Essay Unity

Page 1 of 4

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

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…

Page 2 of 4

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

COMMON TRANSITIONAL WORDS & PHRASES To Indicate TIME ORDER

 earlier  former  formerly  heretofore  in retrospect

 in the past  not long ago  of late  preceding  previously  prior to  recently  yesterday -----------------------  at present  at the same time  at this moment  by now

 concurrently  currently  immediately  now  presently  right away

 simultaneously  until now -----------------------  henceforth  hereafter  in the future

-----------------------  after a long time  after a short

while  afterward  later on  not long after

 right after  soon after  thereafter

To Indicate CONTRAST

 a clear difference  a distinct

difference  a striking

distance

 a strong distinction

 against  although  although this

may be true  an opposing view  and yet  another

distinction  balanced against  but  by contrast

 contrarily  contrary to  conversely  counter to  despite  despite the fact

that  different from  even though  for  however  in contrast

 in opposition to  nevertheless  nonetheless  on the contrary  on the other

hand  opposing

 otherwise  regardless  the antithesis of  the reverse of  to differ from  to differentiate

 to oppose  up against  whereas  while  yet

To Indicate COMPARISON

 after all  along the same

lines  also  analogous to

 as compared with  as well as  balanced against  by comparison  comparable  comparatively  compared to  consistent with  conversely  correlate  correspondingly  equal  equally important

 equivalent  however  identical  in a similar

fashion  in comparison

 in contrast  in like manner  in the same

manner  in the same way  like

 likewise  matching  meanwhile  nevertheless  of little difference  parallel to  relative to

 relatively  resemble  resembling  similarly  synonymous  the next likeness

 to the same extent

 too  uniformly  where  whereas

To Indicate CAUSE & EFFECT

 accordingly  as a consequence  as a result  as a result of  because

 because of this  by reason of  caused by  consequently  due to  following that  for  for this purpose  for this reason  furthermore  hence  henceforth  in conclusion

 in effect  in view of  it follows that  on account of  otherwise  owing to

 so  subsequently  the end result  the outcome  the ramifications

of

 then  thereafter  therefore  thus  to this end  accordingly  as a result

 consequently  hence  it follows, then  since  so  then

 therefore  thus

Page 3 of 4

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

To Indicate SEQUENCE  at first  at the beginning  at the onset  commencing with  earlier  embark  first  from this point

 in the first place  initially  once  once upon a time  starting with  to begin with

-----------------------  after that  following that  immediately

following  in the second

place  in turn  later on  next  on the next

occasion  second /secondly

 so far  subsequently  the following

week  the next day  the next time

 the second stage  twice -----------------------  in the third place  last  last of all

 third  at last  lastly  in the last place  the latter  at the end  in the end

 final  finally  the final point  to conclude  in conclusion

To Indicate ADDITION  after  afterward  again  also  and  and then  besides  concurrently

 consequently  equally important  finally  following this  further  furthermore

 hence  in addition  in fact  indeed  lastly  moreover

 next  nor  now  previously  simultaneously  so too  subsequently

 therefore  thus  too  what's more

To Provide An EXAMPLE  a case in point  after all  an analogy  analogous to  another way  as an example  as an illustration  consider

 consider as an illustration

 for example  for instance  for instance  for one thing

 in another case  in fact  in one example  in order to clarify  in other words  in particular

 in the following manner

 in the same manner

 in this case  in this situation  in this specific

instance  more exactly  namely  on this occasion  specifically  such as

 suppose that  take the case of  that is  to be exact  to bring to light  to clarify

 to demonstrate  to exemplify  to explain  to illuminate  to illustrate  to put another

way

 to show  to take a case in

point  to take a case in

point

To EMPHASIZE or INTENSIFY  above all  actually  after all  as a matter of

fact  certainly  decidedly  definitely

 equally important  especially  furthermore  in fact  increasingly

important

 indeed  more

emphatically  more important  moreover  most important of

all  most of all  of great concern  of major concern  primarily  significantly  surely

 the crux of the matter

 the main issue  the main problem  the major reason  there is no

question that  to be sure  to emphasize  to recapitulate  very likely  without a doubt

 without doubt  without question

Page 4 of 4

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

To Indicate EXCEPTION  despite  however  in spite of  nevertheless  of course  once in a while  sometimes

 still  yet

To ELABORORATE  actually  by extension

 in short  in other words  to put it another

way  to put it bluntly  to put it

succinctly

 ultimately

To CONCEDE  admittedly  although it is true

that

 granted  I concede that  of course  naturally  to be sure

To SUMMARIZE or CONCLUDE  accordingly  as a result  as has been noted  as I have said  as I have shown  consequently  hence

 in brief  in conclusion  on the whole  on the whole  summing up  therefore

 thus  to conclude  as a result  consequently  hence  in conclusion,

then  in short  in sum, then  it follows, then  so  the upshot of all

this is that

 therefore  thus  to sum up  to summarize

To Connect CLAUSES* COORDINATION CONJUNCTIONS  and  but  for  nor  or

 so  yet

To Connect CLAUSES cont.* SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS  after  although  as  as if  as though

 because  before  even  even if  even though  if

 in order that  once  rather than  since  so that  than

 that  though  unless  until  when  whenever  while

* NOTE: Conjunctions do more than simply link and connect ideas. Conjunctions

combine clauses which transitional words cannot do. This is a significant difference between conjunctions and

transitional words