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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 writers 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 paragraphsto
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 papers 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 neighborsmost 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

http://www.depts.washington.edu/owrc
Adapted from UW Expository Writing Program and Edmonds Community College Writing Center handouts
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COMMON TRANSITIONAL WORDS & PHRASES

To Indicate To Indicate To Indicate To Indicate
TIME ORDER CONTRAST COMPARISON CAUSE & EFFECT

earlier a clear difference after all accordingly

former a distinct along the same as a consequence
formerly difference lines as a result
heretofore a striking also as a result of
in retrospect distance analogous to because
in the past a strong as compared with because of this
not long ago distinction as well as by reason of
of late against balanced against caused by
preceding although by comparison consequently
previously although this comparable due to
prior to may be true comparatively following that
recently an opposing view compared to for
yesterday and yet consistent with for this purpose
----------------------- another conversely for this reason
at present distinction correlate furthermore
at the same time balanced against correspondingly hence
at this moment but equal henceforth
by now by contrast equally important in conclusion
concurrently contrarily equivalent in effect
currently contrary to however in view of
immediately conversely identical it follows that
now counter to in a similar on account of
presently despite fashion otherwise
right away despite the fact in comparison owing to
simultaneously that in contrast so
until now different from in like manner subsequently
----------------------- even though in the same the end result
henceforth for manner the outcome
hereafter however in the same way the ramifications
in the future in contrast like of
----------------------- in opposition to likewise then
after a long time nevertheless matching thereafter
after a short nonetheless meanwhile therefore
while on the contrary nevertheless thus
afterward on the other of little difference to this end
later on hand parallel to accordingly
not long after opposing relative to as a result
right after otherwise relatively consequently
soon after regardless resemble hence
thereafter 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
http://www.depts.washington.edu/owrc
Adapted from UW Expository Writing Program and Edmonds Community College Writing Center handouts
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To Indicate To Indicate To Provide An To EMPHASIZE or

SEQUENCE ADDITION EXAMPLE 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

http://www.depts.washington.edu/owrc
Adapted from UW Expository Writing Program and Edmonds Community College Writing Center handouts
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To Indicate To SUMMARIZE or To Connect To Connect

EXCEPTION CONCLUDE CLAUSES* CLAUSES cont.*

despite accordingly COORDINATION SUBORDINATING

however as a result CONJUNCTIONS CONJUNCTIONS
in spite of as has been noted and after
nevertheless as I have said but although
of course as I have shown for as
once in a while consequently nor as if
sometimes hence or as though
still in brief so because
yet in conclusion yet before
on the whole even
on the whole even if
summing up even though
therefore if
thus in order that
to conclude once
To ELABORORATE as a result rather than
consequently since
actually hence so that
by extension in conclusion, than
in short then that
in other words in short though
to put it another in sum, then unless
way it follows, then until
to put it bluntly so when
to put it the upshot of all whenever
succinctly this is that while
ultimately therefore
thus * NOTE:
to sum up Conjunctions do
to summarize more than simply
link and connect
ideas. Conjunctions
combine clauses
To CONCEDE which transitional
words cannot do.
admittedly This is a significant
although it is true difference between
that conjunctions and
granted transitional words
I concede that
of course
naturally
to be sure

Courtesy the Odegaard Writing & Research Center

http://www.depts.washington.edu/owrc
Adapted from UW Expository Writing Program and Edmonds Community College Writing Center handouts