Up until this point, your writing journey has been quite fruitful. You’ve scored good grades on your essays, and your professors have told you that you have great potential. At the same time, the one point of criticism that keeps coming up is your lack of consistent flow.
You wonder, “How can I improve the flow of my writing?”
Don’t worry, essay writers throughout the world and time have faced this same problem. Although there isn’t a “magic bullet” that will make your writing suddenly flow better, there is something you can add to your essays that will improve their quality: transition words.
In the following article, I’ll introduce you to the wonderful world of transition words and how you can use them effectively to start paragraphs. You’ll learn the following things about transition words:
- What transition words are and why they matter
- Different types of transition words to begin paragraphs
- Different types of transition words to start specific types of paragraphs
- How to use transition words for different essay types
- Some things to avoid when using transition words
- Some pro-tips to use transition words effectively
After reading this article, you’ll be able to use transition words to elevate your essay writing to the next level. You’ll quickly learn how to use transition words in a plethora of different types of essays, which helps you to know how to write an essay about a book, how to write a critical analysis essay, and how to write a persuasive essay, just to name three.
Your journey to become a better writer through the effective use of transition words begins now!
What Are Transition Words and Why Do They Matter in Essay Writing
Before getting into the mechanics of using transition words in your writing, let’s define what they are. Simply, transition words are any words that link one topic or subtopic to another. They can link sentences, or in the case of this article, paragraphs. You’ve already used transition words plenty of times in your writing and probably just didn’t realize it, including these:
Moreover
In contrast
Additionally
With this definition in mind, why do transition words matter in your essay writing? It’s all about the flow!
To illustrate this, let’s look at a short example of a passage without transition words and the same passage with transition words.
Without transition words:
The king decided to attack his enemies. The king led his army. The king was victorious.
With transition words:
Meanwhile, the king decided to attack his enemies. Moreover, the king led his army and was victorious.
As you can see, transitions can concisely add information to a passage (meanwhile) and help the overall flow (moreover). These examples from short sentences demonstrate what transition words are and how they’re used. Keep reading to see how transition words are used in specific types of paragraphs.
Types of Transitions Words for Paragraph Beginnings
Transitioning from one paragraph to another effectively can make a mediocre essay excellent. But before we consider what some good transition words are to use at the beginning of a paragraph, you need to know that there are different types of transition words that are used in specific cases.
Additive Transitions:
Additive transition words signal that the information that was relayed in the previous paragraph will be added in the following paragraph. Some good additive transition words include “furthermore,” “moreover,” and “additionally.”
Comparative Transitions:
These words indicate that a comparison will be made in the paragraph. “Similarly,” “likewise,” and “comparably” all signal a comparison.
Contrast Transitions:
Think the opposite of comparative transitions. Some good contrast transitions to consider are “on the other hand,” “conversely,” and “contrary to.”
Cause and Effect Transitions:
For this type of transition, you link the previous paragraph (cause) to the following paragraph (the effect). “As a result of,” “therefore,” and “consequently” are commonly used cause and effect transition words.
Time Transitions:
These transition words can link events that are happening simultaneously, “meanwhile,” and “while.” They can also transition to events that took place in a sequence: “after,” “before.”
Illustration and Emphasis Transitions:
The transition words in these two categories are meant to illustrate an important point. “For example,” and “indeed” are commonly used.
Summary Transitions:
These words are often used in the conclusion paragraph of essays. We’ll discuss that in-depth in a bit. But for now, think of words such as “overall,” “altogether,” “in summary,” and “on balance.”
Clarification Transitions:
This is perhaps one of the most overlooked yet very important category of transition words. “In other words” and “with that said” often signal when a clarification of previously stated information is made.
As you can see, some of these categories overlap, and many of the transition words can be used in more than one type of category. Use this as a guide, but don’t limit yourself!
Transition Words to Start Specific Paragraph Types
When you segue from one type of paragraph to the next (introduction to the first paragraph of the main body of your essay, for example), transition words are often vital. Let’s take a look at each paragraph in a typical essay and some good transitions you can use to make things flow naturally.
Introduction Paragraph:
You generally don’t need a transition word or words to start your intro paragraph. A good hook is what helps most intro paragraphs, but the sentence after your hook is a good place to use a transition to your thesis. In this case, the words “To begin” and “In opening” often work well. The most important transitions will be those in each of the main body paragraphs.
Main Body Paragraph 1:
The first sentence in your first main body paragraph is the first time you’ll use a true transition that starts a paragraph. The first transition is often the most important because you want to start things on a good note, and fortunately, they are also often the easiest. “To begin with,” “First,” and “Laying the foundation” are all some good transition words you can use. Just think that it’s the start of your essay, so the words should indicate as much.
Main Body Paragraph 2:
The number of main body paragraphs will vary depending on the instructions from your professor, but most essays will require a minimum of two to three. The transition words in your second main body paragraph will follow the same format. “Second” or “secondly” are quite common, but if you want your writing to really shine, there are better options. “Expanding on,” “Following this point,” and “Next in the discussion” usually make your paper flow better.
Main Body Paragraph 3:
For your third body paragraph, you’re going to want to vary things to keep your writing fresh and interesting. Using the transition word “Third” is the bare minimum, so instead, let’s think of some better words and phrases we haven’t used so far. “The next step,” “Delving even deeper,” and “Additionally speaking” are all good transitions, depending on the context.
Conclusion Paragraph:
Often in essays, writers use a conclusion hook in the first sentence of the paragraph. With that said, you can use a transition that connects the main body paragraphs to the conclusion paragraph, or you can use a transition in the second sentence of the paragraph. Good transition words and phrases for the conclusion paragraph include “In summary,” “To wrap things up,” and “To finalize.”
Transition Words to Start a Paragraph in Different Essay Types
Now that you know the mechanics of how to use transition words at the beginning of the intro, main body, and conclusion paragraphs of essays, let’s take a look at specific essay types. Because there are so many different types of essays, we won’t look at them all, but here are some of the more common ones to think about.
Transition Words in Argumentative Essays:
Argumentative essays are all about convincing the reader to adopt your viewpoint. You’ll need to use transition words that flow nicely and get your argument across in a convincing way.
- Moreover
- Additionally
- Likewise
- Equally important
Transition Words for Informative Essays:
The goal of an informative essay is to educate your reader about a particular subject. Transition words that convey a sense of authority are great. Think of the following words:
- With this in mind
- In case
- In order to
- When such a situation occurs
Transition Words for Cause and Effect Essays:
In a cause and effect essay, you are outlining a relationship between an event/person/place/thing (the cause) and its effects. Transition words for cause and effect essays often denote how events are connected through time.
- Therefore
- Because of this
- Thus
- Consequently
Transition Words for Narrative Essays:
Because narrative essays are intended to tell a story, your transition words should help facilitate that story. Words that emphasize a change in the story or plot, or signify a change in time, are also good.
- Meanwhile
- Next
- To begin with
- Not long after
Transition Words for Compare and Contrast Essays:
Transition words in compare and contrast essays are very important. They can either indicate that the next paragraph will focus on the similarity or difference of the topic from the previous paragraph.
- On the contrary
- Likewise
- Although
- Similar to
Common Mistakes with Transition Words
As beneficial as transition words are to better writing, there are a number of mistakes to avoid when using them. The first thing is to avoid forcing transitions into your writing. Their use should come naturally. Let’s take a look at an example of how not to force transition words in your writing.
First, take a look at the last sentence of a paragraph and the first sentence of the following paragraph with a poorly chosen, forced transition:
The armies of Egypt were ready for the battle.
On the other hand, it was a battle that the Egyptians wanted.
Now, look at an example with a more natural transition:
The armies of Egypt were ready for the battle.
Moreover, it was a battle that the Egyptians wanted.
The first example is bad because “on the other hand” is a transition generally used to convey contrast. There was nothing that was being contrasted in this passage. This transition was additive in nature, so the transition word “moreover” or something similar works better.
Even the best writers force or overuse certain transition words. Maybe you’ll find that you like “although” and use it a lot. Be aware that even if you’re using a transition word correctly, you may be using it too much. So, vary your use of transition words.
Tips for Using Transitions Effectively
One good way to vary your transition words is to use a thesaurus. By using different words with the same meaning, you’ll ensure that your writing is clear yet dynamic and engaging.
An outline is always helpful for any essay, and inserting transition words into your outline will help. When you’ve written transition words or phrases into your outline, you can see how they may look and edit them accordingly.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember with transition words is understanding their purpose. As I’ve related in this article, there are many different types of transition words that can be used in different contexts. A transition word or words that work well in the first body paragraph of your essay may not work well in the conclusion. And transition words for argumentative essays may not work well for informative essays.
Transition to Writing Success
Writing is something that can always be improved. As you continue on your writing journey, you’ll learn that there are a number of ways to improve your writing, including mastering transition words that start paragraphs.
Transition words make your writing clearer by signaling to the reader the direction the essay is going. The effective use of transition words can also make your writing flow better and more enjoyable to read.
With this knowledge in hand, do some practice with transition words. I guarantee that in no time you’ll master the use of transitions and your writing will improve. And you may even have some fun in the process!
