LibGuides: Writing Center Transitions: Transitions

Transitions

This resource provides an overview of words and phrases that can help you signal a transition in your paper.

Each body paragraph in your paper should generally focus on one main idea, thoroughly and completely. As such, it is important to consider the order of your ideas and how they build off of or relate to one another, in service of your central argument. Effective transitions can better assist the reader in understanding how each paragraph connects to the one before it and the one after it.

This resource provides a table of transition words, organized by the function of the transition. To use this table effectively, select a moment in your paper where two paragraphs need a stronger transition between them. Then, identify the relationship between those paragraphs so that you can choose an appropriate transition word or phrase from the table below:

Addition: Again Also In addition Furthermore First, second, etc. Finally Next	Writing Tasks: Yet Still However Despite In spite of Nevertheless Sometimes Once in a while Occasionally With this in mind	Time: While After Whenever Soon Thereafter Formerly Previously	Repetition: In brief As previously stated As I have noted As has been noted
Exemplification: For example For instance In this case To demonstrate To illustrate Specifically Indeed	Prove: Because Since Evidently Furthermore Moreover For the same reason Besides Indeed In fact Consequently That is	Compare/Contrast: But Yet However Similarly In contrast Likewise On the other hand On the contrary Compared to At the same time Although Conversely Regardless Instead Of course	Show Sequence: First, second, etc. Concurrently At this time Next Finally Afterward Hence Simultaneously Then Thus Before this In order to Ultimately
Emphasis: Naturally Surprisingly Undeniably Interestingly Without a doubt In fact Indeed	Clarification: To explain To clarify To rephrase In other words That is to say To put it another way With this in mind	Summary/Conclusion: In brief To conclude In conclusion As previously stated Finally Accordingly To sum up To summarize As a result In short Ultimately	Cause/Effect: Because Since On account of Therefore Thus Consequently Hence In order to With this in mind For this reason As a result