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IELTS, TOEFL and TOEIC Vocab: How to use 'furthermore'.

ScottsEnglishScottsEnglish Administrator Posts: 1,296 admin ✭✭✭✭✭✭✭
edited April 2016 in Vocabulary
A lot of IELTS, TOEFL and TOEIC students have problems knowing when to use the word furthermore.  

The word furthermore means in addition and more importantly.  We use furthermore to emphasize that what we have stated is more important that what was just stated.

Consider the following example:
The house is beautiful.  Furthermore, it's in a great location.
In the above sentence, which is the most important point?  It's the second point.  That's why we use furthermore.

Now, have a look at the following table:


Based upon the above table, here's what a student wrote.  Don't worry about any other errors, just focus on the use of the word furthermore.  
Domestic sewage was the major pollutant in Taipei accounting for up to 50% while that of pesticides was slightly more than half of the former. Erosion and phosphates in detergents contributed the least being only 12% and 10% respectively.

Furthermore, domestic sewerage remained the major water pollutant in Sao Paulo as well (65%) while erosion contributed lower levels of 20% and pesticides along with detergent phosphates remained minimal. 
Can you see why it's a mistake to use furthermore in this context?  In the comments box below write your reason(s) why.

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