Good News, Bad News
Mastering the Language of Contrast and Concession
Last week, we learned how to use powerful questions (prompts) to make AI your personal English tutor.
This week, we are going to use a real-world news story about technology and job cuts—a hot topic!—to master a crucial skill for fluent English: The Language of Contrast and Concession.
When you write or speak fluently, you don’t just state facts; you connect them, compare them, and show how one idea is true even though another, surprising idea is also true. This is the skill of concession.
Concession means admitting or acknowledging a point that seems to disagree with your main argument. It makes your English sound mature, balanced, and persuasive—like a native speaker or a professional news reporter.
Let’s explore the grammar tools we use to connect these “Good News” ideas with “Bad News” realities.
1. Connecting Ideas in a Single Sentence (Subordinating Conjunctions)
The most common way to link contrasting ideas is to use Subordinating Conjunctions. These words connect a main idea (an independent clause) with a less important, surprising idea (a dependent clause). They introduce a full clause (a Subject + Verb).
Although / Even though / Though: These all mean “despite the fact that.” They are used to introduce the surprising idea first.
Structure Example: Although [Subject + Verb], [Main Clause].
News Example (Simplified): Although Amazon was performing well, it still planned job cuts.
While / Whilst (formal): These are used to show a direct contrast between two ideas that are happening or are true at the same time.
News Example: The company invested heavily in AI, while simultaneously reducing its corporate workforce.
Key Grammar Point: When you start a sentence with Although, Even though, or While, you must separate the dependent clause from the main clause with a comma.
Practice: Look at these two ideas: Idea 1 (Good News): I have studied English for three years. Idea 2 (Bad News): I still make mistakes with prepositions.
Fluent Sentence: Even though I have studied English for three years, I still make mistakes with prepositions.
2. Linking Ideas Across Two Sentences (Adverbial Connectors)
In more formal writing, like news articles or business reports, writers often keep two contrasting ideas in separate sentences. This is where Adverbial Connectors come in.
These words always begin the second sentence and are followed by a comma. They help the reader smoothly transition from the first idea to the surprising second idea.
However: This is the most common connector for general contrast or concession.
Structure Example: [Full Sentence]. However, [Sentence].
News Example (Simplified): Amazon’s sales increased by 13%. However, the CEO said cuts were necessary.
Nevertheless / Nonetheless: These are stronger, more formal ways of saying “in spite of that.” Use these to sound very professional.
News Example: Many employees questioned the move. Nevertheless, the decision was carried out.
On the other hand: This is used to introduce a contrasting or opposite perspective or side of an argument.
News Example: Some analysts praised the cuts. On the other hand, others feared the long-term impact on staff morale.
Key Grammar Point: Adverbial connectors like However and Nevertheless are essential for creating cohesive paragraphs in formal English. They bridge the gap between two full, complete sentences.
3. Using Prepositions of Concession
Sometimes you don’t need a full clause (Subject + Verb) to express the contrasting idea. You can use a Preposition of Concession followed by a noun or a gerund (the -ing form of a verb acting as a noun).
Despite: Use this followed immediately by a noun or a gerund.
News Example (Rephrased): Despite the company’s strong performance, Amazon announced job losses.
In spite of: This has the same meaning as Despite but requires the word of. It must also be followed by a noun or a gerund.
News Example (Rephrased): In spite of earning a profit, the company focused on reducing spending.
Crucial Warning: Do not use the word ‘of’ after ‘Despite’. It is a common intermediate learner mistake! (❌ Despite of the rain → ✅ Despite the rain)
Watch this to help you…
Summary of Fluency Practice
Mastering these structures will immediately make your writing and speaking more complex and native-like. Instead of saying: “Amazon is doing well. But they fired people,” you can say:
“Although Amazon was performing well, they announced job losses, nevertheless insisting that the cuts were needed to invest in AI.”
This single sentence uses three different connective tools for a much higher level of fluency.
Three Key Takeaways for Fluent English
Stop using only “but”: To show contrast, train yourself to use the subordinators (although, while) and adverbial connectors (however, nevertheless) to create variety and flow in your writing.
Mind the Punctuation: Remember the comma rules. Use a comma after a starting subordinator (e.g., Although it rained, we stayed) and after an adverbial connector (e.g., It rained. However, we stayed).
Identify the Two Ideas: Before you write a sentence of concession, always clearly identify the “Good News” (the acknowledged fact) and the “Bad News” (the surprising consequence) to choose the best structure.
The Plan This Week
We will be focusing on a variety of aspects of AI:
Tomorrow, we will take a deep dive into the powerful and often misunderstood verb ‘Acknowledge,’ exploring its different forms (e.g., acknowledgement, acknowledged)
BizPod on Wednesday will be a follow-up conversation with another news article about jobs affected by the implementation of AI processes! (Available to all readers)
Thursday, we will specifically target nominalisation, which is where you can change a verb or an adjective into a noun!
Friday, we end the week with key collocations, such as seize the opportunity, shift resources, biggest bets, and reduce spending, to help you use business English that sounds natural and professional.
Remember, only today and Wednesday are FREE posts. If you want to access the rest then you need to become a FULL/PAID subscriber. Now’s the time!