Below are three formal and polite equivalents (synonyms) of 'also' which you can use in your business or professional pieces of writing.

This is used to support an argument you or another person is making (to give extra reasons/examples) and to give extra information about a thing or person (e.g. 'I also play football'). Although these synonyms have the same meaning as 'also', what you say when using them is different to what you would say if only using 'also'. For many of them, you have to say what the previous reason or example was directly after using them (which you don't do when using 'also' by it self). In addition to that, many of them will also use 'also' later in the sentence (like this sentence for example).

In addition to

This is normally used to connect/link the information in two sentences together. You follow it by saying what the previous argument you made or piece of information about the thing was.

'Going to university is good for your job prospects in the future. In addition to improving your job prospects, it also helps your intellectual development.'



You can also use 'in addition' as well. But if you do, you don't follow it by saying what the previous argument you made or piece of information about the thing was.

'Going to university is good for your job prospects in the future. In addition, it also helps your intellectual development.'

Besides

This can be used to both connect/link two pieces of information together in the same sentence and connect/link the information in two sentences together.

'Going to university is good for your job prospects in the future. Besides improving your job prospects, it also helps your intellectual development.'

Not only..., but...also...

This is normally used to connect/link two pieces of information together in the same sentence. If you use it, you need to use a question like structure (e.g. 'did he...', 'were they...' etc...) directly after the 'Not only'. It is a more persuasive and emphatic structure to use than 'besides' and 'in addition to'. I would not use it for very formal emails/letters.

'Not only does going to university help your job prospects, but it also helps your intellectual development.'


back buttonGo back to vocabulary list page