Transitional Words and Phrases
Transitional words and phrases show the relationship between ideas. Transitions are used to link ideas
within a sentence, within a paragraph, or within a longer piece of writing. Transitions help the reader to
follow the writer’s train of thought.
Let’s say I want to show the relationship between these two sentences:
The river was gradually changing its course. The cliff continued to erode.
Is the river causing the erosion or not? Adding a transitional can help the reader to know the answer:
The river was gradually changing its course; therefore the cliff continued to erode.
Different transitional modifiers imply different meanings; how does the meaning change in each of the
following?
The river was gradually changing its course. In addition, the cliff continued to erode.
The river was gradually changing its course; however, the cliff continued to erode.
Below is a list of transitional words and phrases:
To compare or link similar ideas:
also
moreover in addition
similarly
both...and
too
besides
furthermore
in the same way
each of
likewise
To contrast or limit ideas:
however
but
nevertheless
conversely
on the other hand
still
neither…nor
in spite of/despite
even so
even though
on the contrary
although
instead
and yet
whereas
To indicate time:
meanwhile
eventually
first (second, etc.)
before
afterward
later
soon
during
while
To show cause and effect:
therefore/that’s why/so
owing to
due to
as a result
unless
accordingly
so that
consequently
thus
because
hence
in order to
To offer a summary, an example or a conclusion:
for instance
for example
on the one/other hand
after all
as a result
in fact in conclusion
therefore
such as
To add some information:
Moreover
furthermore
as well as
besides
thus
in other words
obviously
on the whole
In particular,…
in short
particularly
CONJUNCTIONS AND LINKING WORDS
Fill in the correct conjunctions and linking words from the list. There may be more
than one possibility!
as well as
when
during
although
while such as
because
either ….. or
unless
which
however
besides
so that
neither …. nor
then
so
despite
1. __________________ Dad comes home from work he lies down on the sofa
__________________ he is tired.
2. Max had a headache yesterday, __________________ he didn’t come to basketball
practice.
3. This is Toby’s new mountain bike, __________________ he got from his parents. He
locks it up every evening, __________________ nobody can take it.
4. __________________ Samantha was very tired, she watched TV until well after
midnight.
5. First, cut out the pictures, __________________ glue them into your album.
6. I would like to learn Japanese, __________________ , I don’t know anyone who can
teach me.
7. __________________ we were driving through the countryside we saw many nice
villages.
8. The Hemingways are our neighbours __________________ our friends.
9. You can have __________________ tea __________________ coffee for breakfast.
10. __________________ being a well-known politician, John Smith can also play the
piano very well.
11. __________________ his injury, the boy desperately wanted to play for his team in
the finals.
12. __________________ the hike up the mountains we saw a lot of deer.
13. __________________ you finish that essay you won’t get anything to eat.
14. __________________ my mother __________________ my father will be able to
attend the meeting.
15. He likes all kinds of sports, __________________ skiing, hockey and volleyball.
Fill in the correct conjunctions and linking words from the list. There may be more
than one possibility!
neither ….. nor
even though
in order to
in addition
however
due to
despite
as well as
during
although
therefore
while
which
so that whereas
both
1. This is Jack’s new mountain bike, ______________________ he got from his parents.
He locks it up every evening ______________________ nobody can steal it.
2. ______________________ my father loves jazz, he doesn’t often listen to it.
3. ______________________ we were driving through the countryside, we saw lots of
nice villages.
4. Honda makes cars ______________________ motorcycles.
5. Our flight attendants must be able to speak ______________________ English and
Spanish.
6.
The
weather
was
perfect.
It
was
______________________
too
hot
______________________ too cold.
7. Sally invited me to her party last weekend. ______________________, I had to tell her
I couldn’t come.
8. I started to learn Italian ______________________ my stay in Rome.
9. ______________________ being the better team, we lost the match.
10. ______________________ we hadn’t eaten for over 12 hours, we weren’t hungry.
11. I arrived late for the show, ______________________ the bad traffic.
12. This cell phone costs 5 cents per minute, ______________________ the other has a
flat rate.
13. He spent most of his time hanging around with friends. ______________________,
he was not prepared for the exam.
14. She wakes up early ______________________ be on time for work.
15. This car offers 6 air bags and heating for your seats. ______________________,
there is also a world-class stereo system installed.
Class assignment:
Choose one of the tasks below and write about 150 words answering the question. Use at
least 15 transitional/linking words and underline them in your writing.