Conjunctive adverb
SAT glossary · Reading & Writing
Definition
However, therefore, moreover, nevertheless, consequently, thus, instead, meanwhile — words that express conjunction-like relations but are adverbs and therefore cannot join two independent clauses. The book calls this the single most valuable distinction on the section; the test is that an adverb can move within its clause and a conjunction cannot.
Conjunctive adverb in plain English
Conjunctive adverbs are words like however, therefore, moreover, nevertheless, consequently, thus, instead, and meanwhile — they describe a LOGICAL relationship between ideas (contrast, cause, addition, etc.), similar to a true conjunction, but grammatically they're just adverbs, which means they are NOT capable of legally joining two independent (complete) sentences together, even with a comma. This is considered one of the single most valuable grammar distinctions to know for this whole section. Here's the reliable test to tell them apart from real conjunctions: a true adverb can be physically MOVED to a different spot within its own sentence (like 'The vote, however, was close'), while an actual conjunction is stuck in one fixed position connecting the clauses.
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