ENGL000: Pre-College English

ADDITION WORDS show the relationship between one idea and something else you want to say about that idea. For example:
For one thing the smell of diesel gives me a mild headache. Another reason I hate the smell is that it ends up sticking to my clothes, and on several occasions coworkers have mentioned it.

Notice that in the example above, the author is saying one thing about the smell of diesel and then using the transition "another" to add on to the first statement (stating a second detail about diesel).

TIME WORDS show the relationship between ideas/events happening at different points in time.  If you are writing in a chronological order, you will likely use a lot of these transition words. For example:

After getting out all of the supplies and ingredients, you need to make the dough. To do this, mix all the wet ingredients (eggs, sugar, and vanilla) in one bowl and all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) in another bowl. Then combine the wet and dry ingredients in the larger of the two bowls.

Notice that in the example above, the author is using the transition "after" to tell readers when making dough will happen in relation with getting out the ingredients and supplies. Once the wet and dry ingredients are mixed, "then" lets readers know that the next step is combining these mixtures together to make the dough.

SPACE WORDS show the relationship between ideas/items in a physical space. This type of transition word helps to paint a visual picture of where things are in relationship to one another. For example: 

Next to the window in my living room is our couch. In front of the couch is a coffee table, and on the opposite side of the room is an easy chair.

Notice that in the example above, the author is describing a physical space by showing the relationships between objects in that space. For example, the relationship between the couch and the window is that the couch is "next to" the window.

CHANGE OF DIRECTION WORDS show the relationship between ideas which are in opposition or conflict with one another. 

The pizza had really tasty sauce, but the crust tasted like cardboard.

Notice that in the example above, the author is using the transition "but" to tie together two opposing ideas: tasty sauce (yay!) and crust that tasted like cardboard (boo!)

ILLUSTRATION WORDS show the relationship between a general idea and a specific supporting detail which is elaborating upon that idea. For example:

My car has been giving me a lot of trouble. For example, the electronics have been not working properly.  Specifically, my power windows and door locks have stopped working on both the front and back driver's side.

Notice that in the example above, the author uses the transition "for example" to move readers from the general idea about car trouble, to a specific example of a type of trouble; you could think of the transition "for example" leading into a specific detail that answers the question from the sentence before. Then, to answer the question raised by the sentence about electronics (readers might ask, "what electronics?"), the author uses the transition "specifically" to give yet further specific detail about the electronics.

CAUSE/EFFECT WORDS show the relationship between an idea which is a cause and an idea which is an effect (for example: It is raining. Therefore, the game will be cancelled). For example: 

I missed the bus that morning and arrived twenty minutes late. Consequently, I ran out of time to even get all the test questions answered.

The author uses the transition "consequently" to show the cause-effect relationship between arriving twenty minutes late and not being able to finish the test.

CONCLUSION WORDS show that an idea is the last one or the final point in a piece of writing. In particular, if you are using an emphatic order, you will want to use words/phrases such as, "worst of all," "most importantly," or "best of all" (you can probably think of others here too such as "craziest of all," etc…). These transitions let readers know that not only is the last point, but it is the strongest, most memorable, or most important point. For example: 

Most importantly, I was frustrated with how test day went.

Notice how the author uses the transition "most importantly" to let readers know that this is the last point in the essay (the first way conclusion transitions are used).  This particular transition also lets readers know that the essay is in an emphatic order (saving the most important point for last).

You might have noticed that these lists have some overlap. Please don't let that confuse you.  There are a lot of these words that can be used in multiple ways to show different kinds of relationships. For example, the word "second" can suggest that I am adding an idea about the topic I am already talking about. For example, "Second, my bus stops don't have huts". This is adding on to ideas about disliking the local bus system. However, the word "second" can also suggest an order in time. For example, "Second, you have to make the dough". This suggests an order in time – that the second step in baking cookies is making the dough.

The biggest concept to understand here is that these different words show different relationships and that they are not interchangeable. When you are using these words to connect your ideas, it is vital to first consider the relationship between those ideas. 

Source: Erin Severs
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