I don’t have any qualifications.
He couldn’t find a job, but I found one easily.
He’s well-qualified but he can’t find a job.
Common mistakes
1. Confusing ‘whereas’ with ‘but’ ‘However’ and ‘although’
e.g. ‘I’ve studied English since 2008 whereas* I’m not fluent.’
[Use ‘but’ or ‘However’ here]
2. Putting ‘whereas’ at the start of the sentence but forgetting the second part.
e.g. Whereas*, the men in Australia had the same proportion as the women.
Finish the statement e.g.
Whereas the proportion of male and female workers in Australia was the same, in Japan the gap between them was much wider.
or
The proportion of male and female workers in Australia was the same, whereas in Japan the gap between them was much wider.
3. Using ‘although’ and ‘but’ in the same sentence.
e.g. Although I studied French for 6 years, but I’m not fluent.
4. Using ‘although’ without the second part of the sentence.
e.g. Although I studied French.
5. ‘Although’ and ‘Even though’ are followed by Subject – Verb – Object.
- Employers may reject these CVs even though
havingthey have good qualifications.
While
Which one of these sentences is correct?
1. The proportion of male and female workers in Australia was the same, while in Japan the gap between them was much wider.
2. July, August and September were the busiest months. While during the winter, the number of health club-goers declined.
Sentence 1 uses ‘while’ just like ‘whereas’ – to join two sentences. Sentence 1 is CORRECT.
‘While’ is a linking word, and needs to join two sentences. Therefore Sentence 2 is WRONG.
BEFORE: In conclusion, although we need to acknowledge the detriments of ageing populations in social welfare, namely pensions and health-care costs.
AFTER: In conclusion, we need to acknowledge the detriments of ageing populations in social welfare, namely pensions and health-care costs.