Transition Words

Transition words tie two thoughts together and add fluency to writing. They also help readers to understand location, similarities and differences, or main points. There are several categories of transition words and understanding each is important to choosing good transition words and phrases for a sentence or paragraph.

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Place and Space Transition Words


	These transition words of place and space help the reader understand location. Example: Nearby, the teachers were meeting in a closed-door session.
List of Transition Words (Open Place and Space Transition Words)
above	across	around	adjacent to
below	between	beyond	here
inside	nearby	neighboring on	opposite to
outside	there	wherever

Comparison / Contrast Transition Words


	These transition words of comparison and contrast emphasize either the similarities of two ideas or the difference between them. Example: Similarly, the harvest dance was also held on a Friday night.
List of Transition Words (Open Compare Contrast Transition Words)
after all	and yet	at the same time	but
by the same token	however	in contrast	in like manner
in similar fashion	in the same way	likewise	nevertheless
notwithstanding	on the contrary	on the other hand	otherwise
rather	similarly	though	yet

Cause / Purpose / Condition Transition Words


	These transition words of cause, purpose, and condition guide the reader from an idea to its underlying root. Example: Even if the school district pays for half of the students’ breakfasts, there still will be those without enough resources to pay for the remaining amount.
List of Transition Words (Open Cause Purpose Condition Transition Words)
because	even if	for that reason	for this purpose
given that	granted	inasmuch as	in order that
on account of	provided that	since	so that
to be sure	to that end	to this end

Conclusion / Summary Transition Words


	These conclusion transition words allow the writer to recap one point before moving to the next or to the end. Example: Ultimately, no one has more influence on a student ’s grades than the student himself. Read more about how to write a conclusion paragraph.
List of Transition Words (Open Conclusion Summary Transition Words)
all in all	all things considered	altogether	finally
in brief	in conclusion	in essence	in short
in summary	in the final analysis	to conclude	to sum up
to summarize	ultimately

Time / Sequence Transition Words


	These transition words of time and sequence explain order or chronology to the reader. Example: In the meantime, the library will be closed during lunch.
List of Transition Words (Open Time Sequence Transition Words)
after	afterwards	always	at length
before	during	following	henceforth
immediately	in the meantime	later	earlier
meanwhile	never	next	now
occasionally	once	simultaneously	so far
sometimes	soon	subequently	then
this time	until now	when	whenever
while

Effect / Result / Qualification Transition Words


	These transition words of effect, result, and qualification take the reader from the problem to its consequences or possible results. Example: Consequently, fewer students are able to take courses in the fine arts: music, art, and drama.
List of Transition Words (Open Effect, Result Qualification Transition Words, )
accordingly	almost	as a result	although
always	consequently	frequently	hence
henceforth	in that case	maybe	never
perhaps	probably	so then	therefore
thus

Addition / Extension Transition Words


	These transition words of addition and extension are used to add to a previous idea or extend the logic or argument. Example: Furthermore, the student council has unanimously endorsed the revised calendar for the school.
List of Transition Words (Open Addition, Extension Transition Words)
additionally	again	also	and
besides	even more	finally	first (or in the first place)
further	furthermore	in addition	in the same way
last, lastly	likewise	moreover	next
second, secondly, etc. (or in the second place)	similarly	third (etc.)	too

Example / Clarification / Emphasis Transition Words


	These transition words of example, clarification, and emphasis are used by writers to explain a point or to give emphasis. Example: In other words, a longer school day may provide more opportunities instead of fewer.
List of Transition Words (Open Example, Clarification, Emphasis Transition Words)
above all	as an illustration	by all means	certainly
e.g., (for example)	especially	for example	for instance
i.e., (that is)	importantly	in fact	in other words
indeed	more importantly	no	of course
particularly	specifically	surely	that is to say
to clarify	to demonstrate	to explain	to illustrate
to put another way	to repeat	to rephrase it	undoubtedly
without a doubt	yes

As you can see, there are a great many choices when deciding which word best connects sentences or paragraphs. While not easy, understanding how these "connecting" words work will make writing much easier for students. Learn more about Transition Words and use our
resources to practice incorporating them into the classroom or your personal studies!