Transitions: how to show readers where your argument turns
A list of transition words won't make an essay flow. Transitions help when they name the real relationship between two ideas. This guide shows where they matter and how to choose them.
Why it matters
Explicit transitions show the shape of an argument. Without them, important turns can pass unnoticed.
What you can do
Mark the turns that matter
Add a transition where the argument changes direction, not before every sentence.
Ask yourself: Where does your argument change direction? Does the reader get a cue at that point?
Show an example
BeforeThe first trial succeeded. The second trial failed.
AfterThe first trial succeeded. The second, however, failed.
Pick the transition that matches the relationship
Use contrast words for contrast (however, yet), cause words for cause (because, so), and example words for examples (for instance).
Ask yourself: For each transition here, is the relationship really contrast, cause or example, as the word claims?
Show an example
BeforeThe bridge was closed. Commuters took the ferry.
AfterThe bridge was closed, so commuters took the ferry.
Let structure carry some transitions
Parallel openings or a numbered sequence can signal order without a transition word every time.
Ask yourself: Could a repeated sentence shape show the order of your points instead of another linking word?
Show an example
BeforeAlso, the plan cuts costs. Additionally, it saves time. Furthermore, it is simple.
AfterThe plan does three things: it cuts costs, saves time and stays simple.
When to leave it as it is
The relationship is already obvious from the content, and adding transition words would only pad the prose.
See it in a real text
Prosemetry raises this in paragraph 6 of Assessing Eukaryotic Biodiversity in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary through Environmental DNA Metabarcoding by Natalie A. Sawaya and colleagues. Open the sample at that paragraph to see the note as a writer would, read-only.
See it in your own draft
Prosemetry reads your Word document and marks the passages where this happens, so you know where to look. It doesn’t rewrite anything; the revising stays yours. Free to try, no account needed.
Analyze my draft