Tips for Writing Better Transitions

TransitionsENG 101

Transition Words Readers expect linkage between words,

sentences, paragraphs and parts. Look for signposts

transition words Phrases Sentences

Transitions to Signal Relationships Govern relationships between ideas

While on vacation, Suzie caught the Chicken Pox. Therefore,_____________

While on vacation, Suzie caught the Chicken Pox. Nevertheless, ___________

Exercise1. Writing is difficult; therefore ________

2. Writing is difficult; however, ________

3. Writing is difficult because _________

4. Writing is difficult. For example, _______

5. Writing is difficult. To put it another way ______

6. Writing is difficult. Likewise, _______

7. Although writing is difficult, ________

8. ________. In sum, writing is difficult.

Major Transitions Between Parts Pause Shifts a reader’s attention from a sense of

where they’ve been to where they are going.

Sums up preceding major section, refers back to the essay’s thesis statement, and then previews the next major section.

Major Transitions: ExamplesSo far I have looked at a number of techniques that can help

people identify debilitating assumptions that block self-growth. In the next section, I examine ways to question and overcome these assumptions.

Now that the difficulty of the problem is fully apparent, our next step is to examine some of the solutions that have been proposed.

Obviously, Tucker’s style, in terms of his attitude and word choice, is different from Goldblatt’s; however, the two authors do have some similarities.

Binding Sentences Together Old/New contract Old (topic position)-beginning of sentences New (stress position) -toward the end

Backward Links Old– refers to everything in the text that the

reader has read thus far. New refers to new information.

1. Can link to a key word or concept in the preceding sentence (sentence coherence)Example: Another principle for writing clear closed-form prose is the old/new contract. The old/new contract asks writers to begin sentences with something old—something that links to what has come before—then to end sentences with new information.

Links

2. They can link to a key word or concept in a preceding point sentence (support point), creating unity.

Example: Another example that supports this premise is Goldblatt’s comment that “blah, blah, blah,”

Links

3. They can link to a preceding forecasting statement about structure (helping readers map their location).

Example: Now that we’ve gone over the cons of letting your kids watch TV, we’ll spend some time on the pros.

Strategies Repeat a key word Use a pronoun as a substitute for a key

word Summarize, rephrase, or restate earlier

concepts Use a transition word (first, second, for

example . . .)