The Importance of Transition Words

Transition words are a vital element when writing in English. They are a helpful tool when trying to express an idea. However, they may become quite confusing for English learners. That’s why we decided to have this introductory article to help you apply transition words to your written texts. In this way, you will get a step further to mastering the English language!

Understanding how transition words work is as important as knowing how to speak or write in English. A mediocre text can adopt an academic insight just by adding a correct selection of transition words. Learn what they are, how to use them, and keep on improving your English level.

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What Are Transition Words?

Transition words, also known as linking words or phrases, are predetermined expressions that help us link ideas within a text. By using them, our readers will get a clearer picture of what we want to say. Moreover, transition words are a helpful tool to predict what is going to happen. How so? Well, for example, some of them take the first place of a sentence. Thus, readers know what is about to come and how it will link to what came before.

We can divide transition words into different categories depending on their use. While some of them show agreement, others express contradiction. We can implement them to introduce a topic or to conclude it. As an English learner, it is essential to know what categories exist to implement them in your own writing. Let’s take a look at the different types of transition words and how to use them.

Categories and Explanation

• Cause and effect: In English, we use these words to link a condition with its consequence. Therefore, we help our readers understand that, after a particular event, we will introduce a fact that correlates as a result. These words are commonly used with conditional structures.
• Clarification/Explanation: Clarification words help us say things in different ways. Sometimes we may feel that we can’t express ourselves adequately enough. That’s why we use another sentence to explain what we want to say using more exact or more straightforward words.
• Contrast: Transition words that express opposition are helpful when we want to present different facts that counter each other. Using them allows us to explain ourselves more clearly. Besides, our readers understand that we are introducing two or more opposing ideas.
• Example: Examples are a great tool to explain what we mean. Transition words help us introduce a fact or event that correlates to what came before. We anticipate our readers that we are trying to give a clear idea of what we want to say.
• Emphasis: By emphasizing, we give more importance to an idea. Thus, we add relevance to a specific point we want to set clear.
• Enumeration: These transition words help us put different steps or events in order. They are beneficial when we need to deal with various phases or stages related to each other but have a specific timeline.
• Time: Some transition words also help us, and our readers, get a time reference. We often use them in guides or procedures. We can also apply them when describing consecutive or simultaneous events in the past, present, or future.
• Similarity: We can link similar facts or events with these transition words. Our readers will get a better insight into what we want to say and how they correlate with each other. Similarly, these linking phrases can help us avoid our text from being redundant.
• Conclusion: These transition words are a vital tool when we want to introduce a closing sentence. In that way, we tell our readers that we will summarize what we have said before. Conclusions help us gather different ideas within a text and place them in order in one paragraph.

Practical Examples of Transition Words

Now that we know how to categorize and apply transition words, we can introduce different examples to show them in use. But before jumping into all categories, let’s take a look at how transition words work. Check the differences between these two texts.

Paragraph A

Cooking at home is a fun and simple activity. Making homemade pizza is not a difficult task. It takes just a few steps to have it done. You need to prepare the dough with the right ingredients. Then, chop some onions and cook the tomato sauce. You can add some more elements to it if you want. Garlic gives a nice flavor to it. Then, put the sauce and mozzarella cheese onto the dough and take it to the oven. It is very easy!. It only takes three simple steps to have your own delicious pizza at home. But you have to be very careful not to overcook it!

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Paragraph B

Cooking at home is a fun and simple activity. For instance, making a homemade pizza is not a difficult task. In fact, it takes just a few steps to have it done. Firstly, you need to prepare the dough with the right ingredients. Secondly, chop some onions and cook the tomato sauce. You can add some more elements to it if you want. For example, garlic gives a nice flavor to it. Last but not least, put the sauce and mozzarella cheese onto the dough and take it to the oven. It is very easy! In short, it only takes three simple steps to have your own delicious pizza at home. However, you have to be very careful not to overcook it!

What are the differences between paragraph A and paragraph B? Both of them have the same content and explain the same process. However, paragraph B is easier to read and understand due to the use of transition words. If this is so in an elementary and straightforward text like preparing a homemade pizza (although it’s pretty incomplete, I know), imagine the impact transition words would have within an entire article. Awesome, right?

How Can I Use Transition Words?

But these are not the only transition words. There are many of them, and you can use them indistinctly as long as they adjust to what you want to say in your text. Let’s look at this chart with some practical examples and how to apply them within a paragraph.

As you may have already imagined, there are many more transition words than these. These are just some examples, and you can ask your English teacher at Inmersivo, Empointe’s learning platform, for more of them. Feel free to contact us for more information to take a step further towards mastering the English language! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to receive more news and updates. Don’t forget to follow us on our social media! Thanks for reading!