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Common transition words and phrases.
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Transitions clarify the logic of your argument by orienting your reader as you develop ideas between sentences and paragraphs. These tools should alert readers to shifts in your argument while and also maintain the smoothness and clarity of your prose. Below, you’ll find some of the most commonly used transition categories and examples of each. Depending on the example, these suggestions may be within sentences or at the beginning of sentences.
Transitions by Category
1. addition.
Use when presenting multiple ideas that flow in the same direction, under the same heading/ idea also, another, finally, first, first of all, for one thing, furthermore, in addition, last of all, likewise, moreover, next, and, second, the third reason
2. Sequence/ Order
Use to suggest a temporal relationship between ideas; places evidence in sequence first, second (etc.), next, last, finally, first of all, concurrently, immediately, prior to, then, at that time, at this point, previously, subsequently, and then, at this time, thereafter, previously, soon, before, after, followed by, after that, next, before, after, meanwhile, formerly, finally, during
3. Contrast
Use to demonstrate differences between ideas or change in argument direction but, however, in contrast, on the other hand, on the contrary, yet, differ, difference, balanced against, differing from, variation, still, on the contrary, unlike, conversely, otherwise, on the other hand, however
4. Exception
Use to introduce an opposing idea however, whereas, on the other hand, while, instead, in spite of, yet, despite, still, nevertheless, even though, in contrast, but, but one could also say…
5. Comparison
Use to demonstrate similarities between ideas that may not be under the same subject heading or within the same paragraph like, likewise, just, in a different way / sense, whereas, like, equally, in like manner, by comparison, similar to, in the same way, alike, similarity, similarly, just as, as in a similar fashion, conversely
6. Illustration
Use to develop or clarify an idea, to introduce examples, or to show that the second idea is subordinate to the first for example, to illustrate, on this occasion, this can be seen, in this case, specifically, once, to illustrate, when/where, for instance, such as, to demonstrate, take the case of, in this case
7. Location
Use to show spatial relations next to, above, below, beneath, left, right, behind, in front, on top, within
8. Cause and Effect
Use to show that one idea causes, or results from, the idea that follows or precedes it because, therefore, so that, cause, reason, effect, thus, consequently, since, as a result, if…then, result in
9. Emphasis
Use to suggest that an idea is particularly important to your argument important to note, most of all, a significant factor, a primary concern, a key feature, remember that, pay particular attention to, a central issue, the most substantial issue, the main value, a major event, the chief factor, a distinctive quality, especially valuable, the chief outcome, a vital force, especially relevant, most noteworthy, the principal item, above all, should be noted
10. Summary or Conclusion
Use to signal that what follows is summarizing or concluding the previous ideas; in humanities papers, use these phrases sparingly. to summarize, in short, in brief, in sum, in summary, to sum up, in conclusion, to conclude, finally
Some material adapted from Cal Poly Pomona College Reading Skills Program and “ Power Tools for Technical Communication .”
Writing Effective Sentence Transitions (Advanced)
Transitions are the rhetorical tools that clarify the logic of your argument by orienting your reader as you develop ideas between sentences and paragraphs. The ability to integrate sentence transitions into your prose, rather than simply throwing in overt transition signals like “in addition,” indicates your mastery of the material. (Note: The visibility of transitions may vary by discipline; consult with your professor to get a better sense of discipline or assignment specific expectations.)
Transition Signals
Transition signals are words or phrases that indicate the logic connecting sets of information or ideas. Signals like therefore, on the other hand, for example, because, then, and afterwards can be good transition tools at the sentence and paragraph level. When using these signals, be conscious of the real meaning of these terms; they should reflect the actual relationship between ideas.
Review Words
Review words are transition tools that link groups of sentences or whole paragraphs. They condense preceding discussion into a brief word or phrase. For example: You’ve just completed a detailed discussion about the greenhouse effect. To transition to the next topic, you could use review words like “this heat-trapping process” to refer back to the green house effect discussion. The relative ability to determine a cogent set of review words might signal your own understanding of your work; think of review words as super-short summaries of key ideas.
Preview words
Preview words condense an upcoming discussion into a brief word or phrase. For example: You’ve just explained how heat is trapped in the earth’s atmosphere. Transitioning to the theory that humans are adding to that effect, you could use preview words like “sources of additional CO2 in the atmosphere include” to point forward to that discussion.
Transition Sentences
The strongest and most sophisticated tools, transition sentences indicate the connection between the preceding and upcoming pieces of your argument. They often contain one or more of the above transition tools. For example: You’ve just discussed how much CO2 humans have added to the atmosphere. You need to transition to a discussion of the effects. A strong set of transition sentences between the two sections might sound like this:
“These large amounts of CO2 added to the atmosphere may lead to a number of disastrous consequences for residents of planet earth. The rise in global temperature that accompanies the extra CO2 can yield effects as varied as glacial melting and species extinction.”
In the first sentence, the review words are “These large amounts of CO2 added to the atmosphere”; the preview words are “number of disastrous consequences”; the transition signals are “may lead to.” The topic sentence of the next paragraph indicates the specific “disastrous consequences” you will discuss.
If you don’t see a way to write a logical, effective transition between sentences, ideas or paragraphs, this might indicate organizational problems in your essay; you might consider revising your work.
Some material adapted from Cal Poly Pomona College Reading Skills Program and “ Power Tools for Technical Communication .”
Last revised: 07/2008 | Adapted for web delivery: 05/2021
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Tips for Reading an Assignment Prompt
Asking analytical questions, introductions, what do introductions across the disciplines have in common, anatomy of a body paragraph, transitions, tips for organizing your essay, counterargument, conclusions.
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Transitions Quick Guide. There are two kinds of transitions: (a) transitional words and phrases that are used at the start of a sentence to show how the sentence connects with the previous sentence and (b) transitional sentences that are used at the start of a paragraph to show how the paragraph logically connects with the previous paragraph.
These transitional words (like finally) have the function of limiting, restricting, and defining time. They can be used either alone or as part of adverbial expressions. at the present time. from time to time. sooner or later. at the same time. up to the present time. to begin with.
between parts of your essay that a reader will need in order to fully understand the points you are making. Effective transitions are achieved in two ways: by using transitional words and expressions, and by carefully repeating words, pronouns, phrases and parallel constructions. Some of the relationships that transitions can express are equality,
Transitional words and phrases are useful tools that help establish relationships between ideas. Including transitions helps readers follow a narrative, understand an idea as it develops throughout an essay, and keep up with the logic ; of an argument. The chart below contains some examples. Addition Giving Examples ; Summarizing Showing place ...
Transitions Transitions help your readers move between ideas within a paragraph, between paragraphs, or between sections of your argument. When you are deciding how to transition from one idea to the next, your goal should be to help readers see how your ideas are connected—and how those ideas connect to the big picture.
ords and PhrasestransitionsA transition is a stylistic technique that crea. es cohesion in your writing. Using transitions between your ideas helps your r. ader navigate your argument. This handout will help you identify and use d. of transitions.General InfoTransitions indicate logical relationships between the ideas in your senten.
Transitions between sections—Particularly in longer works, it may be necessary to include transitional paragraphs that summarize for the reader the information just covered and specify the relevance of this information to the discussion in the following section. 2. Transitions between paragraphs—If you have done a good job of arranging ...
Transitions are the rhetorical tools that clarify the logic of your argument by orienting your reader as you develop ideas between sentences and paragraphs. The ability to integrate sentence transitions into your prose, rather than simply throwing in overt transition signals like "in addition," indicates your mastery of the material.
covers only transitional words and phrases. • Transitional words and phrases serve two purposes: ° They clarify the relationship between sentences (e.g., whether a sentence elaborates on or gives an example of an idea discussed in the previous sentence, whether a sentence is starting a new idea).
In short, In sum, Overall, In general, Taken together, these findings. More information on transitions can be found in Section 4.2 of the Publication Manualof the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) and in Section 2.2 of the Concise Guide to APA Style (7th ed.). SOURCE: American Psychological Association. (2020).
• Linking ideas with transitional words and phrases is a great way to combine two separate sentences. • When using transitional phrases, make sure to use the one appropriate to your rhetorical situation. • A good sentence should avoid using more than one type of transitional phrase to avoid confusion. Example Phrases
between the two sentences.Writing Transitions between P. ragraphs:Use transitions to show relationships between paragraphs. No matter how well-constructed each paragraph may be on its own, your paragra. hs must be logically connected to make your essay a coherent whole. Connect your paragraphs with sentences that include key ideas f. Poor ...
Transitions are tools to create coherence and consistency (i.e., "flow") in your paper. Without them, the relationship between ideas may be unclear to the reader. Academic English relies heavily on these transitional words to clarify relationships among ideas and sentences. USE WORDS FROM THIS CHART to make logical relationships explicit.
A transition between paragraphs can be a word or two (however, for example, similarly), a phrase, or a sentence. Transitions can be at the end of the first paragraph, at the beginning of the second paragraph, or in both places. 3. Transitions within paragraphs: As with transitions between sections and paragraphs, transitions within
Transitions can be useful between paragraphs to connect two ideas. Effective transitions high-light the key information from one paragraph to the next and help to create a logic flow be-tween ideas. These transitions do not always have to use transitional words or phrases; how-ever, they can be useful. P1 represents the last sentence in ...
Transitional Words and Phrases Transitions - when used effectively - can be one of the most useful components in your writing toolbox. As a writer, your main task is to lead your reader clearly through your ideas, and for readers to follow your train of thought you need to connect your sentences and paragraphs to each other.
THE FUNCTION AND IMPORTANCE OF TRANSITIONS. In both academic writing and professional writing, your goal is to convey information clearly and concisely, if not to convert the reader to your way of thinking. Transitions help you to achieve these goals by establishing logical connections between sentences, paragraphs, and sections of your papers.
Remember, your transitions should relate a paragraph to the previous in a logical way. The level of success your essay has may depend on your reader's ability to understand what you are saying, so using transitions effectively is crucial. Transition Strategy . When you use transitions, repetition is your enemy. If you say, "however" or ...
Below are sentences with misused transition words. Cross out the incorrect transition words and write a better one in the space below the sentence. 1. Tim earned an A on the test; even so, Justin also received an A. 2. Two kittens are often more effective than one pure bred dog. ... Microsoft Word - 9 Essay Transitions.docx Created Date:
Therefore, transitions are important to establish a good fow for an essay. Two paragraphs can be smoothly linked together by making the frst sentence of the second paragraph a "bridge" sentence, showing the reader how the paragraphs are related. Almost all transitions require commas. Always edit your essay to make sure your choice of
Common Transition Words and Phrases. In an effort to make our handouts more accessible, we have begun converting our PDF handouts to web pages. Download this page as a PDF: Transitions. Return to Writing Studio Handouts. Transitions clarify the logic of your argument by orienting your reader as you develop ideas between sentences and paragraphs.
TRANSITIONS/ INTRODUCTIONS Transitional words increase clarity and provide a logical connection between clauses and sentences. Transitional words are separated from the sentence by a comma. When used to combine sentences consisting of independent clauses, transitional words have to be preceded by a semicolon. Introductory
Strategies for Essay Writing: PDFs Strategies for Essay Writing--Complete. description. Tips for Reading an Assignment Prompt. ... What Do Introductions Across the Disciplines Have in Common? description. Anatomy Of a Body Paragraph. description. Transitions. description. Tips for Organizing Your Essay. description. Counterargument. description ...