TRANSITIONS

About Transitions

You may have heard professors tell you to use effective transitions in your papers, but what are they? Transitions are words, phrases, and sentences that lead the reader from one idea to the next. Writing without transitions can be called choppy or disconnected. Using transitions shows that the writer understands connections between ideas and has a concern for the experience of the reader.

Transitions can be as short as a few words or as long as several sentences. Whether or not you use key transitions phrases, you should make your writing flow smoothly from one idea to the next.

Common Transition Words and Phrases

• Next• First (or second, third, etc.)

• In addition• Also• In contrast

• Actually• In reality• However• On the other hand• Later• Then

Transition Mistakes• Over-transitioning: Many students worry too much about

finding the perfect transition between ideas and fill up the beginning and end of paragraphs or sections with unnecessary words or sentences.

• Lack of internal transitions: Transitions aren’t just for the beginning or end of paragraphs or sections. Transitions are useful within a paragraph as well.

Example: Transitions in BlueThe English language is a patchwork of different influences in vocabulary and grammar. English began with Anglo-Saxon, a language used by Germanic tribes who came to England a short time after the occupying Romans left. Later, Anglo-Saxon was heavily influenced by Old Norse, during a period known as the Danelaw, when invading Danes held a great deal of land in the north of the country. In 1066, the Norman conquest brought a third major influence, French. Middle English formed from a mixture of Norman French and Anglo-Saxon.

English has also been shaped by internal changes. The Great Vowel Shift, which occurred around the 15th century, was a dramatic alteration of pronunciation and marked the change from Middle to Modern English. Early Modern English retained some grammatical aspects of Anglo-Saxon, like thou as a singular counterpart to you, but this holdover and many others disappeared within a few centuries.

• Note: This example is meant to be a portion of the middle of an essay, not a beginning.

Explanation• Later: The easiest way to transition is with a word or

phrase at the beginning of a sentence.• a third, also: A more sophisticated way to transition is to

use a transition word or phrase mid-sentence.• Early Modern English: Advanced transitions rely on

connection of ideas rather than specific words.• Notice the example had a transition between paragraphs

and transitions within each paragraph.