TRANSITION WORDS

Transitional words and phrases provide the glue that holds ideas together in writing. They provide coherence (that hanging together, making sense as a whole) by helping the reader to understand the relationship between ideas, and they act as signposts that help the reader follow the movement of the discussion. Transitional expressions, then, can be used between sentences, between paragraphs, or between entire sections of a work. The two kinds of transitions are those of logic and those of thought. Each of these kinds is discussed here.

Transitions of Logic

Transitions of logic consist of words or phrases that convey "logical intent": that is, they show the logical connection between two ideas. Since there are several possible logical connections (such as time, purpose, contrast), there are several categories of transitions of logic. The table below lists many of these transitions, arranged by category and listed as milder or stronger. (Note that there is some double listing, because of the different ways words can be used.) Some hints for use:

be careful not to use too many strong transitions transitions become stronger when they are the first word in a sentence, milder

when they are moved a few words into the sentence keep this list handy while you write, until the words come automatically

1

Transitions of Logic

  Milder Stronger

Addition a further (in aggiunta/extra)

and (e)and then (e poi)then (poi)also (anche)too (anche/troppo)next (prossimo)another (unaltro)other (altro)nor(nè/neppure/nemmeno)

Further (piu lontano/in aggiunta/extra)

furthermore (di più/inoltre)

moreover (inoltre/oltre a ciò/per di più/ per giunta)

in addition (in aggiunta/inoltre)

additionally (aggiunta/inoltre)

besides (oltre/inoltre/per di più/d’altronde)

again (ancora/una seconda volta/di nuovo)

equally important (ugualemente importante/dello stesso valore)

first…second (primo…secondo)

finally, last (finalmente/alla fine/infine/in ultimo)

Comparison just as ... so too (appena come…così anche)

a similar example (un simile esempio)

another example like (un altro esempio gradice)

similarly (similmente)comparable (paragonabile)in the same way (nello

stesso senso/allo stesso modo)

likewise (parimenti/similmente/allo stesso modo/così)

2

Contrast but (ma)yet (ancora/tuttora)and yet (ma)still (ancora/tuttora)otherwise (altrimenti)or (oppure)though (sebbene/benchè/ quantunque/anche se)but another (ma un altro)rather (piuttosto)

however (comunque)still (ancora/tuttora)nevertheless (tuttavia)on the other hand (da un lato)

on the contrary (al contrario)

even so (anche se)notwithstanding

(nonostante)for all that (per il tutto

quello)in contrast (in

opposizione)alternatively

(alternativamente)at the same time (allo

stesso tempo)though this may be

(benchè questo possa essere)

otherwise (altrimenti)instead (invece)nonetheless (ciò

nonostante/ ciò nondimeno)

conversely (per contro)

3

Time then (poi)now (ora)soon (presto/tra poco)afterward (in seguito)later (dopo)shortly (presto/fra breve)earlier (piu presto)recently (recentemente)first, second, third

(primo,secondo,terzo)next (dopo/e poi)before (prima)after (dopo)today (oggi)tomorrow (domani/nel

futuro)

meanwhile (mentre)at length (lungamente)presently (attualménte)at last (infine)finally (finalmente)immediately (subito)thereafter (da allora in poi)at that time (a quel tempo)subsequently

(successivamente)eventually (alla fine)currently (attualménte)in the meantime (nel

frattempo)in the past (nel passato)in the future (nel futuro)

Purpose to do this (per fare questo)so that (affinché)

to this end (al passo con)with this object (con questo scopo)for this purpose (a questo

fine)for that reason (per quel

motivo)because of this (a causa di

questo)

Place there (là/lì)here (qui/qua)beyond (oltre)nearby (vicino)next to (accanto a)

at that point (a quel punto)opposite to (di fronte a)adjacent to (adiacente a)on the other side

(dall’altro parte)in the front (nella parte

anteriore)in the back (nella parte

posteriore)

4

Result so (così/quindi)and so (e cosí)then (poi)

hence (quindi/perciò)therefore

(quindi/dunque/perciò)accordingly (di

conseguenza)consequently (di

conseguenza)thus (così/in questo modo)thereupon (subito dopo/al

che/tosto)as a result (di

conseguenza)in consequence (di

consequenza)

Example that is (quello è)specifically

(specificamente)in particular (in

particolare)for one thing (per una

cosa)

for example (per esempio)for instance (per esempio)an instance of this (un

caso di questo)this can be seen in (ciò

può essere veduta dentro)

5

Summary and Emphasis

in sum (nella soma)generally (generalmente)after all (dopo tutti)by the way (a proposito)in general (in generale)incidentally

(incidentalmente)naturally (naturalemente)I hope (spero)at least (almeno)it seems (sembra)in brief (nel riassunto)I suppose (suppongo)

in short (in breve)on the whole (nel

complesso)as I said (ho detto)in other words (in altre

parole)to be sure (certamente)in fact (infatti)indeed (effettivamente)clearly (chiaramente)of course (naturalmente)anyway (comunque)remarkably

(notevolmente)I think (penso)assuredly (rassicurante)definitely

(definitivamente)without doubt

(certamente)for all that (per il tutto

quello)in any event (in qualunque

caso)importantly

(d’importanza)certainly (certamente)

Transitions of Thought

Transitions of thought consist of words that help maintain the continuity of thought from one sentence or paragraph to the next. Transitions of thought are produced by the following techniques:Pronouns and Possessive Pronouns. Follow a noun with a pronoun (to continue the same subject) or a possessive pronoun (to move to something related to the original subject). Fido is asleep. He is a good dog. His house is near the tree. The oranges are in the kitchen bowl. Eat all you want, but check them for ripeness first. The Castells must be home from the beach. I see their car in the driveway.

 Pronouns include he, she, it, we, they, us, them, him, her, I, me, and you Possessive pronouns include his, her, hers, its, their, theirs, ours, our, my, mine, your, yours

6

 Keyword Repetition. Repeat the word around which the discussion is focusing. Many cities are overcrowded. But now there is help for the city. Your gardener can apply this fertilizer to your lawn monthly. Just read the fertilizer label. OR Just ask your gardener about it. OR Your lawn will become greener and juicier.

 Synonyms. A synonym is a word that means nearly the same as another word. The meaning is close enough so that the thought continues, but different enough so that the idea expands and gains greater definition than it would by simply repeating the same word over and over (which would be pretty boring, too, huh?). Fred’s car is fast and powerful. But is such a vehicle legal? And don’t hot rods like that pollute the air? We hiked from the meadow to the peak on Monday. Then we walked from the peak to the bluff Tuesday. It was quite a trek.

 Demonstrative Pronouns and Adjectives. Demonstrative pronouns include this, that, these, and those. They are useful for both direction and emphasis. It is a good idea to change demonstrative pronouns to demonstrative adjectives by adding a clarifying noun (so instead of saying, "This is good," say, "This ice cream is good."). Some people suggest giving up salt on popcorn. This idea, however, is ridiculous. Yes, Air Profit is our best selling shoe. That brand, however, is sold out right now.

7