Transition Words: Examples In Sentences, Paragraphs & Essays

Transitional words and phrases help make a piece of writing flow better and connect one idea to the next. Because there's more than one way to connect ideas, there are many types of transitional phrases to show a variety of relationships. View several transition words and examples of phrases used in sentences, paragraphs and essays.

What Are Transitional Words and Phrases?

So, what are transition words? Well, transition words work to connect thoughts, sentences and paragraphs together. Transition words are important within a sentence or paragraph because they allow your arguments to flow seamlessly from one sentence or thought to another. When introducing transition words, the most basic transition words are conjunctions that join words, phrases or clauses together. For example, words like and, but and or can connect two sentences together.

• I ran home, and I got there just in time. (and is a transition word that connects the two occurrences equally)
• I ran home, but I was still late. (but introduces a contrast)
• I could run home, or I could stay at school and work. (or presents two different options)

As you can see in the examples above, even simple conjunctions serve different purposes. Knowing the different categories of transition words, which you'll see below, will help you choose the ones that best get your point across.

Other transition words are adverbs that describe the way an action is performed or how it relates to another idea.

• I went to the mall after he gave me my paycheck.
• Bowling is a sport in which the player with the highest score wins. Conversely, the goal in golf is to get the lowest score.
• First, we are going fishing. Then, we will get ready for dinner.

Paragraph Example With Transition Words

Simple transition words don’t just work on a singular sentence level. They can work to bring together an entire paragraph. Read through the paragraph without transition words. Then, look at the same paragraph with transition words added. Do you see how the example without transition words is choppy and abrupt? Transition words help your thoughts flow from one idea to the next and connect sentences for conciseness.

Types of Transition Words and Phrases

There are several types of transition words and phrases, and each category helps the reader to make certain connections. Some signal the building of an idea, while others help readers compare ideas or draw conclusions. Here is a list of transition words and common transition sentence examples.

Type

Definition

Sentence Examples

point out alternatives or differences

• The boy liked birds, but he was afraid of cats.
• Similarly, he did not like lions and tigers.
• On the contrary, he liked animals that could fly, such as sparrows and falcons.

help define time

• Before you go home, make sure you jot down your assignments.
• During the evening, you can review your work.
• You’ll be able to simultaneously eat dinner and review your work.

show the consequences of an action

• Since you're such a good student, you'll get into a good college.
• Therefore, you can get a job you like.
• As a result, you should be a happy person.

add emphasis or introduce evidence

• Ellen loves ice cream. Truly, she'd be happy to eat sundaes every day.
• Specifically, Ellen loves chocolate fudge brownie sundaes.
• To demonstrate her love of ice cream, Ellen is planning an ice cream social for all her friends.

add information or reinforce ideas

• Jonas promised to love, honor and also obey his wife.
• Moreover, he will do all the cooking and cleaning while he studies at home.
• Furthermore, he is grateful that his new wife earns enough money to pay the bills.

• I hate school; that is, I dislike it intensely.
• In other words, I want to drop out.
• To put it another way, school is the worst place in the world.

present conditions or intentions

• With what was possibly the greatest catch of all time, the Patriots won the Super Bowl.
• They almost always win big games.
• With this in mind, they could be called the greatest team of all time.

• All the facts have been presented and, as can be seen, the results are clear.
• Given these points, it's clearly time to consider some changes.
• In the long run, these recommendations will benefit our company.

• First, he will go to school.
• Then, he might meet up with some friends.
• Finally, his family will meet him at the park.

List of transition words

Types of Transitions in Writing

When it comes to the creation of essays and papers, using transitions becomes more important. You need to use transitions within and between sentences, to connect paragraphs and to connect whole sections of an essay. See how transition words and phrases work to connect sentences, paragraphs and sections through examples.

Transitions Within Sentences

Transition words can be used to connect thoughts within a sentence. This transition highlights chronology or the order in which events occurred. Check out these transition word examples.

• Original: Susan spoke up, thinking of the right answer.
• With Transitions: Susan spoke up after thinking of the right answer.

• Original: Susan wanted cake. She wanted ice cream.
• With Transitions: Susan wanted cake, but she also wanted ice cream.

• Original: Drawing takes talent. Drawing takes dedication. Everyone can learn to draw.
• With Transitions: While it may be true that drawing takes talent and dedication, everyone can learn to draw.

Transition Words Between Paragraphs

When transitions are used between paragraphs, they are often in the form of a phrase or clause that refers to the previous information while introducing a new idea. These transitions often come at the beginning of new paragraphs. See how this works by exploring these transition sentence examples.

• In conclusion, the thesis is clear.
• It follows logically that the answer results from the points made earlier in this paper.
• Lastly, it is important to link all these points together.
• Next, we will look at the evidence for improving nutrition in schools.
• Despite the previous argument, it is also important to think about bees when discussing pollution.

Examine how this works through a longer paragraph example. Notice how the transition words and phrases make the flow from one paragraph to the next seamless.

Lastly, the effect poverty has on education needs to be examined. Many students below the poverty line do not have access to transportation and other resources that allow them to take advantage of school of choice. Additionally, the services available through programs within their area are lacking. It follows logically that these students lack access to quality education and services students in middle class homes have.

As you can see, poverty can have an impact on several aspects of an individual’s life. Not only does it impact their work and home life, but their education as well. Therefore, as a community, it’s pivotal to provide advanced services and assistance to individuals in lower-income areas.