If you’re a student, you might have heard about transition words and phrases a lot. They help to connect paragraphs and sentences, smoothly move from one point to another and maintain a logical flow. But, sometimes it is hard to choose a suitable transition word or phrase, as it is impossible to keep them all in mind.
Don’t worry, we are here to explain everything about transition words and which of them to choose in different situations. This article will help you to understand what types of transition words for essays exist, why it is critical to use them, and what words are good for different types of transitions.
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Why Should You Know the Best Transition Words for Essays?
As we said earlier, transition words for essays are tools for maintaining logical flow. Without them, the text can be hard to read. The reader can get confused if you move from discussing one idea to another, and it can dramatically impact the readers’ perception of your points. Thus, transition words and phrases are critical for the readability of any essay, including those you write as part of your academic assignments, such as when you write a research paper.
Basically, there are 3 types of transition words for essays, which are distinguished by their purpose:
- Transitions between paragraphs: Help to ensure a smooth transition between paragraphs. For example, if you finish discussing one point and want to move to another one.
- Transitions between sentences: Ensure a sentence flow and link all sentences in a paragraph to make it clear for the reader how they’re connected.
- Transitions between chapters: In lengthy papers, such as dissertations or term papers, transition words can help to show the connection between different sections.
Also, transition words are divided into categories according to the type of transition. For example, there are words that help to show contrast, similarity, connect cause and effect, etc. We will tell you more about it in the next section.
List of Transition Words for Essays
For every type of transition, there are many words you can choose from. It helps to avoid the repetition of the same transition words and phrases and improves the readability of the text. Down below you can find lists with transition words and phrases for different purposes. Find what type of transition you need and use the words from the list in your essay.
Cause and Effect
- In order to
- Due to
- For this reason
- Therefore
- As a result
- In fact
- With this in mind
- Because of.
Similarity
- Moreover
- Likewise
- Furthermore
- Correspondingly
- Additionally
- Together with
- Similarly.
Time
- While
- Since
- Until now
- Always
- At length
- During
- Earlier
- Meantime
- At the same time.
Contrast and Comparison
- Comparable
- Unlike
- Up against
- Of contrast
- Despite this
- Even though
- In comparison
- Apart from
- Yet.
Enumeration and Addition
- First of all
- Secondly
- Next
- Lastly
- Finally
- And
- Also
- Then
- Again.
Illustration
- Such as
- As an example
- For instance
- In this case
- Illustrated by
- To clarify
- Specifically.
Conclusion
- In conclusion
- To conclude
- In the end
- As has been noted
- To summarize
- All in all
- Overall.
Advanced Transition Words for Essays
Transition words ensure smooth transitions between paragraphs and improve the coherence of the essay. Your readers will clearly understand how you develop your ideas and what are the relationships between them. Also, transition words can prepare your readers for what’s coming next, which ensures that they will not get lost in the text. Thus, it is essential to use transition words and phrases to create a strong essay.
In the list above we already provide some of the common transition words for essays. But here are some advanced phrases you can use to improve your essay:
- Consequently
- In the light of
- To put it differently
- The most compelling evidence
- With attention to
- In the foreground
- All things considered.
How to Use Strong Transition Words for Essays to Improve a Sentence Flow
If you’re not a professional paper writer, it can be a bit hard for you at the beginning to choose the most suitable transition words and use them in the correct way. But don’t worry, we have a few tips on how to correctly use these words in your essay:
- Choose transition words for essays wisely. First, understand what type of transition words you need, then take a look at the needed category, and choose the most suitable one.
- Don’t use them when it’s unnecessary. For beginners, this can be tricky to understand whether you need a transition word between certain sentences or not. We recommend to re-read the two sentences or paragraphs you are not sure about and if it is easy to understand the relationship between them, there is no need to use a transition word.
- Transition words should never be at the end of sentences. It simply makes no sense and only can confuse your readers. Thus, if you need to show the connection between two sentences, always put a transition word or phrase at the beginning of the second sentence.
We hope these tips and the list of transition words and phrases will help you to create a good essay with well-connected paragraphs. No need to remember all the words, you can use our list with transition words for essays any time you work on an academic paper and easily choose the most suitable words.