• Conjunctions
• And, but, or, for, nor,
neither, so ,yet
• Introduction to a Topic
• As for, concerning, with
regard to, in terms of
• To Summarize
• In all, in a word, in brief,
briefly, in other words,
in short, in summary,
that is, finally, generally,
in conclusion, on the
whole, therefore, to
sum up, to conclude,
and so, this shows, thus
we see
• To Compare
• By comparison, here
again, in the same way,
in a similar manner,
likewise, similarly, so
too, as, also, equally,
accordingly, moreover,
as well, and
• To Contrast
• Conversely, however,
instead (of), in spite of
that, anyhow, on the
contrary, on the other
hand, otherwise, rather
than, still, yet,
nevertheless, in
contrast,
notwithstanding, in
spite of this, although,
but despite, even
though
• To Show Cause and Effect
• Accordingly, as a
consequence, as a
result, consequently, for
this reason, hence, it
follows that, so/so that,
then, therefore, thus
thereupon
• To Explain
• Actually, admittedly,
because, certainly, for
example, in fact,
indeed, really of course,
since, that is, for
instance, namely,
specifically, such as, to
illustrate, in particular,
in this manner, thus
• To Show Conviction
• After all, at least, at the
same time, apparently,
even so, evidently,
certainly, conceivably,
conclusively, doubtless,
no doubt, perhaps,
possibly, presumably,
probably, surely,
undoubtedly
• To Show Various
Conditions
• In this event, in these
circumstances, this
(that) being so,
provided that, in spite
of, none/nevertheless,
at the same time, even
if, if, unless, otherwise,
although, even though,
though, despite
• To Add Information
• Add to this, again, also,
besides, equally,
further, furthermore, in
addition, moreover,
once more, then too,
too, yet again, yet
another, and, as well,
beyond that, even, next,
similarly
• To Show Chorological Order
• After that, afterwards, later,
shortly, subsequently,
concurrently, in the
meantime, in the
meanwhile, now,
simultaneously,
when/while/was, first,
second, et., formerly,
earlier, previously, before
that, then, already, at last,
at length, by that time,
finally, during, immediately,
next, soon, still, in the
interim, presently, at the
same time, in the end,
temporarily, thereafter
• To Show Concession
• Admittedly, after all, all
the same, at any rate,
granted, however, in
any case, in spite of, it is
true that, nevertheless,
obviously, of course,
still, to be sure
• Location
• Above, below, beyond,
farther, further, here,
hereby, opposite, there,
to the left/right, under
Using Transitions
• Using Transitions
• Transitions should be
effective, natural
sounding, helpful and
never distracting
• Transitions should be
placed in a variety of
different positions
within paragraphs and
sentences
The Deadly Trio
• The Deadly Trio
• Avoid: First, Second,
Third
Solutions
• Ways around the deadly
trio:
• First:
– to begin, Initially
• Second:
– next, in addition
• Third:
– also, finally
Level 1
• Level 1
• Change topics, ideas, or
purposes without
transitions.
Level 1
• The boy’s fists curled into a ball, and he
stepped toward Henry. Everybody in the hall
stopped. Henry’s eyes glazed over with fear;
he had been in this position before. Bullying
has got to stop in order for our school systems
to become safer places where all students can
learn.
Level 2
• Level 2
• Level 2 writers always
put them in the front of
sentences
Level 3
• Level 3
• Level 3 writers move
transitions into a
variety of spots to
improve sentence
fluency
Compare:
• First, we baked cookies.
• Baking cookies was our
first activity Friday
night.
Level 4
• Level 4
• Level 4 writers experiment
with other types of
transitions, such as
repetition or grammatical
structure
• These are mixed in with
traditional transitions
Find the Hidden Transition
• Taken from Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” Speech:
• I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of
great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh
from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas
where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms
of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality.
Find the Transition
• Taken from John F. Kennedy’s “Inaugural Address”
• In the long history of the world, only a few generations
have been granted the role of defending freedom in its
hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this
responsibility -- I welcome it. I do not believe that any of
us would exchange places with any other people or any
other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion
which we bring to this endeavor will light our country
and all who serve it. And the glow from that fire can truly
light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country
can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.
Overview
• Level 2: Move beyond first, second, and third
– Use a variety of simple transitions
• Level 3: Use a wider variety of transitions
– Begin to rearrange transitions by moving them away from
the front of the sentence.
• Level 4: Thoughtfully consider organization with
repetition, grammatical structure, and transitions
mixed.
– This helps improve the smoothness and fluency of
paragraph.
Overview
• Level 2: Move beyond first, second, and third
– Use a variety of simple transitions
• Level 3: Use a wider variety of transitions
– Begin to rearrange transitions by moving them away from
the front of the sentence.
• Level 4: Thoughtfully consider organization with
repetition, grammatical structure, and transitions
mixed.
– This helps improve the smoothness and fluency of
paragraph.