Transition Words

Transition Words

Transition words and phrases connect ideas, help sentence flow and guide your readers from one thought to another in a text. When choosing a transition word or phrase, you must know what the relationship is between your ideas.

Transitions occur between sentences and between paragraphs. To make smooth transitions between sentences, place transition words or phrases at the beginning or in the middle of your sentences. For the same effect with paragraphs, place transition words and phrases at the beginning or end of your paragraphs. Just because you can put a transition word somewhere in your sentence or paragraph does not mean you have to. Use these devices when it is necessary to make the relationship between your ideas clearer for your readers, but do not overload your texts with them. Too many transition words will make your writing heavy and difficult to read.