USING TRANSITION WORDS & PHRASES PGS. 324 - 326*

Transition words, also called signal words, can help you write more clearly by showing connections between the ideas in your sentences and paragraphs.

Transition Words that Show Time--
Chronological order is the order in which things happen in time.
When writing about an event, you will often tell about the details of the event in the order in which they occur or describe the time at which something occurs.
Use the following transition words that show chronological order or describe time to help you:
first, second, third, etc.
before, after, during, next, finally, while, sometimes, often, whenever, immediately, at first, at last, then, meanwhile, soon, always, later

Transition Words that Show Space--
Spatial order is the order of where things are in space in a given area. It shows where objects are in relation to each other.
When describing where a particular item is, use the following transition words and phrases to make the item’s position clear to the reader:
above, below, on top, around, inside, outside, alongside, beside, over, under, within, to the right, on the left side, in front of, behind, in between, in the back, beyond

Transition Words that Show Comparison/Contrast--
To compare is to show similarities or how things are alike. To contrast is to show how things are different.
The use of the following transition words and phrases can signal the reader that a comparison or contrast is being made:
comparison: similarly, likewise, also, in comparison, in the same way, too
contrast: but, by contrast, on the other hand, unlike, however, otherwise

Transition Words that Show Order of Importance--
When you want to be clear about showing that one idea is more important than another, use transition words that show the order of importance.
The following transition words and phrases will help you show that one idea is more important than others:
primarily, most important, first, second, last, finally
(As you can see, first, second, last, and finally can be used to show chronological order as well as order of importance.)

Transition Words that Show Cause and Effect--
To help explain the connection between an event and its causes or an event and its effects, use the following cause and effect transition words and phrases:
as a result, because, therefore, thus, so, for this reason

*McDougal Littell: Literature and Language, gold