Transition Words

The best stylists become masters at artfully placing transition words in pivotal positions—i.e., places where the sentence or paragraph meaning "shifts" slightly. What follows is a handy list of common transition words and their functions. If you open sentences appropriately with these words, it will help your writing to flow. One caveat though: Always keep the literal meaning of a transition word in mind as you use it—therefore, do not use "for example" unless you are introducing an example that links to the preceding information; do not use "nevertheless" unless you are offering a contrasting point. Note how this paragraph has required a minimal use of transition words; they should not be forced in where they do not belong. When you do use them, keep their broader functions (i.e., "causality," "emphasis," etc.) directly in mind. 

Causality

• Accordingly
• Consequently
• For this reason
• Hence
• Therefore
• Thus

Emphasis

• Above all
• Certainly
• Clearly
• Indeed
• In fact
• In short
• Obviously
• Of course

Closure

• In conclusion
• In sum
• On the whole
• To summarize

Similarity

• Likewise
• Similarly

Time

• Afterward
• At the same time
• Before
• Earlier
• Eventually
• In the meantime
• Sometimes
• Later
• Next
• Preceding this
• Simultaneously
• Soon

Concession

• At any rate
• At least

Example

• For example
• For instance
• To demonstrate
• To illustrate

Intention

• For this purpose
• In order to do this
• To this end
• With this in mind

Location

• Beyond
• Here
• Nearby
• Opposite
• Overlying (underlying)
• There
• To the right (left)

Amplification

• Again
• Also
• Apparently
• Besides
• Equally important
• Finally
• First, Second, etc.
• Further
• In addition
• Moreover
• Especially
• In particular
• In regard to
• Namely
• Specifically
• To enumerate

Comparison/Contrast

• However
• In contrast
• In relation to
• Nevertheless
• On the other hand
• Still

Interpretation

• Fortunately
• Interestingly
• Significantly
• Surprisingly

Detail

• Especially