| Transitions
Transition Tools
- Thesis statements
- Forecasting
statements
- Topic sentences
- Announcing topic
- Forecasting subtopics
- Asking rhetorical question
- Cohesion devices
- Pronoun references
- Word repetition
- Synonyms
- Sentence structure/style repetition
- Collocation (topic related words)
Transitions Showing Various Relationships
- Logical Relationships
- To introduce
another item in a series: first, second; in the second place;
for one thing…,
for another; next; then; furthermore; moreover, in addition;
finally, last; also;
similarly; besides;
and; as well as
- To introduce an illustration or other
specification: in particular; specifically; for instance; for
example, that
is; namely
- To introduce a result or a cause: consequently;
as a result, hence; accordingly; thus; so; therefore;
then; because; since;
for
- To introduce a restatement: that is; in other words;
in simpler terms; to put it differently
- To introduce
a conclusion or summary: in conclusion; finally; all in all;
evidently; clearly; actually;
to sum up; altogether;
of
course
- To introduce an opposing point: but; however;
yet; nevertheless; on the contrary; on the other hand;
in contrast; still;
neither; nor
- To introduce a concession to an opposing
view: certainly; naturally; of course; it is true; to
be sure; granted
- To resume the original line of
reasoning after a concession: nonetheless; all the same; even
though; still; nevertheless
- Temporal Relationships
- To indicate frequency:
frequently, hourly; often; occasionally; now and then; day
after day; again
and again
- To indicate duration: during;
briefly; for a long time; minute by minute
To indicate a particular time: now; then;
at that time; in those days; last
Sunday; next
Christmas; in 1997;
at the
beginning of August; at six o’clock;
first thing in the morning; two
months ago
- To indicate the beginning: at first;
in the beginning; since; before then
- To
indicate the middle: in the meantime; meanwhile; as it was happening;
at
that moment; at the
same time; simultaneously;
next; then
- To indicate the end and
beyond: eventually; finally; at last; in the end; subsequently;
later; afterward
- Spatial Relationships
- To indicate closeness: close
to; near; next to; alongside; adjacent
to; facing
- To indicate distance:
in the distance; far; beyond; away;
there
- To indicate direction:
up/down; sideways; along; across;
to the right/left;
in front of/behind;
above/below; inside/outside;
toward/away from (Axelrod,
& Cooper, 1997, p. 479-80)
Achieving Coherence Through Sentence or Paragraph
Transition
- Addition—Use
connectives to suggest simple additions to a thought in the
preceding sentence:
and, too, also, again,
and then,
moreover, further, indeed, in addition to, plus, likewise,
besides, together, jointly.
- Series—Use
transitional devices to link items in a series: first, second,
third,
next, again, last, primarily,
secondarily,
in the first place, in the second place, finally, additionally,
first and foremost, the former, the latter.
- Pronoun Reference—Use
a pronoun to refer to a noun, another person, or a
clause in the preceding sentence:
this, that, these,
those, he, she, it, you, they, we, such, some, many,
none.
- Repeated Word—Repeat
a key word or a word derived from the same root: told/tell,
arrived/arrival, rare/rarity,
moisture/moistness/moisten/moist,
depth/deep, mix/mixture/admixture/mixed.
- Synonyms—If the
repetition of key words gets tiresome or if variety is needed,
then use a different word or phrase
to refer to
an element in the preceding sentence: care/automobile,
spectator/onlooker/observer/viewer, purchase/buy,
join/unite/connect, exterior/outside, mere words/nonsense.
- Whole-Part—Use
a word or phrase that names a whole in one sentence
and then use another word or phrase that
names a part
of the whole: television/picture tube, stereo/tuner,
water/wave, flower/petal, book/chapter/section/paragraph,
landscape/meadow.
- Class-Members—Name
a general class in one sentence and a member of that class
in another:
vehicle/car, sound/noise,
fluid/water,
fuel/coal/gas, fragrance/perfume, span of time/decade,
place
of worship/cathedral.
- Emphasis—Use
connectives to reinforce the thought in a previous clause or
to give
emphasis to that thought:
obviously,
certainly,
perhaps, surely, naturally, really, to be sure, in
truth, very likely, undoubtedly, assuredly, without fail.
- Comparison—Use
connections that reveal to the reader significant
likenesses in thought: equally important, similarly,
in the same
way, also, comparably, corresponding, equally, like.
- Contrast—Connect
sentences with linking devices that show contrast
and that reveal to the reader significant
differences
in thought: but, yet, however, still, nevertheless,
on the contrary, on the other hand, in spite of, conversely,
although, unlike,
be that as it may.
- Result—Use
transitional devices when you want to show results: consequently,
therefore,
thus, as a result, for
this reason,
on this account, it follows that, accordingly, hence,
so, necessarily.
- Example—Use
transitional words and phrases to introduce illustrations or
examples: for
instance, for example, namely,
that is, thus.
- Parallel
Structure—Repeat in the
second clause a grammatical structure similar to
that in a previous clause:
in the morning/in
the evening, something will never change/some things
will always be the same.
- Place—Use
linking devices that indicate place or change of place: here,
there,
above, under, near by, beyond,
on the
other
side, opposite, adjacent to, in.
- Time—Use
connectives that indicate time: not long after, then, soon,
now,
after a short while, meanwhile,
immediately. (D'Angelo, 1994, pp. 291-5)
References
Axelrod, R.
B., & Cooper, C. R. (1997). The St. Martin’s Guide
to Writing.
(5th ed.). New York: St. Martin’s Press.
D’Angelo.
F. J. (1994). Process and thought in composition: With
handbook (custom edition). New York: HarperCollins Custom
Books.
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