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Write it Right Wednesdays

Transition words/phrases connect ideas

January 13, 2021

Bouncing from one idea to the next when writing, or speaking for that matter, will confuse your readers. Adding transitions will make your content smoother and eliminate the guesswork out of comprehension. The last thing you want to do is make it hard for your reader to understand your content; they won’t make it past the fifth sentence. So let’s do a quick review on transitions.

The purpose of transitions is to connect ideas to show evidence of the big picture. Now, there are two basic types of transitions. Transitions between phrases and transitions between paragraphs. Transitions can be words and/or phrases. Here are a few commonly used transition words/phrases:

Additionally     As a result         Because     Presently      Specifically      Since

On the whole      To illustrate       Not only      However      Evidently      So

Not only       On the contrary      Moreover       Therefore      Temporarily

If you use any of the words above…yay! That means that you’ve been using transitions and this is a refresher. If you haven’t been using any words from the list above then lean in close because this blog is for you. 

Now that you know what type of transition words you can use, let’s examine how to use those transitions between phrases. 

Transitions between phrases shows the union between two ideas when mentioned at the same time; usually in the same sentence or paragraph. It serves as a guide to lead readers through your reasoning of connecting those ideas. Here’s an example of transitions between phrases from the Utah Valley University Writing Center:

Bad: Henry didn’t understand his homework. His dad helped him.

Good: Since Henry didn’t understand his homework, his dad helped him.          Good: Henry didn’t understand his homework, so his dad helped him.

Notice the underlined word in each of the good sentences. The transition word is used either at the beginning or in the middle to tie the two ideas together. The flow of the sentence has changed too. It’s more organized and smooth. It’s a small change with a big impact. Now that you’ve remastered transitions between phrases, let’s move on to transitions between paragraphs. 

Transitions between paragraphs is tying one idea with the next in a sentence format (using transitions) that mentions both ideas and its connection to the big picture. Transitions between paragraphs are usually longer than transitions between phrases because ideas are complex and transitions help to break them down. Here’s an example of transitions between paragraphs from the Utah Valley University Writing Center: 

Example: Thus, establishing a daily exercise routine is essential for maintaining good health. In addition to exercise, a well-balanced diet is essential to good health. Any well-balanced diet should include…

I want to point out two key things from the example. First, notice how one main idea is summarized and a new idea is introduced in the same sentence. Second, ‘in addition to exercise’ is underlined because ‘in addition’ is a transition. It serves as a bridge to connect the idea of both daily exercise and a well-balanced diet being essential to maintaining good health (aka the big picture). 

At the end of the day transitions help writers clarify their thoughts and connect their ideas to the big picture. Mastering transitions isn’t something that happens overnight. It should happen slowly, but surely, during the proofreading stage (if it doesn’t naturally happen at the writing stage). The next time you’re editing, take your time and go through to see where and if using transitions would benefit your paper. 

As always, if you have any questions about this blog post or comments feel free to email me at [email protected].

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