People who comment on material that they have enjoyed reading often say that the writing seems to "flow." The "flow" or smooth quality of such writing is often due to the writer’s ability to use transitions effectively. A transition is a word or phrase, or sometimes even an entire paragraph, that bridges ideas contained in sentences, paragraphs and parts of longer papers. A transition shows the movement from one aspect of an idea to another. In a sense, it gives a reader advance notice of where the ideas in a written work are leading.

There are many words and phrases that are used as transitions. Some of them are listed below for you.

To connect additional information to an idea: also, and, another, equally important, finally, furthermore, in addition, last, likewise, moreover, most important, next, second, third

To provide an example: for example, for instance, as an illustration, as a case in point,

To make a contrast: yet, but, however, instead, nevertheless, on the other hand, still, on the contrary

To introduce a result: as a result, consequently, so, therefore, thus, for this reason

To indicate location: above, below, beyond, by, near, there, under

To begin a conclusion: finally, as a result, clearly, hence, no wonder, obviously, then, therefore

*(Do not use in conclusion to start a conclusion. Doing so is stating the obvious and could be a bit insult your reader’s intelligence. A responsible reader can usually tell when a piece of writing is concluding without being told directly that it beginning to conclude. Generally, it is a poor practice to refer to organizational parts of your writing within your writing.)

In addition to the transitional words and phrases above, repetition of a key word or phrase often serves as a transition. By repeating key words or phrases, the reader is reminded of the subject that is being discussed.

Many students have been taught to use transitions within their papers. Their teachers’ focus was probably to help the students understand what a transitional device is and to help students develop the habit of using transitions within their writings. Students may have been encouraged to use a transition at the end of one paragraph to introduce the topic in the next paragraph; however, it is easy to create a problem with this practice. Look at the paragraph below, and pay particular attention to the topic sentence (the first sentence) and the transitional sentence at the end (the last sentence). The last sentence departs from the topic of the paragraph presented in the first sentence. The topic of the paragraph is Arizona and its diversity. Nothing other than information on Arizona should be included in the paragraph. The topic sentence does not allow for mention of California in the paragraph at all. The last sentence is actually a departure from the topic presented in the topic sentence, causing the paragraph to lack unity. It is also far too obvious. If a transition is so obvious that it "stands out," it should revised. Transitions should seem natural and a part of the flow of a piece of writing. The transition between paragraphs on Arizona and California would be better placed at the beginning of the subsequent paragraph on California. The topic sentence for the paragraph on California could begin with a transition such as this: Another state with various diverse environments is California.

Look at the paragraph above again. Find examples of transitions used within the paragraph. Some of the transitional words or phrases listed earlier in this lecture are used in the paragraph. Repetitions of keywords or phrases are also used throughout the paragraph.

In longer papers, it is sometimes necessary to create transitional paragraphs between parts of a paper. For instance, in a problem/solution paper, a transitional paragraph might be appropriate between the part of the paper that defines a problem and the part of the paper that reports on solutions for the problem. In long papers, more than a word or phrase of transition might be needed to bridge parts of the paper. Because of a transitional paragraph, the reader will understand that the ideas being presented have shifted from a definition of a problem to a discussion of solutions to the problem. Some instructors have students insert sub-headings within the parts of their longer papers to show where a new section of a paper begins. In this course, sub-headings should not be used. Use transitional words, phrases or paragraphs instead.