Writing Transition Sentences

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Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed

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Creative writers and journalists sometimes have the problem of smoothly transitioning from one paragraph to the other, especially when they are changing the subject. This is a learned skill that is not hard to master. By reading this article, you will learn the tricks.

When we writers hop from one topic to another without a transition sentence, we “jar” our readers. Although transitioning can be done in the last line of a paragraph, it is better to do it in the first line of the new paragraph. Think of it as bridge that connects two things.

Warted characters are memorable. The warts assist the reader in identifying with the characters.

Huh? Are you wondering why we aren’t discussing transition sentences? Were you trying to figure that out? If so, now you know how a “jarred” reader feels. Warts don’t relate to transition sentences at all, but we can make them relate by connecting the topics like this: (repeat)

“While sentence transitions may be the last line in a paragraph, they are more commonly used as the first line in a new paragraph. They are like a bridge, connecting one idea to another.

[transition sentence]

We could compare sentence transitions to ‘warts’ on characters. ‘Just as a ‘wart’ will blend readers minds with the character’s identification, transition sentences will blend readers minds to the change of topics.”

(Notice that we can use more than one transition sentence to help the reader follow our train of thought.)

Here is another example from a camping article. We’re picking up toward the end of the article. The issue was the preparation for vacation and the use of a credit card to purchase gasoline. It blends into recapping the vacation and not having any interest to pay. See if you can pick out the transition words.

“And thus you will receive a $10 coupon for every $1,000 you charge on a Flying J credit card (per month), and you can use it to purchase things at Flying J.

By combining the above suggested methods with this plan, you will seldom, if ever, run out of vacation money or have to use an ATM machine; further you will never owe interest, never make a physical payment, and never carry a balance.”

What were the transition words? And so, - “By combining… - the word “further”. Those three words ended the discussion of financing a vacation and it carried into an after vacation recap.

Some words make great transitions. Some of them are: further, besides, in addition to, instead of, specifically, to sum up, although, beyond, close, for instance, again, moreover, accordingly, as a result, during, to illustrate, finally, on the contrary, to compare, consequently, if, then, meanwhile, but, nevertheless, therefore, subsequently, otherwise, so, formerly.

For your assignment, read something and pick out transition words. You will almost always find them in the first sentence of the following paragraph. After you have tried this a few times, check your own work for transitions you can improve on.

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