USING TRANSITIONS
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Help your reader see the connection between sentences and paragraphs
Hopefully the ideas in your paper are connected – you need all of them to make your points and for your paper to be
complete. Though you have thoroughly thought about these connections, they might not be so obvious for your reader.
Using transitions and transitional devices can make your writing coherent and easier to understand.
Transitions between sentences
• Use repetition. Repeating key words and phrases, or pronouns that refer to them, links sentences together and also
gives your reader a clue that those words and phrases are important for the entire piece of writing.
EXAMPLE
Over the centuries, shopping has changed in function as well as in style. Before the Industrial
Revolution, most consumer goods were sold in open-air markets, customers who went into an actual shop
were expected to buy something, and shoppers were always expected to bargain for the best possible
price.
•
Use parallel structures. Parallel structures are structures that are grammatically similar and pull the reader along in
the writing.
EXAMPLE
William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” tells the story of a young boy trapped in a no-win situation. If
he betrays his father, he loses his family. If he betrays justice, he becomes a fugitive. In trying to free
himself from his trap, he does both.
•
Use transitional devices to signal relationships between and among sentences but BEWARE: transitions do not
create connections or provide meaning, they only clarify connections for the reader.
o Don’t underestimate the power of simple transitions like and, but, so, then, when, also.
o Don’t underestimate the power of punctuation: Join sentences with commas and semicolons, colons or –
the dash! The possibilities are endless.
Transitions Between Paragraphs - Use references to previous paragraphs
o Repeat or paraphrase key words and phrases. These aren’t necessarily key words for the whole essay, just
a way to connect these two paragraphs.
EXAMPLE
Without a transition:
… Overall, Management Systems International has logged increased sales in every sector, leading to a
significant rise in third-quarter profits.
Another important thing to note is that the corporation had expanded its international influence.
With a transition:
… Overall, Management Systems International has logged increased sales in every sector, leading to a
significant rise in third-quarter profits.
These impressive profits are largely due to the corporation's expanded international influence.
o
Use parallel structures – this is when you structure the first sentence of a new paragraph in a
grammatically similar way to the last sentence of the earlier paragraph.
EXAMPLE
… Kennedy made an effort to assure non-Catholics that he would respect the separation of church and
state, and most of them did not seem to hold his religion against him in deciding how to vote. Since his
election, the church to which a candidate belongs has become less important in presidential politics.
The region from which a candidate comes remains an important factor, especially in primary
contests.
Ideas and examples on this handout from:
The Purdue Online Writing Lab. The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2011. Web.
12 Sept. 2011.
The St. Martin’s Handbook. Lunsford, Andrea. The St. Martin’s Handbook. Bedford / St. Martin’s: Boston, New York. 2011.
Brought to you by the Writing Center at AUW
Common Transitional Devices
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To signal sequence
again, also, and, and then, besides, finally, first…second…third, furthermore, last, moreover, next, still, too
To signal time
after a while, afterward, as long as, as soon as, at last, at that time, before, earlier, immediately, in the meantime, in the past, lately,
later, meanwhile, now, presently, simultaneously, since, so far, soon, then, thereafter, until, when
To signal comparison
again, also, in the same way, likewise, once more, similarly
To signal contrast
although, but, despite, even though, however, in contrast, in spite of, instead, nevertheless, nonetheless, on the contrary, on the one
hand…on the other hand, regardless, still, though, yet
To signal emphasis
definitely, extremely, obviously, in fact, indeed, in any case, absolutely, positively, naturally, surprisingly, always, forever,
perennially, eternally, never, emphatically, unquestionably, without a doubt, certainly, undeniably, without reservation
To signal examples
after all, even, for example, for instance, indeed, in fact, of course, specifically, such as, the following example, to illustrate
To signal cause and effect
accordingly, as a result, because, consequently, for this purpose, hence, so, then, therefore, thus, to this end
To signal place
above, adjacent to, below, beyond, closer to, elsewhere, far, farther on, here, near, nearby, opposite to, there
To signal concession
although it is true that, granted that, I admit that, it may appear that, naturally, of course
To signal summary, repetition or conclusion
as a result, as has been noted, as I have said, as mentioned earlier, as we have seen, in any event, in conclusion, in other words, in
short, on the whole, therefore, to summarize