What is a transition word in a sentence

Main Transition Words Takeaways:

• Transitional words are important because they help improve the flow between words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs.
• They are important for SEO because they help make text easier to read and understand. Search engines and readers love content that is readable.
• Transition words help link ideas and statements.
• Using transitional words at the beginning or end of a paragraph can help the reader understand when you introduce a new topic.
• The four types of transition words are additive, adversative, causal, and sequential.
• Transition words and phrases don’t affect the grammatical structure of sentences and paragraphs.

What Are Transition Words?

As a writer, your primary goal is to present information and ideas to your target audience in a clear and understandable manner. The best way to do that is to use transition words. Transition words or transitional words are terms and phrases that help connect words, phrases, and even sentences together. They build connections between ideas in your content.

Transition words and phrases ensure that your written work will not look choppy and disjointed. They help your audience progress from one idea to the next. Think of them as a way to tell your readers how they should process and understand the information you are giving them. Transition words function like GPS, guiding your readers where they are going and how to get there.

What Are Some Examples Of Transition Words and Phrases?

Here are some of the most common examples of transition words and phrases:

Transition words are categorized based on their purpose. For instance, transition phrases like as a result of, due to, and as long as are used to emphasize cause and effect. Below are more examples of transition expressions that have been categorized based on their functions:

What Are Some Examples of Transition Sentences?

The best way to understand how transitional words work is to see them in action. Remember, as important as these grammatical tools are, it’s not a good idea to overuse them. Too many transitional phrases can make your text seem complicated and wordy. It could also make you seem like a chronic overexplainer, and nobody wins when that happens.

You can use transitions to go from sentence to sentence:

You can also use transition words and phrases to go from paragraph to paragraph:

What Are the Four Types of Transition Words?

There are a lot of different ways to categorize transition words. In this post, we will discuss the four main types of transition words: Additive, Adversative, Causal, and Sequential.

1. What are Additive Transitions?

These transition words add or introduce another idea. They may also reference a previously mentioned concept, identify a similarity, or clarify an idea. Additive transitional words include:

2. What are Adversative Transitions?

Adversative transitions may be used to signal opposing ideas or dismiss a previously discussed idea altogether. Some adversative transition words include:

3. What are Causal Transitions?

As for causal transitions, they’re most commonly used to denote cause and effect. They may also indicate the reason an idea or action is happening or has happened. Causal transition words include:

4. What are Sequential Transitions?

As the name suggests, sequential transitions are used to put a sequence of ideas in order (usually chronological). This helps the reader understand where ideas fall in a list or when you’re wrapping up your text. Sequential transitions include:

Are Conjunctions Considered Transition Words?

While conjunctions and transitions share the same purpose — to connect ideas between or within sentences — they are not used the same way. You must not confuse conjunctions with transitional words or expressions. Conjunctions connect phrases and clauses, whereas transitions indicate the relationship between sentences and paragraphs. Check the following examples:

Subordinating conjunctions connecting dependent clauses with independent clauses:

Read More: The Easiest Way To Get Subordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions connecting two independent clauses:

Transition words connecting sentences and paragraphs:

Another significant difference between transitions and conjunctions is their grammatical functions. Since conjunctions join clauses, they become part of the sentence and affect it grammatically. On the other hand, transition words have no impact on the grammatical structure of a sentence or paragraph. In short, you can remove a transition word, and it won’t have any impact on the sentence at all. Check the examples below:

Do Commas Go Before Or After Transition Words?

The placement of commas when using transition words will depend on where the latter appears in your text.

If your transition phrase appears at the beginning of the sentence, it is always set off with a comma.

If the transition word or phrase appears within an independent clause, it should be preceded by and set off with a comma.

If the transitional word appears between two independent clauses in a compound sentence, it should be preceded by a semicolon and set off with a comma.

How Are Transition Words Used in SEO?

SEO, or search engine optimization, is a process that involves optimizing your content for search engines to help improve ranking. The higher you are in search results, the more visibility your content will have. The more visible your content, the more people will see and learn about your brand.

Unlike keywords or meta tags, transitions between sentences or paragraphs don’t directly help boost your search ranking. Instead, it’s all about readability and structure.

See, Google runs on algorithms and those algorithms are big fans of order and ease of use. In other words, clarity is everything.

In the olden days (you know, like the 2010s), Google was like a heat-seeking missile for keywords. Basically, the more keywords you could stuff in your copy, the better you’d rank. That led to a lot of web pages that said something like, “buckets buckets buy some buckets buckets for sale the best buckets.”

What are they selling? You guessed it: buckets!

Google (and the rest of the world) soon realized the keyword stuffing wasn’t really good for anyone. Instead, search engines began focusing on how web pages could best serve the reader. Now, algorithms analyze web content for readability, and transition words play a huge role in that determination.

Transition Words Give Direction

Transition words also help you structure your content. Remember our road map? Transitional words can act as street signs, pointing readers left or right, directing them to take a U-turn, or propelling them onward.

Bottom line: Transition words make your content easier to read and understand. For this reason, it’s vital to rely not only on helpful tools but also on your own mind. If it reads well to you, it’ll likely read well to your audience.

Transition To a Closing

Finally, you can use transitions to introduce a new section or conclude your previous one—or wrap up the entire text. You may even use a transition to reinforce the general idea of your content before ending your piece:

Quick Transition Words Grammar Quiz

Read More: How to use a question mark (?)

Ever put together a sandwich without any sauce?

Even if you haven’t, you can tell there’s nothing to hold together your sandwich’s ingredients, which makes eating it a messy affair. Transition words are the same.

They’re English language’s garlic mayo (or whatever flavor you prefer) that glue ideas, sentences, and paragraphs so they stick together in a sensible whole.

See the ‘and’ and ‘so’ in the sentence you just read? They’re transition words examples that help make the sentence flow in logical sense.

Want to learn how to use them like a pro? Read on. We’ll cover everything from transition words to start a new paragraph to their types and how you can use them. 

Let’s get on with it:

What are transition words?

Transition words are words and even phrases that connect ideas. ‘Because,’ ‘consequently,’ ‘and,’ ‘what’s more,’ ‘resultantly,’ ‘in sum,’ and ‘briefly’ are a few common transition words examples.

Owing to their job as words that bridge ideas, transition words are also called connecting or linking words.

Here’s a look at transition sentences examples that I’ve pulled from Rework by David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried:

Now let’s imagine these sentences without good transition words gluing all the thoughts together:

What we get here is a mishmash of ideas that make zero sense about how they’re linked to each other. To top that up, the flow’s toast.

The takeaway? Whether it’s transition words between paragraphs, transition words at the start of a sentence, or those that stitch sentences together in a cohesive paragraph, you can’t take these words for granted.

Why do you need transition words?

Although we’ve briefly touched on the why already, it’s time we take a microscope to the role that a transitional word plays:

Transition words are link builders

They link ideas to one another, so that they form a whole when put together. With connecting words, you can see the link between actions and arguments – say something happens as a consequence of another thing as in the sentence below:

They put your thoughts in order

Organized thoughts breathe sense into your writing. Whether it’s academic writing that you’re doing or a blog post you’re working on, you’ll find this particularly valuable.

Why? Because the previous argument you make will flow in order as each idea builds upon another like a pyramid of cards.

Of course, the better your thoughts are organized, the smoother your piece will flow, which, in turn, gives your work a logical structure.

They’re proponents of brevity and clarity

Try as you might, you can’t create links between ideas without transition words acting as succinct bridges between them.

With these magic connectors, you can keep your writing clear, to the point, and sharp as a pencil.

Here’s an example:

Let’s omit the transition words here and try rewriting this sentence: Lightning struck all night. There were broken poles. A town without electricity for two days.

Something sounds off, doesn’t it?

For one, there’s no flow to these short phrases and the ideas feel foreign to each other without connecting words. And, two, you’ve to rely on multiple sentences that are better off as one. 

Transition words make writing easy to read

All this talk about organization, logical structure, and good flow and clarity pool together to deliver the champion writing characteristic – good readability.

That’s when your content is easy to read, gently pushing the reader from one sentence to another until they get through to the end. Bingo!

When and how to use transition words

Now that you know what transition words can help you with, you’re in a better position to use them.

Want to add up points together? Transition words can help. Want to agree with something or stress on a message? Again, use transition words. Want to introduce a shift or bring things to a close? You know what to do.

Besides if you ever feel there’s a lack of coherence or logical connections between your thoughts, you’ll want to revisit the transition words you’re using. Same goes for a lack of order in your writing. 

For a stronger hold on when and how to use transition words, get to grips on the different types of transition words such as conclusion transition words, introduction transition words, and more.

For instance, if there’s a consequence to an action, you’ll want to lean on cause and effect transition words such as ‘consequently,’ ‘subsequently,’ ‘next,’ and so on.

Here’s an example:

Similarly, if you’re sharing steps, you’ll need sequence or enumeration transition words like ‘firstly,’ ‘secondly,’ ‘thirdly,’ ‘lastly,’ and others. This example shows such transition words in action:

We’ll look at the types of transition words in just a bit. For now, here’s a look at the punctuation that goes hand in glove with the use of transition words. This way, you’ll get everything related to the use of transition words correct down to the bone.

Two rules to keep in mind here are:
 

Use a period (.) or semicolon (;) after the first sentence. Use the latter only when you’re connecting two independent sentences that’ll do just fine as standalone sentences as well.

Sarah was going through a rough patch in her personal life. Naturally, her performance at work started suffering.
 

Use a comma before the transition word in a sentence to separate it from the rest of the sentence

I’ve been very careful about going out alone, but I can’t help it if an emergency crops up.

Positioning transition words

Frankly, transition words can occupy every nook and cranny in your writing. Hard to believe?

Briefly, here are the different places transition words do their job as an adhesive:
 

Types and examples of transition words

For each type of transition word, we’ve a list below. We’ve also compiled a list of transition words into a cheat sheet of 100 transition words that you can fetch here (no sign in required).

1. Addition/agreement transition words

As their name indicates, these transition words help build up points like putting Legos together.
 

In addition, another key point, indeed

2. Comparison/contrast words

These magic words make it easy for you to sketch differences.

But, (and) still, (and) yet, on the contrast, on the flip side, on the contrary, in contrast, in comparison, regardless, nevertheless, nonetheless, irrespective, regardless, above all, after all.

3. Clarity transition words

If you plan on explaining an idea further, clarity transition words can be of help. 

To clarify, to put it differently, by all means, in other words, to put it differently, that is to say, to emphasize, to repeat, to explain, to go in detail, especially, to rephrase,

4. Cause and effect/results transition words

Did something occur as a reaction to an action? Explain them using cause and effect transition words.

Accordingly, resultantly, consequently, as a result, subsequently, thereupon, forthwith, accordingly, henceforth, under the circumstances, Consequently, subsequently, with this mind, with this intention, in the event that, in terms of, to this end, in as much as, owing to, lest, because of, in case, in view of, in order to,

5. Concession transition words

If there’s a compromise to be made, this type of transition words can help. You’ll typically find these at the start and end of a sentence.

Granted, of course, naturally,

6. Emphasis transition words

As is obvious, emphasis transition words play a useful role accentuating a point or stressing on something’s importance.

In fact, above all, to top it all, Importance: of less importance, chiefly, foundationally, primarily, secondarily, critically, of less importance.

7. Enumeration/sequence transition words

These words define time. 

What’s more, furthermore, eventually, gradually, earlier, meanwhile, finally, in due time, from time to time, sooner or later, as long as, in the meantime, immediately, instantly, quickly, overtime, by the time, prior to, during, since, till, afterward,

8. Example/support transition words

If you’re backing things with examples, you’ll want to alert readers of an example coming through. How? Use example transition words.

to illustrate, to demonstrate, that is, For instance, for example that you’ll find in abundance in this post.

9. Location/place transition words

Next up, place transition words show location or explain when something happens, making them a helpful device for descriptive writing in particular.

in front of, in the middle of, in the distance, to the left/right, here and there, amid, amongst, beyond, further, alongside, in the background, adjacent, nearer,

10. Similarity transition words

Another batch of good transition words are similarity words that pull similarities – much the opposite of contrast words.

Likewise, similarly, in the same vein, by the same token, in like manner, in similar fashion, in the same way

12. Conclusion transition words

These words work in the summation department. They’re a huge help for writing conclusions or summing up different ideas under discussion.

Therefore, thus, in summary, to summarize, in sum, to sum it up, In other words, in brief, briefly, in conclusion, for the most part, in a word, overall, on the whole, all in all, in essence, ultimately, by and large, in short, generally speaking.

Do you know the Brooklyn Bridge? Now, imagine the time before it was built—like before 1883.

Obviously I wasn’t there, but I can imagine that it was a struggle for someone to move across the East River between Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Well… you could still get across but not as conveniently as using the bridge—well, maybe they used boats or built small rafts. Not convenient, right?

Bottom line? They needed that bridge.

Likewise, if you want your writing to flow coherently and have the lucidity that makes it easily readable, you NEED transition words.

It’s that STRAIGHTFORWARD. 

So what are these bridges? Transition words are words or phrases that connect sentences and paragraphs seamlessly and smoothen out any abrupt jumps or breaks between the sentences.

These words include ‘since to demonstrate’, ‘specifically’, ‘for instance’, ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘so’, and many others. These words are deliberately inserted into the text to show the relationship between phrases, sentences, or paragraphs. They are like soft-footed tour guides for your readers, helping them grasp your thoughts and where your ideas lead to.

On a basic level, we usually use conjunctions (“and,” “but” and “or”) as transition words, for example:

• They wanted to learn fast, and they completed the course with a quarter of the semester to spare.
• They wanted to learn fast, but they barely finished one module after the first month.

You can see that in the examples I gave above, the coordinating conjunctions were employed to indicate two different transitions.

• In the first case, “and” has been used to indicate a transition that connects two occurrences which were harmonized.
• The second sentence employed the conjunction “but” to introduce a contrast.

Just as illustrated in these examples, there are different categories of transition words that we use to get a point across.

Adverb as Transition Words

Apart from the conjunctions, adverbs are also transition words.  Adverbs are words that describe the manner in which an action is performed or how two actions relate to each other.

These are examples of how we use them as transition words:

• He did quite an excellent job. Nonetheless, the client seemed a bit dissatisfied with the work.
• We don’t want another costly overseas trip; besides, we can’t afford it.

Can A Transition Be a Question?

Yes, but not necessarily.

Such a simple but somewhat confusing answer. It’s not a grammar rule but an observation that I have made.

As a rule of thumb (which I picked from a very good English tutor), I don’t put a comma after “but” when I use it instead of a conjunctive adverb (e.g., however, nevertheless).

So, if I start a sentence with a “but” and proceed with a question without “pausing”, it means that I have a transition that’s also a question.

For example:

Paragraph 1: The Corporation suddenly sold their stock in the rising company.

Paragraph 2: But how do you sell stock when the expectations are that the company is about to become more valuable?

Obviously my transition word, “but,” is not a question on its own, but the whole sentence is. Therefore, the sentence as a transition from paragraph “1” to “2” is a question.

But as I said, I’m yet to come across a general rule for this type of scenario.

What Are Some Examples of Transition Words?

There are just numerous examples of transition words. However, these words are used to perform different tasks—some are used to show turns and twists, others are employed to indicate similarity, etc.

Basically, we have categories of transition words (based on the type of transition the words represent when they launch a sentence).

These are categories:

Cause/Effect

• We lost. Therefore, we couldn’t proceed to the next round.
• He left Because he was worried about the health of his mother.

Others:

since, on account of, for that reason, consequently, accordingly, thus, hence, as a result.

Comparison/Contrast

• I’d have loved to go, but I have some urgent business here.
• On the contrary, they believed that he was a fool.
• Likewise, the driver of the white van left the boxes on his door.

Others:

Yet, and yet, nonetheless, at the same time, after all, In the same way, by the same token, in like manner, likewise, in similar, but, however, though, otherwise, on the contrary, in contrast, notwithstanding, nevertheless, similarly, on the other hand,

Examples

• Specifically, Jane likes blue shoes.
• To demonstrate its might, the empire wants to impose sanctions on its tiny neighbor.

Others:

for example, to illustrate, for instance, as an illustration, e.g. (for example).

Clarification

• In other words, he wants you to go.
• To put it another way, your company doesn’t need any more liabilities.

Others:

to clarify, to explain, that is to say, i.e. (that is), to rephrase it.

Qualification

• This is possibly the best score in ten years.
• With this in mind, the board declared him the best investment banker of that year.

Others:

Probably, always, nearly, never, maybe, frequently, perhaps, although.

Addition

• Moreover, I wanted to go hiking with her friends.
• Furthermore, the higher you go, the harder it becomes to climb down.

Others:

in addition, even more, too, also, last, lastly, finally, in the second place, again, next, further, besides, and, or, nor, first, second, secondly.

Summary/Conclusion

• Given these points, it is very apparent that she is knowledgeable about what is going on.
• In the long run, everyone will earn huge dividends from their investment.

Others:

In conclusion, to sum up, to summarize, in sum, in brief, in short, in summary, to conclude, finally.

Chronology/Time

• He wrote her a note Before left for Italy.
• During the event, you could hear them chant war cries.
• Later that evening, he arrived with a big entourage.

Others:

While, now, immediately, following, never, after, earlier, always, when, whenever, meanwhile, soon, sometimes, afterwards, until now, next, once, then, at length, simultaneously, so far, this time, subsequently, in the meantime.

Emphasis

You have to have a hard-working attitude and self-belief. Above all, you have to put all your trust in God.

Others:

Above all, most importantly, certainly.

When to Use a Transition Word

To Glue a Single Sentence

Transition words are used to link parts of the same sentence.

Here are some examples:

• The boss acts as if the employees are just little kids under his supervision.
• He prefers to go by himself rather than send someone else in his place.
• The company did not adopt his proposed marketing strategy, yet if they had savvy executives, they would have realized how innovative and profitable his plans were.

To Start a Paragraph

Before choosing a transition word or phrase, always think about the cohesiveness—between the current paragraph and the one that precedes it—the transition will bring. Are the two paragraphs carrying comparing and contrasting ideas? Are you trying to describe events in chronological order?

When we use transitions to introduce a new paragraph, they are usually phrases or clauses which refer to the preceding paragraph while launching a new idea.

The transitions that we often used at the beginning of new paragraphs may be phrases like these:

• It follows logically that entity A and B cannot be clearly distinguished by dead reckoning.
• Furthermore, the gentleman has confessed his crime and has named his accomplices.
• In conclusion, the theory does hold in reality.
• Lastly, an investigation needs to be launched to find out what really happened here.

Coherence is what your transitions are there to help you with. Therefore, you ought to place a great emphasis on the gluiness of your transitions.

Gluing Paragraphs

Inside your paragraph, transitions have to help you explain the relationships between your ideas. You have to think about what the previous sentence before this one says and how that sentence or phrase relates to the one the transition is trying to introduce.

Do you want to add more information to the preceding sentence? Or, do you want to emphasize the subject succeeding the transition?

When we use transitional words to stitch a paragraph, we often try to make it flow smoothly. In the next example, I have used transition words to stitch together a short paragraph.

A Paragraph Without Transitions: He left his job in Louisiana. His mother was ill. She recovered, he went back to Louisiana.

A Paragraph with Transitions: He left his job in Louisiana because his mother was ill. After she’d recovered, he went back to Louisiana. But, he no longer had a job and had to start from scratch again.

Do Transitions Help in Writing a Story?

Not only do transitions help in writing a story, but they also help you quickly and easily improve your writing. There are plenty of benefits of using transitions.

Firstly, using transitions is a good way of programming yourself to transcend the subaltern practice of using a basic subject-verb sentence structure. With transitions, you have sentences which are more complex but still coherent.

Besides adding to the complexity of your sentences, the stitching factor that transitions bring to your text makes it readable and helps you create passages with a bit more refinement.

Finally, perfectly employed transitions can make your writing sound more professional. Professional writers know that there should be a noticeable difference between written and spoken language (unless it’s dialogue). Transitions give your writing a tinge of that much-needed professionalism, just enough to make it sound better than spoken English.

Signs That You Need to Work On Your Transitions

There are a couple of red flags that pop up whilst writing or when you’re provided with feedback. Here are some of the scenarios that require you to work on your transitions:

• When you submit a manuscript or an academic assignment and you’re bombarded with comments like “this is choppy,” “it’s jumpy,” “the passages aren’t flowing smoothly,” “your writing desperately needs signposts,” or “how are paragraph X and Y related?”
• When you get feedback from your readers, saying they are having a tough time following the structure and flow of your content.
• When you take separate, disjointed chunks of texts and stitch them together without adding adhesive words or phrases.
• When you are working on a group assignment and the draft includes parts written individually by several group members.

How Can I Improve My Use of Transition Words

The fact that everyone uses transition words is quite apparent. But, using them correctly or efficiently isn’t something which every writer does naturally. Using transition words effectively is a result of a couple of things. To successfully use transitions, you have to:

1. Arrange Your Thoughts and Ideas

Remember what I said about transition words acting like bridges linking your paragraphs and sentences together? Well, they are more than that.

They’re also signposts. Before writing a blog post, news article, or a book, one usually has a bunch of incoherent but lucid ideas to work with. Usually, you—the writer—know where your story is going but you need to give the reader some directions.

They have to understand and follow your arguments and you have to clearly define the relationships between different sentences or parts of writing.

Your writing needs to have a firm structure and it’s the effective use of transition words that will help you give the text that structure.

But first, you need to know how your ideas relate to each other. It needs to be clear to you which idea introduces the other, which breaks away from the original points, and so on and so forth. This means that you have an introduction, body, and conclusion.

Afterwards, you can start adding meat to the skeleton, sew the sentences together. Find jumps and breaks that present perfect slots for transitions and make sure the transitions employed make sense.

2. Know the Transition Words

This is usually a problem for non-native speakers. But, many native speakers tend to “underutilize” transition words; they simply don’t pay attention to some less frequently used transitions.

So, whether you’re a native speaker or not, it’s prudent to look up a list of transition words and study their employment. It’s not only a matter of having used the transition word before, sometimes, their usage may depend on context like the “i.e.” vs “e.g.” case which is a grammatical evil that has preyed on a lot of unsuspecting native speakers.

Knowing the words helps you contextualize the transitions.

My Final Words On Transitions

Transition words are essential for the readability of your writing. Unfortunately, a lot of people fail to utilize them effectively. If you are one of these people, don’t worry about it too much. Study them and practice a lot.

Like a lot, A LOT. Always be aware of the way you structure your text. In this way, it will be less of a task trying to choose the best transitions to use.

Transition words are vital to the English language, and help to link what we’re saying together.

These words can be as straightforward as ‘and,’ ‘to,’ or ‘so,’ or more complex, like ‘moreover,’ ‘additionally,’ and ‘comparatively.’

Words like those listed above are essential for adding to, emphasising, or introducing a counter-argument in sentences, and really helps the readers to follow what you’re saying. Fundamentally, transition words are invaluable for building up coherent relationships within texts.

Because transition words introduce a greater level of readability to the content that writers publish online, they are essential for maximising your SEO potential. If you’re a content writer, blogger, or even somebody who wants to boost your social media presence, it’s imperative that you know your way around transition words.

Image Source: 7ESL

But what actually are transition words? And how can you use them to the best effect? Here’s a comprehensive guide that covers when and how to use transition words to optimise your content:

What are transition words?

So, as we’ve already covered, transition words are like ‘and,’ ‘but,’ and ‘because’. Transition words are used to link words, phrases and sentences. These words help to introduce readers to the relationship between phrases, sentences and entire paragraphs where applicable. Fundamentally, transition words help your readers to understand how your suggestions, thoughts and criticisms are connected together. They’re also an especially helpful tool for preparing your reader for what’s coming up in your text.

It’s time for an early example. To help clarify what transition words are, Yoast SEO offers up the sentence: “I pushed the domino. As a result, it fell over.”

The use of the term as a result instantly informs your reader of two things:

1. Firstly, that something happened within the sentence that caused something;
2. And secondly, that the second half of this sentence will describe this effect.

By incorporating the term ‘as a result’ in the sentence above, you can effectively combine two separate sentences into one flowing process. Without even needing to read the rest of the sentence, the reader can already make an educated assumption as to what’s about to come next.

In a manner of speaking, transition words act as a glue that holds texts together. Without this glue, your writing simply consists of a series of loose sentences. With transition words, individual parts combine to form one whole.

It’s also worth noting that transition words don’t always need to be positioned at the start of sentences. For example, consider the following text: ‘I’m trying to stay in shape. I went for a run yesterday evening, for instance.’

Here, the phrase ‘for instance’ is positioned at the end of the sentence. However, it still tells the reader exactly how the two sentences are interlinked.

Yoast also offers up the example of ‘I enjoy his company because he always tells interesting stories.’

In the sentence above, the term ‘because’ doesn’t actually link together two different sentences but rather combines two clauses. In a nutshell, transition words have the power to connect just about anything from short succinct phrases to verbose paragraphs.

How should I use transition words?

Transition words can be split into several different categories based on what you want to say. You’ll find that there are typically lots of words that can be used to make a specific transition – which is pretty handy when it comes to writing extensively covering the same point or idea.

Sometimes these transition phrases can mean exactly the same thing, while some other times their meanings can differ slightly, so it’s worth taking some time to understand each word and how they can be best used when making transitions.

If you’re not a native English speaker, then this isn’t a problem. It some terms you’ll undoubtedly be familiar with, while others would be unrecognisable to even the most experienced of writers in English-speaking countries. It could be helpful to explore some categorised transition words and search for a definition if you decide to use one while writing. The chances are that you’ll develop a fluency with a wide range of transition words in no time.

So let’s take a deeper look at some specific transition words, their contexts and how they could be applied within bodies of text.

Transition words indicating agreement, addition and similarity

In the first place	not only…but also	as a matter of fact	in like manner
in such a manner	in this manner	in addition	coupled with
in similar fashion	in the same fashion	in a similar way	first/second/third
firstly/secondly/thirdly	in light of	not to mention	to say nothing of
equally important	similarly important	by the same token	Again
to	and	also	then
equally	identically	uniquely	like
too	as	Moreover	as well as
together with	of course	likewise	comparatively
correspondingly	similarly	furthermore	additionally

Firstly, as we can see above, there’s the topic of transition words that can be used to form an agreement, addition or reference a similarity within a text.Smart-Words has an excellent resource available when it comes to finding examples of specific types of transition words. Using their source material, we’ll explore the categories of each type of transition and aim to provide some easy to follow examples.

Each column here represents a different type of transition word, and each term is largely similar to the one above and below.

An example of an agreement word would be: “He asked if he might record the interview in addition to taking notes.”

This is defined as an agreement because the transition connects two sentences or clauses that mutually agree with each other. If you’re in need of an effective transition between two statements that complement each other, then you should look to an agreement/addition/similarity transition word.

For an example of an additional transition word, a sentence like “they said they were going to go to the park and buy an ice cream” illustrates that the second clause is just adding some further context to what’s being said by the writer.

As for a similarity transition, this sentence shows that both clauses in a sentence are linked by terms that determine both are similar statements: “In 1920, he vetoed a bill calling for censorship of moving pictures and likewise a bill to permit the sale of “2.75%” beer.”

Transition words indicating opposition, limitation and contradiction

Although this may be true	in contrast	in contrast to	different from
of course…but	on the other hand	on the contrary	contrary to this
at the same time	in spite of	even so	though
be that as it may	then again	above all	in reality
after all	But	Still	And still
unlike	or	yet	and yet
while	albeit	besides	as much as
even though	Although	instead	whereas
despite	conversely	otherwise	however
rather	though	even though	nevertheless
nonetheless	regardless	notwithstanding

These types of transition phrases are essential when it comes to writing because when you’re looking to incorporate opposing views into a sentence or paragraph, it can be particularly tricky for the reader to understand that you’ve taken on an opposite point of view without warning them first.The above examples of opposition/limitation/contradiction transition words are used to indicate a change of tone in a sentence and can pave the way to contrary thoughts and arguments.

For example, a sentence like: “He said he would take her on holiday and took his grandma instead” reads a little bit more clunky than, through the use of a contradiction word instead like “He said he would take her on holiday. However, he took his grandma instead.”

This is because a contradiction transition word helps prepares the reader for an incoming change of tone. Have you ever heard someone say the phrase “I can sense a ‘but’ coming”? They’re referring to the fact that they’re waiting for somebody to use a transition word to change the tone of a conversation.

An opposition transition phrase is equally significant – as we can see in the following example: “Many believe that Johan Cruyff was the better footballer, and although this may be true, it was Franz Beckenbauer who lifted the World Cup.”

Transitional words can also be used to illustrate limitations within the subject of a sentence. For example, “Tony Blair won the 1997 general election in a landslide, albeit with the help of Rupert Murdoch’s Sun newspaper.”

Transition words indicating cause, condition and purpose

In the event that	in the event of	granted that	given that
as long as	so long as	on the condition that	on the condition of
on this condition	for the purpose of	for the benefit of	with the intention of
with this intention	with this in mind	in the hope of	in the hope that
to the end that	for fear that	for fear of	in order to
seeing that	being that	in view of	in lieu of
If	…then	unless	when
whenever	while	because of	as
since	Whilst	lest	In case
provided that	providing	given that	given this
only	even if	so that	so as to
owing to	inasmuch as	due to

Cause helps to shed light on the reason behind why the first half of a sentence or paragraph exists. For example: “John said he would be happy to come to the theme park, in the event that David can no longer make it.”Cause/Condition/Purpose transitions are excellent ways of elaborating on points made earlier in sentences.

Conveying conditions through the use of transition phrases is extremely important because they help to alert the reader to a pledge or promise within bodies of text. For example: “I said I would take David’s place on the trip to the theme park if I’m paid in time.”

The use of Cause/Condition/Purpose transitions work wonders in helping readers to understand your, or the subject’s motives behind their actions or statements. Purpose can be interpreted through the use of an appropriate transition word in the following sentence: “I’m going to have to drop out of our theme park trip, due to having to look after my nephews.”

Transition words indicating examples, support and emphasis

In other words	to put it differently	putting it differently	for one thing
as in illustration	illustrated by	in this case	in the case of
for this reason	to put it another way	that is to say	with attention to
by all means	important to realise	another key point	first thing to remember
point often overlooked	an often overlooked point	to point out	points towards
on the positive side	on the negative side	with this in mind	Notably
including	like	to be sure	namely
chiefly	truly	indeed	certainty
surely	markedly	telling	such as
especially	explicitly	specifically	expressly
surprisingly	frequently	significantly	particularly
In fact	in general	in particular	in detail
for example	for instance	to demonstrate	to emphasise
to repeat	to clarify	to explain	to enumerate

The use of transitional words for this purpose is a little bit more significant than simply preparing them for a slight change of tone or an elaboration. When many writers look for examples or references, they can intertwine quotes or external phrases into their content – to avoid later issues with plagiarism or bringing an element of confusion, it can be beneficial to use a transitional tool wisely.We’ve been looking at examples for some time within this guide, so there’s no harm in exploring the transitional phrases associated with introducing readers to an upcoming example within texts.

For example, “I don’t like the new decor in the living room. To put it another way, ‘either that wallpaper goes or I do’.”

Transitions that express support are excellent ways of informing the reader that the things you’re writing can be backed up by the likes of statistics, references or external individuals. ‘Most people agree that this new wallpaper is very fashionable, including Tom, who studied interior design.’

To introduce an extra emphasis on parts of a sentence or paragraph, transition words can be used effectively to draw ensure that the reader pays close attention. For example: ‘I’ve painted over the wallpaper with a great new tone of paint. In fact, the store assistant said this colour was a bestseller when I bought it.’

Transition words indicating effect, consequence and result

As a result	Under those circumstances	Under these circumstances	Under such circumstances
In that case	In this case	In such a case	For this reason
For that reason	In effect	Effectively	For
Thus	Because	The	Because this
Then	Hence	Consequently	Therefore
Therein	Thereupon	Forthwith	Accordingly

For example: “The price of baked beans has gone up, and for this reason, I’ll be buying Frosties from now on.”Effect transitions work in a similar way to those that are designed to bring an extra emphasis for what’s being said. By introducing the effect that the earlier part of a paragraph or sentence has had, readers will know that they’re about to see an explanation.

Similarly to effect, consequence introduces the knock-on effect that earlier actions have had. Using this transition is a great way of elaborating on a statement: “They’ve put up the price of baked beans, hence why there are so many tins left on the shelves.”

Transitional words that focus on the result of earlier actions within a sentence or paragraph help to prepare the reader for something of a conclusion. Because this part of a sentence is usually a significant one, the use of transitions really helps to make the content unavoidable: “Nobody was buying the baked beans, so therefore they lowered the price again.”

Transition words indicating conclusion

As can be seen	Generally speaking	Speaking generally	Broadly speaking
In the final analysis	Finally	All things considered	Everything considered
As shown above	In the long run	Given these points	As has been noted
In a word	For the most part	After all	In fact
In summary	In conclusion	In short	In brief
In essence	To summarise	On balance	Altogether
Overall	Ordinarily	Usually	By and large
To sum up	On the whole	In any event	In either case
All in all	Obviously	Ultimately	Definitely

Transition words that help to draw conclusions within bodies of text are great ways of not only holding the attention of your audience but also keeping your writing accurate. “The quality of fries from both Burger King and McDonald’s is very high. But, all things considered, I believe that McDonald’s are the best in this area.”Some sentences or paragraphs need to be effectively concluded, and transitional words are an excellent means of drawing readers into the key takeaways you’ve drawn up from your content.

The sentence above helps readers to understand the wider context that forms your thoughts on an issue – which in this case is the quality of fries from selected fast food outlets. The chosen transition word in this example helps the reader to understand that the author has given some thought to the matter at hand and decided on a measured conclusion. If the sentence read “McDonald’s fries are better than Burger King,” the reader would have no idea of the perceived gulf in quality between the two foods.

Similarly, a summative transition is a great way of telling your audience that you’re about to reveal your closing thoughts on a matter or topic. Many authors and essay writers consider this part of the process to be so important that they use words like ‘conclusion’ and ‘in summary’ as a sub-heading as opposed to a transition phrase.

An example of a summary transition embedded within a sentence would be: “I prefer McDonald’s fries, but, on balance, the lower salt volumes associated with Burger King fries means that they’re likely to be healthier.”

The above example shows that it’s possible to add a caveat to a summary or conclusion, which is a great way of letting your audience know that there are pros and cons for both sides of an argument or divisive subject.

Restatements are an effective use of transition phrases and can help to create a well-thought-out close to an article or opinion piece: “While the superiority of both Burger King and McDonald’s fries is up for debate, ultimately a scoop of ice cream would be my preferred choice any day.”

Transition words indicating time, chronology and sequence

At the present time	From time to time	Sooner or later	At the same time
Up to the present time	To begin with	In due time	As soon as
As long as	In the meantime	In a moment	Without delay
In the first place	All of a sudden	At this instant	First/second…
Immediately	Quickly	Swiftly	Finally
After	Later	Last	Until
‘til	Till	Since	When
Once	About	Next	Now
Formerly	Suddenly	Shortly	Henceforth
Whenever	Eventually	Meanwhile	Further
During	In time	Prior to	Forthwith
Straight away	By the time	Until now	Now that
Instantly	Presently	Occasionally

Time transitional phrases can help to add context, place a timestamp on your statements, make predictions, or reference the past.Transitional words that relate to timing and sequencing can act as invaluable tools for adding a wealth of context to sentences.

For example: “He may enjoy buying a cup of coffee each morning, but sooner or later those expenses will catch up with him.”

Above we can see that this transition has worked wonders in informing the reader that although a relatively harmless activity is happening now, in the future it could have consequences. This transition is important because the potential alternative of “he may enjoy buying a cup of coffee each morning and those expenses will catch up with him” is notably more vague and clunky.

Chronology can be an important transition to make too. By adding a small note that explains to readers that the sentence has time-travelled somewhat, it’s much easier for audiences to keep up with events. This can be seen in the sentence: “He got a large telephone bill, and hasn’t bought a cup of coffee since.”

Here, the use of the word since adds an important level of chronological context to the sentence.

Transitional phrases pertaining to sequence can also be vital here, as can be seen in the following example: “He must’ve been spending £10 on coffee per day prior to receiving his phone bill.”

This transition helps readers to understand that the action of spending lots of money on coffee occurred before the arrival of a bill, and thus have stopped since.

Transition words indicating space, location and place

In the middle	To the left/right	In front of	On this side
In the distance	Here and there	In the foreground	In the background
In the centre	Around the corner	Adjacent to	Opposite to
Here	There	Next	Where
From	Over	Near	Above
Below	Down	Up	Under
Further	Beyond	Nearby	Wherever
Around	Between	Before	Alongside
Amid	Among	Beneath	Beside
Behind	Across

For example, “She was about to boil a cup of tea until a clock in the background showed that she was running late for work.”Transition words are great tools for adding context regarding space, location and place into sentences.

In this case, the location of the clock is a strong visual tool, as opposed to a vital piece of context. Here, the reader can build a better image of the scenario being described, thus helping them to better relate to the text.

Location transition words, on the other hand, can be important ways to build a level of much-needed context. Consider the sentence: “She rushed out of the door to see her bus depart from a stop down the road.”

Finally, place transitions help to build stronger levels of understanding between readers and what authors are trying to say within their text. “Luckily, her day was saved when a second bus drove around the corner of her street moments later.”

SEO appeal?

The importance of appropriately used transition words cannot be underestimated. Readers need to understand the text that they’re reading, and this is even more important in the age of Search Engine Optimisation.

Today, websites and blogs alike get rewarded based on their user-friendliness and readability. If somebody navigates on to your website and immediately struggles to interpret what you’re trying to say because there are too few context-adding transitional phrases, the chances are that they’ll perform a bounceback very quickly indeed.

It’s worth noting that although transition words aren’t capable of single-handedly influencing your SEO, they certainly account for a large portion of your site’s readability – which does play a big role in determining the quality of your SEO.

To help us to understand how important the use of transition words is for readability purposes, Yoast SEO has created two texts to help us along. Text A is completely devoid of transition words, while Text B features the same sentences and basic content – only with the addition of transition phrases:

Text A

Text B

Image Source: Yoast

While Text A makes some sense and isn’t exactly unreadable, the improvements featured in Text B are clear for all readers to see.

Text B clearly performs better in terms of introducing and informing readers of each argument that’s being made along with counter-arguments to boot and an easy-to-follow conclusion. Text A, on the other hand, requires a great deal more concentration to interpret the types of arguments being made and how the author summarises their points.

The best thing about Text B is the fact that the reader no longer needs to strain to understand if each argument belongs to the initial point being made or a new one. This added content makes the act of reading more enjoyable for audiences and helps them to stay using your website for longer.

Herein lies the beauty of transition words. They have the ability to make your content much more enjoyable to read and are relatively easy to utilise and learn. Yes, there are lots of transitions out there, and certainly a number that have evaded this guide. But with the help of this list, you have the chance to develop an understanding of which transitions to include in specific situations and begin to understand the definitions more and more transitional phrases. Your content will soon reap the rewards!

Transition Words FAQ

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