TRANSITION WORDS. Place here, there, near by, beyond, further on, opposite, on the opposite side, on the right, on the left, behind. in back.

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1 TRANSITION WORDS Transitions help readers connect the ideas in a piece of writing; they're the glue that shows how pieces of your text fit together. Often all you'll need is a word or phrase to lead readers through your text. Below is a list of commonly used transition expressions, divided according to meaning. Addition: moreover, furthermore, in addition, also, incidentally, by the way, further, too, again, more important, next, first, second, etc., firstly, secondly, etc., in the first place, in the second place, etc., last, lastly, finally, either, as well. Contrast: however, yet, in contrast on the other hand, in any case, on the contrary, still, otherwise, actually, all the same, at any rate, at the same time, nevertheless, instead, in spite of this, anyway, by contrast, in reality. Comparison: Iikewise, similarly, in the same way, in like manner, whereas Cause, result, purpose: therefore, thus, hence, consequently, after all, to be sure, for this reason, accordingly, then, knowing this, naturally, of course, with this object, with this end, to this end, because of this, with this in mind, in many cases, by this means, in this way, as Example, restatement: for example, for instance, more specifically, in particular, indeed, in other words, in fact, that is, in brief, in short, to summarize, in conclusion. Time afterwards, later on, soon, meanwhile, in the meantime, next, immediately, then, later, at length, eventually, at the same time, in the same instant, today, nowadays, in the beginning, to begin, in time, in future, finally, initially. Place here, there, near by, beyond, further on, opposite, on the opposite side, on the right, on the left, behind. in back. Transition Words Page 1

2 Cues that Lead Readers forward from Information They Have Already Read to New Information. To move readers into additional information or further development of your ideas, use the following: Transition: ADDITION Actually, Additionally, Again, Also, And Besides Equally important, First, Second, Third, etc. Further, Furthermore, Incidentally, Indeed, In fact, Lastly, Moreover, Not only this, but this as well What's more, To move readers into specific examples, use the following: Transition: EXAMPLES As an illustration, Especially, For example, For instance, Including In particular, Namely, Notably, Particularly, Specifically, To demonstrate, To illustrate, Transition Words Page 2

3 Cues that Lead Readers through a Sequence To move readers from one time-frame to another, use the following: Transition: TIME After a few hours, Afterwards, At last At the same time, Before Before this, Currently, During Eventually, First, Second, Third, etc. First of all, Formerly Immediately before, Immediately following, Initially, In the end, In the future, In the meantime, In the meanwhile, Last, Last but not least, Lastly, Later, Meanwhile, Next, on after, Previously, Simultaneously, Subsequently, Then, To draw readers' attention to a particular location or place, use the following: Transition: PLACE Adjacent, Alongside, At the side, Here/There In the back, In the background, In the distance, In the front, In the foreground Nearby, Transition Words Page 3

4 To let readers know that a digression is about to begin or end, use the following: Transition/BACK TO Transition/BEGIN Anyhow, Anyway, Incidentally, To change the subject, As I was saying, To get back to the point, At any rate, By the way, To return to the subject, To resume, Cues that Draw Readers' Attention to Cause and Effect Relationships To emphasize a cause or reason, use the following: Transition: CAUSE/REASON As Because of For Because Due to For the simple reason that Since To stress a result or an effect, use the following: Transition move in to EFFECT/RESULT As a result Because of this, that For this reason, Therefore, Consequently, Thus, Transition Words Page 4

5 To clarify the purpose of something, use the following: Transition: PURPOSE For fear that In the hope that In order to that With this in mind, Cues that Make Readers Stop and Compare What They have Just Read to What They are about to Read Transition: COMPARE/CONTRAST Although/Although this is true And yet At the same time, But Conversely, For all that, In comparison, In contrast, In the same manner/way, However, Likewise, Meanwhile, Nevertheless, Nonetheless, Nothwithstanding, On the contrary, On the other hand, Similarly, Still, While this is true When in fact Whereas Cues that Lead Readers into Statements that Clarify or Emphasize To clarify a point that readers have just read, use the following: Transition: CLARIFICATION In other words, In this case, I mean Put another way That is to say Under certain circumstances Up to a point Transition Words Page 5

6 To emphasize a point that readers are about to read, use the following: Transition: EMPHASIS As a matter of fact, In any case, In any event, Indeed, In fact, Obviously, That is Undoubtedly, Cues that Lead Readers into Concessions, Reservations, Dismissals, or Conditions To concede a point that readers are likely to think of, use the following: Transition: CONCLUSION Accordingly, As a result, In short, In summary, Consequently, On the whole, Hence, In brief, In conclusion, Therefore, Thus, To conclude, To clarify for readers the writer's reservations, use the following: Transition: RESERVATION Admittedly, As a matter of fact, Even so, Even though Despite this Indeed, Nevertheless, Notwithstanding, Regardless Transition Words Page 6

7 To dismiss a point that readers are likely to think of, use the following: Transition: DISMISSAL All the same, At any rate, Either way, In either case, In either event, Whatever happens, In any case/event, Whichever happens, To establish a condition or conditions affecting the subject, use the following: Transition: CONDITION Although But However, Nevertheless, Although this is true, Even though, In spite of Since Cues that Lead Readers into a Summary or Conclusion To repeat a point you've already made, use the following: Transition: REPETITION As I have noted, As indicated above/earlier, As I stated, As mentioned, As noted earlier, In brief, In short, In summary, On the whole, Transition Words Page 7

8 To summarize what you've already said, use the following: Transition: SUMMARY All in all, All together, As I mentioned, As I stated, Briefly, By and large, Given these facts, In brief, In conclusion, In short, In summary, On the whole, Overall, Since Summing up, Then, Therefore, To conclude, To put it briefly, To summarize, To introduce readers to a conclusion or conclusions, use the following Transition: CONCLUSION Accordingly, As a result, In short, In summary, Consequently, On the whole, Hence, In brief, In conclusion, Therefore, Thus, To conclude, Transition Words Page 8