Transitional Words and Phrases

transitions describe relationships between ideas. they do not automatically create

relationships between ideas for your reader. Use transitions with enough context in a
sentence or paragraph to make the relationships clear.

Example of unclear transition:

The characters in Book A face a moral dilemma. In the same way, the characters in
Book B face a similar problem.

Improved transition:

The characters in Book A face a moral dilemma, a contested inheritance. Although

the inheritance in Book B consists of an old house and not a pile of money, the
nature of the problem is quite similar.

Examples of Transitions:

Illustration

Thus, for example, for instance, namely, to illustrate, in other words, in particular,
specifically, such as.

Contrast – Use to express unexpected things/situations

On the contrary, contrarily, notwithstanding, but, however, nevertheless, in spite of,

in contrast, yet, on one hand, on the other hand, rather, or, nor, conversely, at the
same time, while this may be true.

Addition

And, in addition to, furthermore, moreover, besides, than, too, also, both-and,
another, equally important, first, second, etc., again, further, last, finally, not only-but
also, as well as, in the second place, next, likewise, similarly, in fact, as a result,
consequently, in the same way, for example, for instance, however, thus, therefore,
otherwise.

Time

After, afterward, before, then, once, next, last, at last, at length, first, second, etc., at
first, formerly, rarely, usually, another, finally, soon, meanwhile, at the same time, for
a minute, hour, day, etc., during the morning, day, week, etc., most important, later,
ordinarily, to begin with, afterwards, generally, in order to, subsequently, previously,
in the meantime, immediately, eventually, concurrently, simultaneously.

Space

At the left, at the right, in the center, on the side, along the edge, on top, below,
beneath, under, around, above, over, straight ahead, at the top, at the bottom,
surrounding, opposite, at the rear, at the front, in front of, beside, behind, next to,
nearby, in the distance, beyond, in the forefront, in the foreground, within sight, out of
sight, across, under, nearer, adjacent, in the background.
 Concession

Although, at any rate, at least, still, thought, even though, granted that, while it may
be true, in spite of, of course.

Similarity or Comparison

Similarly, likewise, in like fashion, in like manner, analogous to.

Emphasis

Above all, indeed, truly, of course, certainly, surely, in fact, really, in truth, again,
besides, also, furthermore, in addition.

Details

Specifically, especially, in particular, to explain, to list, to enumerate, in detail,

namely, including.

Examples

For example, for instance, to illustrate, thus, in other words, as an illustration, in

particular.

Consequence or Result (As a consequence of the first clause, the thing that follows,
“because of that”)

So that, with the result that, thus, consequently, hence, accordingly, for this reason,
therefore, so, because, since, due to, as a result, in other words, then.

Summary

Therefore, finally, consequently, thus, in short, in conclusion, in brief, as a result,

accordingly.

Suggestion

For this purpose, to this end, with this in mind, with this purpose in mind, therefore.

What Are Transitional Words and

Phrases?
The most basic transition words are conjunctions that join words, phrases, or clauses
together. For example, words like "and," "but" and "or" can connect two sentences
together:
 I ran home, and I got there just in time.
 I ran home, but I was still late.
 As you can see in the examples above, even simple conjunctions serve different
purposes. 

 The first sentence uses "and" as a transition word that connects the
two occurrences equally. 
 The second sentence uses "but," which introduces a contrast. 

Knowing the different categories of transition words will help you choose the ones
that best get your point across.

Adverb Transition Words

Other transition words are adverbs that describe the way an action is performed or
how it relates to another idea. For example:

 I went to the mall after he gave me my paycheck.

 Bowling is a sport in which the player with the highest score
wins. Conversely, the goal in golf is to get the lowest score.

Categories of Transitions
There are several types of transitional words and phrases, and each category helps
the reader to make certain connections. Some signal the building of an idea, while
others help readers compare ideas or draw conclusions. Here are some common
transition sentences.

Comparison/Contrast

These transitions point out alternatives or differences. See how these work in
sentences. 

 The boy liked birds, but he was afraid of cats. 

 Similarly, he did not like lions and tigers. 
 On the contrary, he liked animals that could fly, such as sparrows
and falcons. 
 Likewise, he thought bats were the most interesting mammals
thanks to their wings.
 Chronology

These transitions help define time. For example: 

 Before you go home, make sure you jot down your assignments. 

 During the evening, you can review your work. 
 Later, you'll be glad you did. 
 You’ll be able to simultaneously eat dinner and review your work. 

Cause/Effect

These transitions show the consequences of an action like in these sentences. 

 Since you're such a good student, you'll get into a good college. 

 Therefore, you can get a job you like. 
 As a result, you should be a happy person.
 Because people are happier, they have less stress. 

Illustration/Examples

These transition words add emphasis or introduce evidence. Example transition

sentences include: 

 Ellen loves ice cream. Truly, she'd be happy to eat sundaes every

day. 
 Specifically, Ellen loves chocolate fudge brownie sundaes. 
 To demonstrate her love of ice cream, Ellen is planning an ice
cream social for all her friends.

Addition

These transitions add information or reinforce ideas. Here are a few fun transition
sentences. 

 Jonas promised to love, honor, and also obey his wife. 

 Moreover, he will do all the cooking and cleaning while he studies at
home. 
 Furthermore, he is grateful that his new wife earns enough money to
let him do that.
 Clarification

Clarification transition words show support. You can see these transition words
through the transition sentences: 

 I hate school; that is, I dislike it intensely. 

 In other words, I want to drop out. 
 To put it another way, school is the worst place in the world.

Qualification

Qualification transition words present conditions or intentions. See them in action

now.

 With what was possibly the greatest catch of all time, the Patriots

won the Super Bowl. 
 They almost always win big games. 
 With this in mind, they could be called the greatest team of all time.

Summary/Conclusion

The transitional phrases in summary or conclusion restate ideas like: 

 All the facts have been presented and, as can be seen, the results
are clear. 
 Given these points, it's clearly time to consider some changes. 
 In the long run, these recommendations will benefit our company.

Placement of Transition Words

Transition words can be used within a single sentence, between two different
sentences, or even between paragraphs. See how the writing below can be
improved by adding transition words in each of these situations.
 Single Sentence Example

In this case, the transition words are used to connect two parts of a single sentence.
This transition highlights chronology or the order in which events occurred.

Original: Susan spoke, thinking of the right answer.

With Transitions: Susan spoke only after thinking of the right answer.

Paragraph Example 

Watch how transitional words can link a paragraph, making it flow more smoothly. 

Original: Michael didn't have enough money to buy his mom flowers. He wasn't old
enough to get a job. He felt sad on Mother's Day.
With transitions: Michael didn't have enough money to buy his mom
flowers because he wasn't old enough to get a job. Nevertheless, he felt sad on
Mother's Day.

The example above combines two sentences into one and helps a third sentence
flow logically from the one before it. Adding these transition words shows how three
disjointed sentences are related to each other, which otherwise might not be obvious
to the reader. 

Between Paragraph Examples

When transitions are used between paragraphs, they are often in the form of a
phrase or clause that refers to the previous information while introducing a new idea.
These transitions often come at the beginning of new paragraphs and may use
phrases like these:

 In conclusion, the thesis is clear.

 It follows logically that the answer results from the points made
earlier in this paper.
 Lastly, it is important to make point A. 
 Next, we will look at the evidence for C. 
 Despite the previous argument, it is also important to think about
bees when discussing pollution. 
We call these ideas contrast or concession. Some of these adverbs
are but, although, however and despite. These words will help you
communicate more complex ideas. They will improve the flow and clarity of
your writing.

Contrast versus concession

Let us begin by understanding the differences

between contrast and concession. Here are two examples:

I used to live in Malaysia, but now I live in Thailand.

Even though I live in Malaysia, I work in Thailand.

The first example shows a simple contrast. The first sentence, “I used to live
in Malaysia” indicates my previous place of residence. The second part of
the sentence, “but now I live in Thailand”, shows that I now live in another
place. The statement contrasts these two different places: the one where I
used to live and the one where I live now.

In the second example, “Even though I live in Malaysia” tells you where I
live now. But this sentence contains a surprise for my readers: “I work in
Thailand.” When the opposing idea is something readers do not expect or
that surprises them, we call it concession.
But

Let us start with but, the most common way to show contrast. But is a

coordinator. We use it to connect ideas that are more or less of equal value.
Here are some examples:

The students were tired after the test, but were happy with their
results.

Some refugees have found new homes, but others are still living in
camps.

Luca tried to solve the math problem for two hours, but he could not
find the answer.

In the second and third examples, notice that the conjunction but connects

two independent sentences or clauses. In this case, we use a comma
before but.

However, nevertheless, nonetheless

A more formal way to say but is however. Consider the examples:

We really wanted to go to that concert; however, we could not afford

the tickets.

Car prices went up fast. However, motorcycle prices are still the
same.

In these examples, you can

replace however with nevertheless or nonetheless. The idea will remain the
same. However and nonetheless can make your sentences more formal.

You have some options for punctuation. You could write, “I am tired.
[period] However, [comma] I will finish the job.” Or you could write, “I am
tired; [semicolon] however, [comma] I will finish the job.” The semicolon is
a punctuation option to connect two independent clauses that are closely
related. It is up to the writer to decide whether to use a period or
a semicolon.
Although, even though, and though

Although and even though are two common adverbs to express unexpected

results or surprises. They are subordinators: adverbs that show that one
idea is more important than the other. Here are some examples:

I managed to fall asleep although we were watching an action

movie.

Although we were watching an action movie, I managed to fall

asleep.

In both sentences, the subordinating conjunction although is attached to

the clause that contains the less important idea. “Although we were
watching an action movie,” cannot stand alone as a sentence; it is
a subordinate clause. If the subordinate clause comes first, we must
separate the two by using a comma. If the subordinate clause comes
second, there is no comma.

Here are two examples with even though.

These students already know how to read even though they are still
in kindergarten.

Even though these students are still in kindergarten, they already

know how to read.

Though is less formal than although and even though. It is more common

in spoken English. Here are some examples:

Though Indra waited for almost an hour, his doctor never showed
up.

Indra’s doctor never showed up though he waited for almost an hour.

To make your sentence even more conversational, you can move though to

the end:

Indra waited for almost an hour. His doctor never showed up,
though.
In spite of, despite

In spite of and despite are also subordinators to show unexpected results.

They also come attached to the subordinate clause. However, they require a
different sentence structure. Consider the examples:

That man has saved a lot of money in spite of earning a small salary.

That artist is very creative despite having limited resources.

In these examples, in spite of and despite are followed by a gerund. A

gerund is the “-ing” form of a verb which functions like a noun. In the
sentences above, “earning a small salary” and “having limited resources”
are gerund phrases.

Despite and in spite of can also be followed by noun phrases.

My brother has managed to save a lot of money in spite of his small

salary.

That artist is very creative despite her limited resources.

His small salary and her limited resources are noun phrases.

In spite of that

In spite of that can also be used to indicate contrast or concession, but it

works as a coordinating conjunction. Therefore, it is used to connect two
independent clauses. For example:

Most students had understood the explanation; in spite of that, the

teacher wrote a few more examples.

It rained for almost three hours non-stop. In spite of that, the ground
is already dry.

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