How do you use this expression “Mainly though,…” It appears on the CAE book. It’s an exercise and couldn’t get it right as I have no idea of how to use this expression.
Are there any examples given in the book?
Unless I’m overlooking something, this is not what I would call an “expression”. It is just two words that could go together. I’m assuming from the capitalisation that you want it to start a sentence. For example:
“I did earn a bit of money. Mainly, though, I just did it for fun.”
“Mainly” means that what you are about to say is the main, or most important thing. “though” adds a contrast with something else, in this case the fact that you made some money. In this construction I would normally put a comma before and after “though”.
Thanks for you answer. This is the context:
“An allergy can occur in almost any part of your body and can be caused by just anything. Mainly though, allergies become evident on parts of the body directly exposed to…”
I just don’t get it, and the fact that the comma is just right after “though” makes it hard to understand how this works in the sentence.
“Mainly (…), allergies…”
What would you have written then?
Right, your example is similar to mine.
In this case “Mainly” means “usually” or “most often”. The sentence is describing what usually happens.
Then, the word “though” is inserted to add a contrast with the previous sentence. The previous sentence has said that allergies can be caused by just about anything. The word “though” reinforces the idea that we now need restrict or reinterpret the earlier sentence in the light of new information.
As far as punctuation is concerned, I find both "Mainly, though, … " and “Mainly though, …” tolerable, but I prefer the former. Some people might think insistence on the former is a bit fussy.
Thanks so much for your help! It’s a matter of getting used to this combination of words. 