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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

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