Using Transitions
Imagine you are driving alone to Florida for a much needed vacation. You have a map; you have carefully checked the tires and oil; your traveler’s checks make a nice bulge in your pocket. Happy and confident, you pull out on the freeway. However, within the hour, a nagging fear starts to grow. Something is wrong. With a start, you realize that a) you left your cell phone at home on the table and b) someone has deliberately torn down all the road signs and exit numbers. Mile after mile, you have no way of telling where or when you should exit! Your confusion level grows. Finally, you angrily pull off the road onto the shoulder in disgust. “How can I reach my destination if there are no signs to direct me?” you say in frustration.
Hopefully, this has never happened to you. However, a reader often experiences the same frustration when a writer uses no transitions. Transitional words and phrases show just how ideas are related to each other. They form a bridge for the reader from one idea, telling the reader to “Pay attention” or “Keep going” or “Get ready for an example” or “Turn back” or “See, I’m reasonable” or “I’m wrapping it up now.” Transitions help the reader understand your line of argument or logic, as well as understand more clearly the points you are trying to make. Since you (the writer) aren’t physically there to cue the reader or answer questions, adding transitions, if done effectively, can dramatically improve your organization and effectiveness of your ideas.
Most of the time, you follow a transition with a comma, especially if it is at the beginning of the sentence. For instance, you could write, “Most significantly, the locks were changed when I got home.” However, some transitions work as “stand alone” words within a sentence. One example would be “Another reason for her displeasure was the empty gas tank in her Mustang for the third time.” Still other transitions are often used as conjunctive adverbs between two sentences. In that case, you would write a sentence, a semicolon, a conjunctive adverb, a comma, and another sentence. For example, you could write, “Matt Salinas can shoot a basketball into the hoop with uncanny skill; in fact, he has averaged about seven goals per game from a distance of more than twenty feet.”
Transitional Expressions: Look through the following list of transitional words or phrases and identify which transitions would work where in your paper.
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To add another support (time, space, logic, or importance) |
To illustrate a concrete detail |
To summarize |
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First, second, third, then, after that, in addition, next, also, furthermore, another, still another, one reason, what’s more, besides, worst of all, best of all, most importantly, finally, lastly, meanwhile, afterwards, eventually, in the same way, similarly, likewise
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For example, for instance, in other words, specifically, as an illustration, in fact, as a matter of fact, indeed, moreover
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In conclusion, to sum it up, in short, in brief, to conclude, overall, clearly |
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To show that one idea is an exception or limitation: |
To show a similarity between ideas |
To show that one idea is a consequence or result of another |
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of course, to be sure, though, however |
In the same way, likewise, similarly |
Therefore, consequently, accordingly, as a result |
Important note: It is better to use a simple transition accurately than to use a fancy one inaccurately. If you use the wrong transition, it sticks out like a sore thumb! Don’t pick a transition you aren’t sure about. © P. Carnie 2004
© P Carnie, January 2004
Last update: 06/02/2009