When writing an essay, you may know the main ideas and points you’re going to cover, but connecting them into a smooth, flowing piece of text that’s easy for readers to follow can seem like a challenge.
Enter transition words. These words work like bridges between sentences and paragraphs so there are no jumps or choppy parts of your writing. Which transition words are appropriate for formal writing, and how do you choose the right ones for the connections you need to make? Check out our guide below.
If you want to introduce an idea in comparison to another, here are some transition words you can use:
If you want to add information or an extra point to an established one, try these transition words:
If you want to establish that one concept is the reason for another or serves as proof of an idea, some suitable transition words to use are:
Whether you’re establishing literal timing or just organizing your points into a sequence, use these transition words:
If you want to emphasize or repeat a point, these transition words work well:
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If you want to lead into a conclusion or summary of an idea, here are some transition words you can use:
While transition words can be very useful in essays, you should keep a few things in mind. When using transition words or phrases, make sure that you:
Each transition word or phrase has a slightly (or vastly) different meaning than the next, so don’t view them as words that you can use interchangeably. Make sure you understand a word’s exact meaning and that it aligns with the connection you’re trying to make.
Use transition words sparingly. Littering your paper with transitions can make your readers feel like you’re overexplaining concepts, and it adds unnecessary wordiness.
Although starting a sentence with and or but is more acceptable than we may have once learned in elementary school, it’s still considered informal. You should avoid starting a sentence with informal transition words like and, but, or, so, and also, swapping them for more formal terms that have the same effect.
There are loads of transition words that you can use to help you connect ideas in your essay. We hope this post gave you some ideas. And once you finish a draft, send a copy our way. We can make sure you use transition words correctly as well as check your writing for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and more. Try it out for free today.
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