Transition words

Transition words are words or short phrases that indicate relationships between different parts of your writing or show important stages of your thinking. They are important for helping readers to see connections between your sentences and paragraphs and to follow the flow of your thinking. For the same reasons, transition words are also important in speeches and presentations. Listed below are some commonly used transition words.

Addition

To show that more information or explanation is coming:

also
moreover
furthermore
in addition
additionally
as well
what is more

Illustration

To illustrate or show a more precise meaning:

for example
for instance
as an example
as an illustration
to illustrate
in this case
consider
in particular
specifically

Contrast

To show contrast or a change in direction:

although
however
on the other hand
in contrast
on the contrary
conversely
even so
nevertheless
whereas
while
yet

Similarity

To show similarity or sameness:

likewise
similarly
in a similar way
in a similar fashion
in the same way
in the same manner

Restating or clarifying

To restate or clarify something you have already said:

in other words
to put it another way
that is to say
as I have said
as discussed above
as I have noted
as noted above
in essence

Sequence

To show a time sequence or logical sequence:

first, second, third
finally
next
after that
following this
afterward(s)
eventually
thereafter
subsequently
at the same time
simultaneously
meanwhile
in the meantime
to begin with
first of all
one reason, another reason

Emphasis

To show emphasis or importance:

in fact
as a matter of fact
indeed
above all
most of all
especially
certainly
obviously
surprisingly
significantly
more (most) importantly
of course
without a doubt
undoubtedly

Summary

To sum up or give an overall view:

in sum
in summary
to sum up
to summarize
overall
all in all
on the whole
in brief
in short

Result or conclusion

To show a result or conclusion:

accordingly
as a result
consequently
therefore
thus
to conclude
in conclusion
for these reasons
for the above reasons
as I have shown
as explained above
as discussed above

Other resources

For even more transition words, here are some additional resources:

Purdue Online Writing Lab (Purdue University)
Academic Writing Help Centre (University of Ottawa)
The Writer's Handbook (University of Wisconsin - Madison)

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