1/30/2015

PurdueOWL

WelcometothePurdueOWL
ThispageisbroughttoyoubytheOWLatPurdue
(https://owl.english.purdue.edu/).Whenprintingthispage,youmust
includetheentirelegalnoticeatbottom.

Contributors:RyanWeber,KarlStolley.
Summary:
Adiscussionoftransitionstrategiesandspecifictransitionaldevices.

WritingTransitions
Goodtransitionscanconnectparagraphsandturndisconnectedwritingintoaunifiedwhole.
Insteadoftreatingparagraphsasseparateideas,transitionscanhelpreadersunderstandhow
paragraphsworktogether,referenceoneanother,andbuildtoalargerpoint.Thekeyto
producinggoodtransitionsishighlightingconnectionsbetweencorrespondingparagraphs.By
referencinginoneparagraphtherelevantmaterialfrompreviousparagraphs,writerscan
developimportantpointsfortheirreaders.
Itisagoodideatocontinueoneparagraphwhereanotherleavesoff.(Instanceswherethisis
especiallychallengingmaysuggestthattheparagraphsdon'tbelongtogetheratall.)Pickingup
keyphrasesfromthepreviousparagraphandhighlightingtheminthenextcancreateanobvious
progressionforreaders.Manytimes,itonlytakesafewwordstodrawtheseconnections.
Insteadofwritingtransitionsthatcouldconnectanyparagraphtoanyotherparagraph,writea
transitionthatcouldonlyconnectonespecificparagraphtoanotherspecificparagraph.
Example:Overall,ManagementSystemsInternationalhasloggedincreasedsalesinevery
sector,leadingtoasignificantriseinthirdquarterprofits.
Anotherimportantthingtonoteisthatthecorporationhadexpandeditsinternationalinfluence.
Revision:Overall,ManagementSystemsInternationalhasloggedincreasedsalesinevery
sector,leadingtoasignificantriseinthirdquarterprofits.
Theseimpressiveprofitsarelargelyduetothecorporation'sexpandedinternationalinfluence.
Example:FearingforthelossofDanishlands,ChristianIVsignedtheTreatyofLubeck,
effectivelyendingtheDanishphaseofthe30YearsWar.
Butthensomethingelsesignificanthappened.TheSwedishinterventionbegan.
Revision:FearingforthelossofmoreDanishlands,ChristianIVsignedtheTreatyofLubeck,
effectivelyendingtheDanishphaseofthe30YearsWar.
ShortlyafterDanishforceswithdrew,theSwedishinterventionbegan.
Example:AmyTanbecameafamousauthorafterhernovel,TheJoyLuckClub,skyrocketed
upthebestsellerlist.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/574/

1/3

1/30/2015

PurdueOWL

ThereareotherthingstonoteaboutTanaswell.AmyTanalsoparticipatesinthesatirical
garagebandtheRockBottomRemainderswithStephenKingandDaveBarry.
Revision:AmyTanbecameafamousauthorafterhernovel,TheJoyLuckClub,skyrocketed
upthebestsellerlist.
Thoughherfictioniswellknown,herworkwiththesatiricalgaragebandtheRockBottom
Remaindersreceivesfarlesspublicity.
Contributors:RyanWeber,KarlStolley.
Summary:
Adiscussionoftransitionstrategiesandspecifictransitionaldevices.

TransitionalDevices
Transitionaldevicesarelikebridgesbetweenpartsofyourpaper.Theyarecuesthathelpthe
readertointerpretideasapaperdevelops.Transitionaldevicesarewordsorphrasesthathelp
carryathoughtfromonesentencetoanother,fromoneideatoanother,orfromoneparagraph
toanother.Andfinally,transitionaldeviceslinksentencesandparagraphstogethersmoothlyso
thattherearenoabruptjumpsorbreaksbetweenideas.
Thereareseveraltypesoftransitionaldevices,andeachcategoryleadsreaderstomakecertain
connectionsorassumptions.Someleadreadersforwardandimplythebuildingofanideaor
thought,whileothersmakereaderscompareideasordrawconclusionsfromthepreceding
thoughts.
Hereisalistofsomecommontransitionaldevicesthatcanbeusedtocuereadersinagiven
way.
ToAdd:
and,again,andthen,besides,equallyimportant,finally,further,furthermore,nor,too,next,
lastly,what'smore,moreover,inaddition,first(second,etc.)
ToCompare:
whereas,but,yet,ontheotherhand,however,nevertheless,onthecontrary,bycomparison,
where,comparedto,upagainst,balancedagainst,visavis,but,although,conversely,
meanwhile,afterall,incontrast,althoughthismaybetrue
ToProve:
because,for,since,forthesamereason,obviously,evidently,furthermore,moreover,besides,
indeed,infact,inaddition,inanycase,thatis
ToShowException:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/574/

2/3

1/30/2015

PurdueOWL

yet,still,however,nevertheless,inspiteof,despite,ofcourse,onceinawhile,sometimes
ToShowTime:
immediately,thereafter,soon,afterafewhours,finally,then,later,previously,formerly,first
(second,etc.),next,andthen
ToRepeat:
inbrief,asIhavesaid,asIhavenoted,ashasbeennoted
ToEmphasize:
definitely,extremely,obviously,infact,indeed,inanycase,absolutely,positively,naturally,
surprisingly,always,forever,perennially,eternally,never,emphatically,unquestionably,without
adoubt,certainly,undeniably,withoutreservation
ToShowSequence:
first,second,third,andsoforth.A,B,C,andsoforth.next,then,followingthis,atthistime,
now,atthispoint,after,afterward,subsequently,finally,consequently,previously,beforethis,
simultaneously,concurrently,thus,therefore,hence,next,andthen,soon
ToGiveanExample:
forexample,forinstance,inthiscase,inanothercase,onthisoccasion,inthissituation,takethe
caseof,todemonstrate,toillustrate,asanillustration,toillustrate
ToSummarizeorConclude:
inbrief,onthewhole,summingup,toconclude,inconclusion,asIhaveshown,asIhavesaid,
hence,therefore,accordingly,thus,asaresult,consequently

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/574/

3/3