Page Using Transitions Effectively

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Using Transitions Effectively

What do Transitions Do?

Transitional words and phrases are also called signal words. They are placed at key points to lead the reader through the sentences and paragraphs. Using transitional words will help you achieve clear and coherent communication with your audience.

When writers connect sentences and paragraphs, they provide a sense of movement that allows their readers to follow the main and subordinate ideas easily and, as a result, understand the writer's purpose and message.

Clear transitions are essential to the coherence of paragraphs and essays. There are several types of transitions, each leading the reader to make certain connections or assumptions about the areas you are connecting, based on the words or phrases you choose. Some lead the reader forward and imply the "building" of an idea or thought, while others make the reader compare ideas or draw conclusions from the preceding thoughts. A list of common transitional words and phrases can be found on the back.

Transitions Between Paragraphs

When linking two paragraphs, the writer must explain how the two paragraphs are connected logically. Transitional words or phrases sometimes will be precisely what you need to underscore for your readers the intellectual relationship between paragraphs--to help them navigate your essay. Very often, such transitions:

Address an essential similarity or dissimilarity (likewise, in contrast, despite, etc) Suggest a meaningful ordering, often temporal (first, in addition) or causal (thus,

therefore)

In a longer paper, remind the reader of what has earlier been argued (in short, as has

been said, on the whole).

Tips for Transitioning

Since clarity and effectiveness of your transitions will depend greatly on how well you have organized your paper, you may want to evaluate your paper's organization before you work on transitions. In the margins of your draft, summarize in a word or two what each paragraph is about or how it fits into your analysis as a whole. This exercise should help you to see the order and connection between your ideas more clearly.

If after doing this exercise you find that you still have difficulty linking your ideas together in a coherent fashion, you problem may not be with transitions but with organization. Perhaps something crucial is missing between this paragraph and it neighbors--most likely an idea o a piece of evidence or both. Maybe the paragraph is misplaced, and logically belongs elsewhere.

Common transitional words and phrases can be found on the next page...

Courtesy the Odegaard Writing & Research Center

Adapted from UW Expository Writing Program and Edmonds Community College Writing Center handouts

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COMMON TRANSITIONAL WORDS & PHRASES

To Indicate TIME ORDER

To Indicate CONTRAST

To Indicate COMPARISON

To Indicate CAUSE & EFFECT

earlier former formerly heretofore in retrospect in the past not long ago of late preceding previously prior to recently yesterday ---------------------- at present at the same time at this moment by now concurrently currently immediately now presently right away simultaneously until now ---------------------- henceforth hereafter in the future ---------------------- after a long time after a short

while afterward later on not long after right after soon after thereafter

a clear difference after all

accordingly

a distinct

along the same

as a consequence

difference

lines

as a result

a striking

also

as a result of

distance

analogous to

because

a strong

as compared with because of this

distinction

as well as

by reason of

against

balanced against caused by

although

by comparison

consequently

although this

comparable

due to

may be true

comparatively

following that

an opposing view compared to

for

and yet

consistent with

for this purpose

another

conversely

for this reason

distinction

correlate

furthermore

balanced against correspondingly hence

but

equal

henceforth

by contrast

equally important in conclusion

contrarily

equivalent

in effect

contrary to

however

in view of

conversely

identical

it follows that

counter to

in a similar

on account of

despite

fashion

otherwise

despite the fact in comparison

owing to

that

in contrast

so

different from

in like manner

subsequently

even though

in the same

the end result

for

manner

the outcome

however

in the same way the ramifications

in contrast

like

of

in opposition to likewise

then

nevertheless

matching

thereafter

nonetheless

meanwhile

therefore

on the contrary nevertheless

thus

on the other

of little difference to this end

hand

parallel to

accordingly

opposing

relative to

as a result

otherwise

relatively

consequently

regardless

resemble

hence

the antithesis of resembling

it follows, then

the reverse of

similarly

since

to differ from

synonymous

so

to differentiate the next likeness then

to oppose

to the same

therefore

up against

extent

thus

whereas

too

while

uniformly

yet

where

whereas

Courtesy the Odegaard Writing & Research Center

Adapted from UW Expository Writing Program and Edmonds Community College Writing Center handouts

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To Indicate SEQUENCE

To Indicate ADDITION

To Provide An EXAMPLE

To EMPHASIZE or INTENSIFY

at first

after

a case in point above all

at the beginning afterward

after all

actually

at the onset

again

an analogy

after all

commencing with also

analogous to

as a matter of

earlier

and

another way

fact

embark

and then

as an example certainly

first

besides

as an illustration decidedly

from this point

concurrently

consider

definitely

in the first place consequently

consider as an

equally important

initially

equally important

illustration

especially

once

finally

for example

furthermore

once upon a time following this

for instance

in fact

starting with

further

for instance

increasingly

to begin with

furthermore

for one thing

important

----------------------- hence

in another case indeed

after that

in addition

in fact

more

following that

in fact

in one example

emphatically

immediately

indeed

in order to clarify more important

following

lastly

in other words moreover

in the second

moreover

in particular

most important of

place

next

in the following

all

in turn

nor

manner

most of all

later on

now

in the same

of great concern

next

previously

manner

of major concern

on the next

simultaneously

in this case

primarily

occasion

so too

in this situation significantly

second /secondly subsequently

in this specific

surely

so far

therefore

instance

the crux of the

subsequently

thus

more exactly

matter

the following

too

namely

the main issue

week

what's more

on this occasion the main problem

the next day

specifically

the major reason

the next time

such as

there is no

the second stage

suppose that

question that

twice

take the case of to be sure

-----------------------

that is

to emphasize

in the third place

to be exact

to recapitulate

last

to bring to light very likely

last of all

to clarify

without a doubt

third

to demonstrate without doubt

at last

to exemplify

without question

lastly

to explain

in the last place

to illuminate

the latter

to illustrate

at the end

to put another

in the end

way

final

to show

finally

to take a case in

the final point

point

to conclude

to take a case in

in conclusion

point

Courtesy the Odegaard Writing & Research Center

Adapted from UW Expository Writing Program and Edmonds Community College Writing Center handouts

To Indicate EXCEPTION

To SUMMARIZE or To Connect

CONCLUDE

CLAUSES*

despite however in spite of nevertheless of course once in a while sometimes still yet

To ELABORORATE

actually by extension in short in other words to put it another

way to put it bluntly to put it

succinctly ultimately

accordingly

COORDINATION

as a result

CONJUNCTIONS

as has been noted and

as I have said

but

as I have shown for

consequently

nor

hence

or

in brief

so

in conclusion

yet

on the whole

on the whole

summing up

therefore

thus

to conclude

as a result

consequently

hence

in conclusion,

then

in short

in sum, then

it follows, then

so

the upshot of all

this is that

therefore

thus

to sum up

to summarize

To CONCEDE

admittedly although it is true

that granted I concede that of course naturally to be sure

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To Connect CLAUSES cont.*

SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS after although as as if as though because before even even if even though if in order that once rather than since so that than that though unless until when whenever while

* NOTE: Conjunctions do more than simply link and connect ideas. Conjunctions combine clauses which transitional words cannot do. This is a significant difference between conjunctions and transitional words

Courtesy the Odegaard Writing & Research Center

Adapted from UW Expository Writing Program and Edmonds Community College Writing Center handouts

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