Transitional phrases in essays

Often, there are several words suitable for one transition, just remember that they don’t always mean the same and you might need some practice to recognize the subtle differences between them. To avoid this, look up synonyms, and never use the same transition word more than once in a single piece of prose (especially in the same paragraph).

Usage: Transitional words are used with a special rule for punctuation: a semicolon or a period is used after the first 'sentence,' and a comma is almost always used to set off the transition word from the second 'sentence.' Example 1: People use 43 muscles when they frown; however, they use only 28 muscles when they smile.

So, it wouldn’t hurt to add all the weapons you can find to your essay-writing arsenal, like these transition words. What are transition words? Transition words and phrases are a part of speech, and they’re used to create coherent relationships between ideas in the text. The ones you might be familiar with are ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘so’ and ‘because’.

Different transitions serve different purposes, such as showing a contrast, showing cause and effect, or elaborating upon an idea. To add to a thought, you would include a transitional phrase that alerts your reader that you are adding to what you have already stated.