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200+ Transition Words for Essays That You Should Know

Home » 200+ Transition Words for Essays That You Should Know

Essay writing is a common assignment type that every student will have to face during their scholastic life. But in order to make the entire essay look balanced and engaging, certain factors need to be included in the essay content. One such significant factor is the transitional words. In general, to establish a connection between the information and to maintain a logical flow, your instructors may ask you to add transitions between the essay paragraphs. In case, you have no idea what transition words mean or if you need the best transition words for essays, continue reading this blog.

For your better understanding, here, we have presented a complete overview of transition words, the purpose of using them, and how to use them effectively in different types of essays. Additionally, for your convenience, we have also shared a list of the best transition words for essays to improve the flow of your writing.

What are Transition Words?

Transitional words serve as a connecting link between sentences. They resemble conjunctions and will usually make the writing flow smoothly. If you employ transitional phrases and words when writing an essay, your readers will find it easier to read and comprehend the content you present. Moreover, you can start each body paragraph of your essay with a transition word to lay the groundwork for the concept that will be covered later.

 

Transition Words

 

Usually, a transition word or phrase would be mostly followed by a comma. But you can also use a semicolon to tie two sentences instead of separating them with a period because it will help you to add more connection between your thoughts. Particularly, while using transition words for your essay, be careful because it can either make or break the whole essay topic.

Note that, it is not mandatory to use transitional words or phrases in every sentence in an essay. Its main idea is to build a coherent relationship with the document and help the readers shift from one idea to another in a smooth manner. So, use the transition words only at the appropriate places in your essay content and make sure that your entire essay is not confusing to your readers.

Example of a Transition Word

For your understanding, here we have explained the use of transition words with a simple example.

Without Transition Words: John did not submit his project. He failed his Science Exam.

With Transition Words: John did not submit his project. As a result, he failed his Science Exam.

In the above sentence, the transitional phrase, “as a result” added between the two sentences improves the flow and connects the idea that one thing has led to another.

Benefits of Using Transition Words in an Essay

In general, an essay without transition words will not make a significant difference. However, if you use them in your essay paragraphs, you will reap numerous benefits, as listed below.

  • It improves the flow of writing by establishing a link between sentences and ideas.
  • Using transition words in the right places in a sentence will make the essay easier to read.
  • The transition words will hold the sentences together, resulting in a more cohesive text as a whole.

Types of Transitions

Mainly, while drafting a document, three types of transitions can be used depending on the length, type of text, and complexity. The following are the common types of transitions.

Transition between paragraphs

It is when you logically create a connection between two paragraphs. Basically, this connection summarizes the primary concern of the paragraph and joins it with the next idea of the other paragraph.

Transition within paragraphs

They behave as cues for the readers to prepare them for what is coming next. Usually, they are small phrases or single words.

Transition between sections

When an essay is lengthy, to summarize a particular section, transition paragraphs can be used. Additionally, it also links the information that is to be discussed next.

Categories of Transition Words

Actually, the transitional words and phrases will fall into different categories based on their purpose and usage. Listed below are some primary categories –

  • Agreement, Addition, or Similarity
  • Sequence or Order
  • Contradiction or Opposition
  • Cause and Effect
  • Examples, Support, or Emphasis
  • Location, Space/Place, or Time
  • Conclusion, Clarification, or Summary

While writing essays, you need not stick to the above-listed categories. You can use any transitional words or phrases that suit perfectly for your content. But remember that using a wrong transition word in the wrong context may deviate in a different direction from the point that you are trying to explain.

List of Transition Words for Essays

Here, you can find a complete list of transition words and phrases in different categories that you can use in various essay types to improve the flow of your writing.

Transition Words for Agreement, Addition, or Similarity

While writing an argumentative essay or any other college essay, the transition words listed below will be helpful to you.

  1. In addition to
  2. Equally important
  3. Again
  4. Therefore
  5. Let alone
  6. Just like
  7. As a matter of fact
  8. Also
  9. Not only… but also
  10. In the same fashion
  11. Too
  12. In the light of
  13. By the same token
  14. Moreover
  15. In the same way
  16. Even More
  17. Indeed
  18. Similarly
  19. In like manner
  20. Comparatively
  21. As well as
  22. Not to mention
  23. And
  24. Another
  25. Furthermore
  26. Correspondingly
  27. Thus
  28. Equally
  29. Likewise
  30. Including

Transition Words for Sequence or Order

The following are some transition words that can be used to represent the sequence or order.

  1. Firstly… secondly… thirdly
  2. In the first place… in the second place
  3. Sooner… later
  4. Immediately following
  5. After
  6. Formerly… presently
  7. As soon as
  8. Preceding
  9. Simultaneously
  10. Since
  11. Shortly
  12. Afterward
  13. Next… then… finally
  14. Once
  15. By the time
  16. Earlier
  17. Both… and
  18. Now that
  19. To begin with
  20. Later

Transition Words for Compare and Contrast Essay

Listed below are a few contradictions or opposition transitional words that can be used in a compare and contrast essay.

  1. In spite of
  2. Still
  3. Be that as it may
  4. Though
  5. In contrast
  6. Albeit
  7. While it may be true
  8. Notwithstanding
  9. As much as
  10. Above all
  11. Conversely
  12. Although
  13. However
  14. On the contrary
  15. Although this may be true
  16. Despite
  17. Regardless
  18. But
  19. On the one hand… the other hand
  20. Nevertheless
  21. Even though
  22. Admittedly
  23. Different from
  24. That said
  25. Nonetheless
  26. Yet
  27. Rather
  28. Instead
  29. At the same time
  30. Granted

Transition Words for Informative Essay

Here is a list of transition words that can be used while writing an informative essay and other college essays.

  1. If
  2. When
  3. In the hope that
  4. Even if
  5. In case
  6. So as to
  7. Whenever
  8. With this intention
  9. In view of
  10. To clarify
  11. Notably
  12. To explain
  13. By all means
  14. In general
  15. As in illustration

Transition Words for Cause and Effect Essay

The following are some transition words that will enhance the flow of writing when used in the cause-and-effect essay.

  1. As a result
  2. Hence
  3. Due to
  4. In the event that
  5. Since
  6. Consequently
  7. So
  8. At the end that
  9. Unless
  10. As
  11. Thus
  12. With this in mind
  13. In order to
  14. Provided that
  15. Because
  16. Accordingly
  17. Owing to
  18. In light of
  19. Seeing that
  20. Subsequently
  21. Therefore
  22. Inasmuch as
  23. While
  24. Being that
  25. In the event that

Transition Words for Examples, Emphasis, or Support

Listed below are transition words that can be used in a sentence while presenting any examples, support, or emphasis.

  1. For example
  2. Again
  3. Especially
  4. Including
  5. In fact
  6. To put it another way
  7. For instance
  8. Truly
  9. Particularly
  10. To include
  11. For the purpose of
  12. Namely
  13. Specifically
  14. To illustrate
  15. Also
  16. Certainly
  17. Another key point
  18. As an illustration
  19. Namely
  20. To demonstrate
  21. Equally important
  22. Precisely
  23. Surely
  24. Above all
  25. So that
  26. In particular
  27. More importantly
  28. Besides
  29. As an example
  30. Of course

Transition Words for Location, Time, Space/Place

Here are some transition words that can be used in a sentence while presenting any location, time, space, or place.

  1. After
  2. Subsequently
  3. Adjacent
  4. This time
  5. In the future
  6. Now
  7. Afterward
  8. Before
  9. Immediately after
  10. Following
  11. Previously
  12. Beyond
  13. At last
  14. Currently
  15. Back then
  16. Soon
  17. Above
  18. Earlier
  19. Meanwhile
  20. Simultaneously
  21. Nowadays
  22. While
  23. Below
  24. Here
  25. There
  26. During
  27. Today
  28. Sometimes
  29. Nearby
  30. Then

Transition Words for Conclusion, Summary of Clarification

Listed below are some transition words that can be used in the conclusion paragraph.

  1. In conclusion
  2. Briefly
  3. On the whole
  4. In either case
  5. That is
  6. As for
  7. In other words
  8. To sum up
  9. In brief
  10. After all
  11. In a nutshell
  12. As shown above
  13. To rephrase
  14. In summary
  15. Altogether
  16. In the end
  17. All things considered
  18. In consideration of
  19. Finally
  20. To conclude
  21. In short
  22. On the subject of
  23. With regard to
  24. In a word
  25. To summarize
  26. Ultimately
  27. Given these points
  28. Actually
  29. Considering this result
  30. Regarding

Where to Use Transition Words in an Essay?

By now, you would have had a clear idea about which word to use for the transition between the points and ideas. In case, you are still wondering where to use transition words in your essays or research papers, then take a look at the following.

You can use transition words or phrase

  • In your topic sentence at the start of each paragraph.
  • Between the evidence and the result or argument.
  • In your end sentence at the closing of each paragraph.
  • At the start of your introductory or summary paragraph.
  • To make summarized points within your conclusion paragraph.

Points to Remember While Using Transition Words

Here are some key pointers that will assist you in successfully employing transition words in your writing.

  • Avoid using transition words excessively in your essay.
  • Don’t use transition words in every sentence.
  • Before using a word in your essay, make sure you understand it completely. If you use the incorrect word, the logic will be completely lost.
  • Discover how to begin a sentence with transition words. Many transition words can be used at the start of sentences in most cases, but some should be avoided in academic essays. For example, don’t use transition words like “and, but, because” at the beginning of a sentence. Find a better replacement for these words and use them.
  • Never employ transition words at the end of a sentence.

Conclusion

We hope you have now gained a better understanding of how to use transition words in your essay. In case, you are still not sure how to use the above-shared transition words in your content, turn to us. To utilize our essay writing service, simply send your requirements to us via the order form present on our website. Based on your specifications, our essay helpers will prepare and deliver you a top-notch, customized, plagiarism-free essay on time at a reasonable price. Remember, the content that we compose will satisfy your essay writing guidelines and will also contain the appropriate transitional words or phrases.

Jacob Smith Education Reading Time: 9 minutes

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