Transitional devices are like bridges between parts of your paper. They encourage the reader to easily interpret ideas in the way that you, as a writer, want them to understand. Transitional devices help you carry over a thought from one sentence to another, from one idea to another, or from one paragraph to another with words or phrases.
There are several types of transitional devices, and each category leads your
reader to make certain connections or assumptions about the two areas that you
are connecting. Some lead your reader forward and imply the "building"
of an idea or thought, while others make your reader compare ideas or draw conclusions
from the preceding thoughts
.
Here is a list of some common transitional devices that can be used to cue your
reader in a given way.
By Addition |
| By Comparison whereas, but, on the other hand, except, by comparison, where, compared to, up against, balanced against, vis a vis, but, although, conversely, meanwhile, after all, in contrast, although this may be true |
| By Proof because, for, since, for the same reason, obviously, evidently, furthermore, moreover, besides, indeed, in fact, in addition, in any case, that is |
By Exception yet, still, however, nevertheless, in spite of, despite, of course, once in a while, sometimes |
| By Emphasis definitely, extremely, absolutely, positively, naturally, surprisingly, always, forever, perennially, eternally, never, emphatically, unquestionably, without a doubt, certainly, undeniably, without reservation |
| By Sequence first, second, third, and so forth. A, B, C, and so forth. next, then, following this, at this time, now, at this point, after, afterward, subsequently, finally, consequently, previously, before this, simultaneously, concurrently, thus, therefore, hence, next, and then, soon |
| By Example for example, for instance, in this case, in another case, on this occasion, in this situation, take the case of ..., to demonstrate, to illustrate, as an illustration |
By Summary or Conclusion in brief, on the whole, summing up, to conclude, in conclusion, as I have shown, as I have said, hence, therefore, accordingly, thus, as a result |
Sentence Variety
For short, choppy sentences . . . .
Coordination :
• and
• but
• for
• or
• nor
• so
• yet
Join complete sentences with coordinators:
example: Doonesbury cartoons satirize contemporary politics.
The victims of the satire pay no attention. They
prefer to demand that newspapers not carry the strip.
revised: Doonesbury cartoons laugh at contemporary politicians,
but the victims of the satire pay no attention and prefer to demand that newspapers
not carry the strip.
Subordination:
| • after • although • as • as if • because • before • even if • even though • even though if • if only |
• once • rather than • since • that • though • unless • until • when |
• where • where as • wherever • whether • which • while • |
Link two related sentences to each other so that one is no longer a
complete sentence (subordination). Use connectors such as:
• after,
• although ,
• because,
• if,
• since,
• until,
• when,
• while,
• and so on to show the relationship
.
example: The campus parking problem is getting worse. The
university is not building any new garages.
revised: The campus parking problem is getting worse because
the university is not building any new garages.
example: America is overly dependent on foreign oil. Alternate
sources of energy are now being sought.
revised: Athough America is overly dependent on foreign oil,
alternate sources are now being sought.
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For same subject or topic repeated in two sentences. . . .
Relative Pronouns:
• which
• who
• whoever
• whom
• that
• whose
Embed one sentence inside the other one using a clause starting with
which, who, whom, that, whose.
example: Indiana used to bemainly an agricultural state. It
has recently attracted more industry.
revised: Indiana, which used to be mainly an agricultural state,
has recently attracted more industry.
example: The experiment failed because of Murphy's Law. This
law states that buttered bread always falls buttered
side down.
revised: The experiment failed because of Murphy's law which
states that buttered bread always fall buttered side
down.
example: Doctor Ramirez specializes in sports medicine. He
helped my cousin recover from a basketball injury.
revised: Doctor Ramirez, who specializes in sports medicine,
helped my cousin recover from a basketball injury.
Participles :
| present (-ing) • walking • rising • trying |
past (-ed) |
Eliminate an is verb and substitute a verb form ending in -ed or -ing.
example: Wei Xie was surprised to get a phone call from his
sister. He was happy to hear her voice again.
revised: Wei Xie, surprised to get a phone call for his sister,
was happy to hear her voice again. Surprised to get a
phone call from his sister, Wei Xie was happy to hear her voice again.
Prepositions :
| • about • above • across • after • against • along • among • around • as • behind • below • beneath • beside • between |
• by • despite • down • during • except • for • from • in • inside • near • next to • of • off • on |
• out • over • past • to • under • until • up • with |
Turn a clause into a prepositional phrase (a phrase beginning with prepositions such as in, to, for, at, from, on, because of, under, through, between, etc.)
example: The highjackers wanted to attract the attention of
the American public. They ordered the plane to fly to
Africa.
revised: To attract the attention of the American public, the
highjackers ordered the plane to fly to Africa.
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For same pattern or rhythm, each starting with the subject . . . .
Dependent Markers See the list of dependent markers above under the
heading "Subordination."
Put clauses and phrases with dependent markers at the beginning of some sentences.
example: The room fell silent when the TV newscaster reported
the story of the earthquake. Everyone stopped what
they were doing. The pictures of the quake were shocking because there was so
much damage.
revised: When the TV newscaster reported the story of the earthquake,
the room fell silent. Everyone stopped what
they were doing. Because there was so much damage, the pictures of the quake
were shocking.
Transitional words and phrases :
| • accordingly • after • all • afterward • also • although • and yet • but • consequently • despite • earlier • even though • for example • for instance • however |
• in conclusion • meanwhile |
• on the whole • otherwise • regardless • shortly • similarly • specifically • still that is • then • therefore • though • thus • yet |
Add transitional words at the beginning of some sentences.
example: I went to the supermarket to buy some fresh vegetables.
Most of the produce looked wilted.
revised: I went to the supermarket to buy some fresh vegetables.
However, most of the produce looked wilted.
Add variety of rhythm by having a short sentence follow a long one.
example: They visited Canada and Alaska last summer to find
some native American art. In Anchorage stores they
found some excellent examples of soapstone carvings. But there were no dealers
selling any of the woven
wall hangings they wanted.
revised: They visited Canada and Alaska last summer to find
some native American art such as soapstone carvings
and wall hangings. Anchorage stores had excellent examples of soapstone. But
they were disappointed to
learn that wall hangings, which they particularly wanted, were hard to find.