72 Transitions

Transitions are words or phrases that indicate linkages in ideas. When writing, you need to lead your readers from one idea to the next, showing how those ideas are logically linked. Transition words and phrases help you keep your paragraphs and groups of paragraphs logically connected for a reader. Writers often check their transitions during the revising stage of the writing process.

Here are some example transition words to help as you transition both within paragraphs and from one paragraph to the next.

Transition Word / Phrase:

Shows:

and, also, again More of the same type of information is coming; information expands on the same general idea.
but, or, however, in contrast Different information is coming, information that may counteract what was just said.
as a result, consequently, therefore Information that is coming is a logical outgrowth of the ideas just presented.
for example, to illustrate The information coming will present a specific instance, or present a concrete example of an abstract idea.
particularly important, note that The information coming emphasizes the importance of an idea.
in conclusion The writing is ending.

Attribution

“Paragraphing and Transitioning,” Excelsior OWL, CC BY: Attribution, http://owl.excelsior.edu/writing-process/paragraphing/paragraphing-and-transitioning/.

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

First-Year Composition Copyright © 2021 by Jackie Hoermann-Elliott and Kathy Quesenbury is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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