Activity: Use your highlighting tool to identify signposts and connective words and phrases in the examples below:
Those are good questions.
I'll answer the first one - Kirk does have a family. I guess they're dead though - I don't really mention them.
To answer your second one - the robots were made to help people out, but like any good horror story, that obviously didn't work out. They're suposed to look a little humanlike - though they're outfitted with huge claws and guns.
Signposts and connective words and phrases help to guide the reader through the text, indicating transitions, relationships between ideas, or the structure of the argument or narrative. Here, I will highlight the signposts and connectives in your provided text.
Those are good questions.
I'll answer the first one - Kirk does have a family.
I guess they're dead though - I don't really mention them.
To answer your second one - the robots were made to help people out, but like any good horror story, that obviously didn't work out.
They're supposed to look a little humanlike - though they're outfitted with huge claws and guns.
Highlighted signposts and connective words and phrases:
- "Those are good questions." (acknowledgment/engagement with the audience)
- "I'll answer the first one" (organizational signpost indicating the approach to responding)
- "I guess" (transition hinting at supposition or uncertainty)
- "though" (contrast)
- "To answer your second one" (organizational signpost indicating a shift to the next topic or question)
- "but" (contrast)
- "like any good horror story" (comparative phrase)
- "obviously" (emphasizing the expected outcome in context)
- "though" (contrast, which in this use is similar to 'but')