Using Transition Words in Your Writing

TransitionsLook at the two groups of sentencesbelow. Which sentences read more smoothly? Why?

•My friend, Marcos, loves to play sports and is very athletic. He has won a scholarship to play football at a university next year.

•My friend, Marcos, loves to play sports and is very athletic. In fact, he has won a scholarship to play football at a university next year.

Transitions

What are transition words?

Transitions Example:John skipped meals regularly.Therefore, he was always hungry.

Add the missing transition

It was an unusually cold spring. The trees were leafing out.

It was an unusually cold spring. However, the trees were leafing out.

What is wrong with this transition?

Walt never cleaned out the inside of his car. Nevertheless, it smelled and looked horrible!

This transition makes no sense. It suggests a contrast when no contrast is asked for.

Revision

Walt never cleaned out the inside of his car. Consequently, it smelled and looked horrible!

Transition Words A word or phrase that links two ideas

or sentences These show how ideas connect If there are no transitions, readers

must make the ‘connections’ on their own

This slows reading down and makes it confusing

Transition Words

Can occur anywhere - At the beginning of a sentence In the middle of a sentence At the end of a sentence

Transition WordsA transition word directly tells the reader thelogical relationship between one idea andanother idea.

Idea Idea

Transition

Transition Words There are many transition words As you become a more experienced

writer you will use lots of types of transition words

Let’s look at a few of the basics These will help to improve your

writing right now!

Words to show LOCATION Above Across Against Along Among Around Behind Below Beneath Beside Between Beyond By

Down In back of In front of Inside Into Near Off Onto On top of Outside Over Throughout To the right Under

Words to Show TIME While After At Before During First Second Third Now Until Meanwhile Today Tomorrow

Next week Yesterday Soon Later Afterward Immediately Finally Then Next As soon as When Suddenly

Words to COMPARE (two things)

Likewise Like As Also While Similarly In the same way In contrast

Words to CONTRAST(to show differences between things)

But However Still Yet Although Otherwise On the other hand Even though

Let’s practice…. Read the passage Highlight any transition words you

find Share with a partner

Ty’ree was all right after Mama died. But I was all wrong. The year before, I’d seen this show about snakes. They showed this one snake slipping out of its old skin and then leaving that old skin on the ground behind him. That’s how I felt – like Mama’d been my skin. But I hadn’t grown a new skin underneath, like that snake had. I was just blood and bones spreading all over the place. Every night Ty’ree stayed with me in my room till I cried myself to sleep. And the next morning he’d find me sleeping curled up on the floor beside his bed.

After a few weeks of me ending up on the floor, he called Aunt Cecile, and she came back to new York and asked around trying to find a doctor I could go to – a psychologist. Some afternoons I’d come home from school to find Aunt Cecile sitting at the dining room table writing down and crossing out numbers as she talked on the phone. And some evenings I’d catch her and Ty’ree whispering about different doctors, their fees and social benefits.

Then, one afternoon Aunt Cecile announced that she’d found a person I could talk to named Dr. Vernon. That Wednesday and for a whole lot of Wednesdays after that, Aunt Cecile would take me to Dr. Vernon – an old man with a nice office in Harlem.

-from Miracle Boys by Jacqueline Woodson

Ty’ree was all right after Mama died. But I was all wrong. The year before, I’d seen this show about snakes. They showed this one snake slipping out of its old skin and then leaving that old skin on the ground behind him. That’s how I felt – like Mama’d been my skin. But I hadn’t grown a new skin underneath, like that snake had. I was just blood and bones spreading all over the place. Every night Ty’ree stayed with me in my room till I cried myself to sleep. And the next morning he’d find me sleeping curled up on the floor beside his bed.

After a few weeks of me ending up on the floor, he called Aunt Cecile, and she came back to new York and asked around trying to find a doctor I could go to – a psychologist. Some afternoons I’d come home from school to find Aunt Cecile sitting at the dining room table writing down and crossing out numbers as she talked on the phone. And some evenings I’d catch her and Ty’ree whispering about different doctors, their fees, and social benefits.

Then, one afternoon Aunt Cecile announced that she’d found a person I could talk to named Dr. Vernon. That Wednesday and for a whole lot of Wednesdays after that, Aunt Cecile would take me to Dr. Vernon – an old man with a nice office in Harlem.

Homework1. Complete sheet , ‘Connect the Links to Make a

Chain’2. Highlight any transition words you have in your

writing piece3. Rate your use of transition words using check

box ‘Rate Your Transitions’ (staple to writing) 4. Add transitions to make your writing flow more

smoothly. Highlight your new transitions in another colour

5. Rewrite this draft of your writing, double-spaced for next day

6. Keep all prior drafts