Transition Words by Type of Use
Transition Words by Type of Use
Purpose of transition words: Transition words help to lead your reader from point to point in your writing. Often you know why one fact or sentence follows another, but that logic stays unseen in your head. The reader doesn’t know the logic, and thus ideas can seem disconnected or misplaced. Use transition words so the reader can follow your thinking. Lead them along to make sure you are understood.
Addition:
- Additionally (in addition)
- Also
- Alternately
- Besides
- Further (furthermore)
- Moreover
Example:
- After all
- As an illustration
- For example
- For instance
- In particular
- Specifically
Comparison:
- Along the same lines
- In a like manner
- In other words
- In the same way
- Likewise
- Similarly
Contrast:
- Actually
- Admittedly
- Although
- Conversely
- Even so
- Even though
- However
- In contrast
- Ironically
- Nevertheless
- Nonetheless
- On the contrary
- On the other hand
- Regardless
- Still
- Yet
- Emphasis:
- Above all
- Besides
- Indeed
- More importantly
Cause and Effect:
- Accordingly
- As a result
- Consequently (as a consequence)
- Hence
- It follows, then that…
- Presumably
- Since
- So
- Therefore
Numerical or listing:
- Eventually
- Finally
- First of all (+ second, third, etc.)
- Firstly (+ secondly, thirdly, etc.)
- In the first place (+ in the second place, in the third place, etc.)
- Lastly
- Previously
- Subsequently
- Then
Summary or conclusion:
- As a result
- Consequently
- In a word
- In short
- In the end
- Overall
- Thus
- To put it another way
- To summarize
- Ultimately