Using Transitional Words and Phrases for Effective Writing

When conducting editing and proofreading for documents, many editors and proofreaders often note the lack of transitional words and phrases used by authors in their work.

Transitional words and phrases are key elements to creating the relationships between sentences in a paragraph. Specifically, these words and phrases identify spatial, chronological, and logical connections in writing.

Let's take a look at an example of a paragraph that fails to employ transitions. As you read through the paragraph, try and see if you can identify where transitions would be necessary to improve the flow.

The invasion of Grenada stood as a strong precedent for other countries and groups of Latin America. The invasion emphasized that toleration of communism was unacceptable. President Reagan sent a strong warning message to entities such as the leftist Sandinistas in Nicaragua that regime change by United States military intervention was very much feasible. The Reagan administration expressed the option to go beyond simply arming a proxy army like the Contras and actually invade Nicaragua outright. This precedent stood invaluable to the suppression of communism.

The above paragraph can be easily improved by utilizing transitional words and phrases to connect the paragraph's sentences. The paragraph below simply inserts these tools in the current text.

Lastly, the invasion of Grenada stood as a strong precedent for other countries and groups of Latin America. The invasion emphasized that toleration of communism was unacceptable. In this manner, President Reagan sent a strong warning message to entities such as the leftist Sandinistas in Nicaragua that regime change by United States military intervention was very much feasible. Specifically, the Reagan administration expressed the option to go beyond simply arming a proxy army like the Contras and actually invade Nicaragua outright. As a result, this precedent stood invaluable to the suppression of communism.

As one can observe (another transitional phase!), the transitional words and phrases create a better flow to the paragraph and ultimately develop a relationship between sentences. As a result, your writing will easily convey your content to your reader in a natural manner. Use these tools to increase the effectiveness of your own writing!

Examples of Transitional Words and Phrases:

again
also
besides
furthermore
next
in the meantime
then
subsequently
in addition
likewise
on the contrary
in particular
as a result
consequently
therefore
in other words
accordingly
specifically
similarly
for example
meanwhile
admittedly
hence
in contrast
for instance
granted
since
thus
of course