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"If that much money would be paid in a period of year, the orphanage management would also stabilize. On the contrary, Bob would be able to reconstruct it or add more buildings as much as he pleased. He wouldn't have to worry about the debt anymore."

I found this sentence in a book I'm reading.

EDIT: I forgot to say that it's Bob (the orphanage manager) the one who is being paid, so "on the contrary" here is used to say that now that Bob has money, not only he can stabilize the situation of the orphanage that has been poor until now, but he can even restructure it or add more building to it.

aksk971
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    On the contrary does not really seem to make much sense "in this specific context." What is the contrary relationship? (And who is he?) – Brian Donovan Jan 07 '18 at 17:42
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    Seriously?  You read this in a book?  Was it written by somebody who doesn’t know English?  Are you sure you quoted it accurately, and didn’t leave out any context? (Can you tell us what book it was, so we can check it independently?) – Scott - Слава Україні Jan 08 '18 at 00:30
  • @Scott I am baffled too. But there are many types of editors as there are levels of quality. – Dennis R. Hidalgo Jan 08 '18 at 14:18

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"Otherwise Bob would be able to..."

You probably also want to add "a" before "year" so it reads:

"If that much money would be paid in a period of a year..."

Dmitri Wolf
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As @Dmitri Wolf said above, "otherwise" fits well in that context. You may also use the more generic "if not."

The context you provided, however, is not enough to make it certain. It is not easy to imagine how with a lesser amount paid Bob could add more buildings.

Edit: Considering your additions and new comments, I would say with a high level of confidence that "on the contrary" is incorrectly used in this context. Words like, then, so, etc. would fit more logically. Let me explain:

The first sentence is conditional to receiving money. [here goes the transition phrase/word] If the money comes, then, the manager could do all sort of new and interesting stuff.

If you insert on the contrary, you are pointing to the opposite side. In other words, you are contrasting: saying, "if the money does not come, then..."

So, instead of suggesting the word otherwise, as I did above, I would suggest others like therefore, then, so, etc.

Of course, it all depends if I understood your new comments correctly.

Dennis R. Hidalgo
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  • Thanks, but "on the contrary" in that sentence is used to "intensify", and not to say the opposite. I edited the post with more information, because it wasn't really clear. – aksk971 Jan 07 '18 at 21:56
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    It’s still not clear.  This would make sense: “If that much money would be paid in a period of a year, the orphanage manager wouldn’t have to worry about the debt anymore. On the contrary, Bob would be able to reconstruct it or add more buildings.”  But you can’t use “on the contrary” to intensify something unless you’re also contrasting it with something. – Scott - Слава Україні Jan 08 '18 at 00:39
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    @aksk971 Thanks for updating the example in your query. Scott is right, on the contrary, cannot work as an amplifier in this case. Perhaps you are trying to use contrary as opposed to another "milder" contrasting word and that is why you say it is amplifying it. The way you have it at this moment, the paragraph is somewhat understandable, but it should improve. Otherwise, if not, or perhaps others could work better. – Dennis R. Hidalgo Jan 08 '18 at 13:51
  • I found on Thesaurus.com that words like "in addition, also, furthermore" are synonyms of "on the contrary", and it's not the first time i heard about it, are you sure that it's incorrectly used in that context? If I were to change "on the contrary" in that context with "otherwise" or "if not" the meaning will completely change. – aksk971 Jan 08 '18 at 18:10
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    It is safer to use the dictionary for definitions over the thesaurus, and every single definition for the word on contrary in Dictionary.com relates to opposite or things going wrong. Besides, Thesaurus.com suggests "additionally," "further,' and "then" as synonyms for "on the contrary" only "as in again", and that is key. It means that you could use "on the contrary" in the same way as the previous words when you are making an argument in the opposite direction (to discredit it) and need to return to your main point. I can give you examples if you want. – Dennis R. Hidalgo Jan 08 '18 at 23:38
  • What about "moreover"? it's listed as a synonym of "on the contrary" and if we put it in place of the "on the contrary" in the context I provided it fits perfectly, and it doesn't change the meaning of the sentence, doesn't that confirm that "On the contrary" can be also used in that way? In my native language (italian) "On the contrary" is translated in "anzi", which can be used (depending on the context) either for contrasting, or in the same context as the one I provided. That's what make me think that "on the contrary" is not used incorrectly in that sentence. – aksk971 Jan 09 '18 at 01:12
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    @aksk971 Knowing you come from the Italian language explains your questions. In Spanish "anzi" is often translated as "más bien," and in English the most common translation is "rather." In both cases the most common usage is to lead into a different direction unless, you are using it to restate a case, as I tried to explain above. But coming back to your new question, no, "moreover" would not fit neither because moreover is closer to tanto più than to pertanto, and the latter is what you want to convey. Isn't? – Dennis R. Hidalgo Jan 09 '18 at 01:23
  • You're right, "rather" is one of the usages of the italian word "anzi", but I'm actually searching for the other usage of "anzi", which should be something like "in addition to what has been said", which is the meaning that "on the contrary" has in the context I provided. In fact Bob doesn't say that he will either stabilize economically the orphanage or reconstruct it, he says that he will stabilize it economically, and in addition he will also reconstruct it, because he will have a lot of money. – aksk971 Jan 09 '18 at 18:05
  • @aksk971 I get it. So, something like this is what you need: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/what-is-more – Dennis R. Hidalgo Jan 09 '18 at 18:43
  • Yes, that's perfect, thank you. I don't have clear something though, in the end can "on the contrary" be used as a synonym of "what is more" and "moreover", in certain context, or you really think that the author of the book used it incorrectly in that sentence? – aksk971 Jan 11 '18 at 00:07
  • @aksk971 To answer your question: No, for the vast majority of the cases. Take a look at the definition: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/on-the-contrary There is an older thread here that discusses this same issue. Note that they mentioned that the phrase "amplifies" the opposite. https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/70484/to-on-the-contrary-in-these-sentences-is-the-difference-very-slight Also, look at this useful tool: https://www.linguee.com/english-italian/search?source=auto&query=On+the+contrary – Dennis R. Hidalgo Jan 11 '18 at 00:34
  • "Vast majority of cases" means that there are also cases in which it can be used in that way, right? Also, I visited some dictionaries and sites that teaches grammar, but each one has a different meaning for "on the contrary". Some say it can be used as "moreover", some say it's used for "contrasting", some say it's wrong to use it for contrasting, and some even say it can be used as a synonym of "as a matter of fact", "in fact", and "indeed". It seems it's quite a confusing word.... at this point I guess it can have all these different meanings, depending on the context. – aksk971 Jan 11 '18 at 23:43
  • @aksk971 Your persistence is admirable. There are exceptions for about every rule. The standard meaning of the phrase, "on the contrary," points to an "opposite" direction; the exception is continuity, as, with, "moreover" (it also hints to a cresciendo - "amplifying"). Since it is not my native tongue, I stick to the standard English. I explore the boundaries-- carefully, and following good models: look here. Still, I will come up with an example of an exception usage of the phrase later. – Dennis R. Hidalgo Jan 12 '18 at 04:48
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You may, if you wish, make use of the word "Opposingly", as a replacement for "On the contrary".

sardi kuka
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    They are indeed synonyms, but in this case it would not fit since the logical course is not in the opposite direction. In other words, "if the money comes, the manager could build..." Though less relevant, opposingly is the type of adverb you want to use sparingly- when no other words would do better. Style experts call these types of words "deadwood," because they make reading harder. – Dennis R. Hidalgo Jan 08 '18 at 23:50