Most Recent Article

Home

Subscribe | Order Our Book
Other Books We Recommend | List of Articles

Achieving Coherence in Writing: Transition Words and Phrases

Among the many tasks facing a writer, one of the most important is to provide transitions that explain how ideas in a text are related to one another. Coherence in writing is the "logical glue" that allows readers to move easily and clearly from one idea to the next.

To achieve coherence, writers usually turn to conjunctions, adverbs, and prepositional phrases and clauses that function as adverbs. To make that task easier, we have compiled the following list of transitional words and phrases organized according to the logical connection, or transition, they indicate.

This article continues right below the box.

Support this site!

If you value the information on this Web site, please help us cover our expenses. Thanks!

You may find it helpful (as we do!) to keep this list posted near your keyboard, where you can see it easily when writing. We have chosen not to alphabetize the items in the lists because we want to discourage you from gravitating toward the word or phrase that may have already come into your mind rather than scanning the entire list to identify the one that best provides the "glue" you need.

The following set of lists is available as a printable PDF :

To indicate examples:

occasionally
usually
often
frequently, especially
specifically
principally
mainly
namely
significantly
indeed
for example, for instance
first of all
for one thing
most important, most importantly
to illustrate
in particular
in general
in this way, in this manner

To indicate comparison:

at the same time
in the same way
in a like manner
likewise
similarly
like
as

To indicate addition:

and
also
above all
further, furthermore
moreover
first, second, third . . .
next
other
besides
too
likewise
last
again
finally
in addition
in the second place, secondly
what is more
indeed
in fact

To indicate contrast:

although, even though, though
at the same time
and yet
conversely
however
but
in contrast
nevertheless, nonetheless
notwithstanding
on the one hand, on the other hand rather
still
yet
whereas
or
not
on the contrary

To indicate concession:

no doubt, doubtless, doubtlessly
surely
certainly
naturally
granted that
although this [noun] may be true
admittedly
I admit
one must admit
I concede
one must concede
after all

To indicate result:

therefore
for that reason
consequently, as a consequence
as a result
then
thus
so
hence

To indicate cause/reason:

because
since
for

To indicate repetition:

again
as has been pointed out
as I have pointed out, as I have mentioned
to repeat
in other words
again, once again
in fact
indeed
to recapitulate, to recap
to repeat

To indicate time:

before
after, afterward
earlier
formerly
later
subsequently
presently
soon
shortly
meanwhile
simultaneously
now
then
after a while
at last
finally
at that time
in the meantime
in the past
up to now, until now

To indicate place:

between
among
here, there
elsewhere
above, below, behind, beyond
on top of
next to
adjacent to
opposite from, opposite to
farther, farther on
in the background

Show your support for this site!

We have kept our promise never to charge our subscribers (over 10,000 of you now!) or the many others who benefit from these pages on the Web. We aren’t trying to get rich, but we do need to cover the costs of hosting this Web site and maintaining our newsletter service.
If you value the information you find on this Web site, please use the PayPal link below to make a secure online contribution so that we can continue to offer this service:

Contribution Options