Reason

Many transition words follow similar patterns. Because of this, we can categorize similar
words together. One category typically used to describe transitional words is reason.
Words in the reason list reveal cause and effect of a particular event.

Examples of transition words falling under the category of reason can be seen below.

 Because of
 With this in mind
 In fact
 In order to
 Provided that
 Granted that
 Given that
 In view of
 With this intention
 With this purpose
 Seeing that
 For the purpose of
 Owing to
 So that
You might see them used in a sentence such as; In order to  achieve this, we need a budget.

Result

A result transition word is similar to a reason transition word and will link a sentence to
the outcome of it.

Some examples of commonly used result transition words are:

 As a result
 Thus
 Consequently
 Hence
 For this reason
 Due to
 As a consequence (of)
 Therefore
 Accordingly
 Then
 Forthwith
 Thereupon
You are likely to see a result transitional word in a sentence such as; I cannot attend the
party tonight  as a result  of being so tired from having worked late all week.

Emphasis

Transition words that fall under the emphasis category emphasize a particular fact. They
highlight the importance of the information discussed in your essay. These words signal
that some key information is forthcoming.

Transition words that show emphasis are essential to any well-written paper. Find examples
of these words and phrases below.

 Undoubtedly
 Indeed
 Obviously
 Particularly / in particular
 Especially
 Clearly
 Importantly
 Absolutely
 Definitely
 Without a doubt
 Never
 It should be noted
 Unquestionably
 Above all
 Positively
 Truly
 Even
 Of course
 Naturally
 In truth
 Chiefly
 Surprisingly
 With attention
 To emphasize
 To repeat
 To clarify
 In detail
You might see one of these types of transition words used in a sentence such as; You can
travel to Australia and  obviously, can visit Tasmania whilst you are there.

Addition
Addition transition words add important information to the topic discussed in your
academic paper.

Some examples of addition transition words are found below.

 Additionally / an additional
 Furthermore
 Also
 Too
 As well as that
 Along with
 Besides
 In addition
 Moreover
 Not only…but also
 In addition to this
 Apart from this
 Further
 Finally
 Last
 And
 Similarily
 As well as
 Coupled with
 Not to mention
 Together with
 In the same fashion
 First
 Second
 Third
Illustration

An illustration transitional word is used to give an example of what the speaker is

referring to.

Some good examples of this type of transition word would be:

 For example/ For instance

 Such as
 Proof of this
 Like
 To demonstrate/ To clarify
 Illustrated by
 For one thing
  As an example of
 In the case of
 To demonstrate
 To clarify
 Including
 Namely
 In this case
 To simplify
 In another case
 Specifically
 In this situation
 On this occasion
The following sentence shows the use of an illustration transitional word; There are lots of
things to do at the park,  for instance  feeding the ducks or playing on the slide.

Contrast

You will want to select a contrast transition word to show the difference between two key
pieces of information expressed in your essay. These words indicate that your paper is
linking a sentence or paragraph together by contrasting how two things different.

Contrast transition words make it clear that two pieces of information will be contrasted.
The list below showcases some contrast words that will be effective in your writing:

 Unlike
 Nevertheless
 On the other hand
 Nonetheless
 Despite/in spite of
 In contrast (to)
 While
 Whereas
 Alternatively
 Conversely
 Even so
 Differing from
 Contrary to
 In opposition
 Up against
 However
 Contrarily
 As opposed to
 Yet
 Instead
  Notwithstanding
 Rather
 Nor
 Though
You might see one of these transitions being used in a sentence such as; While  this may
be true, it doesn’t mean that biking is not beneficial for your heart.

Comparison/Similarity

In order to link two sentences or paragraphs you can introduce compare transition

words, The words show how to ideas being discussed relate to each other.

Some examples of this type of transition word might be:

 Similarly
 Equally
 Similar to
 Same as
 Compare / compare(d) to (with)
 By the same token
 In the same way
 Correspondingly
 As with
 Equal
 Just as…so too
 Likewise
 Just as
 Just like
 Both
 Alike
 In common
 In like manner
 In a similar manner
 Still another
 Resembles
 Either
 Most important
 In the spitting image of
An example of a sentence in which you might see a comparison/similarity transition word
would be; In the same way, biking also offers many benefits that help you with your fitness
goals.

Order
An order transition word can be used to show a change in the order or timing of
consecutive ideas and phrases.

Listed below are order transition words:

 First/ firstly
 Second/ secondly
 Third/ thirdly
 Lastly and most importantly
 Last but not least
 About
 Next
 Later
 Since
 Finally
 At this time
 Following
 Now
 Once
 In the first place
 To begin with
 Prior to
 Previously
 Before
 Subsequently
 Above all
 After
 Eventually
 Tomorrow
 In turn
 Momentarily
 From this point
 Not long after
You might see an order transitional word being used in a sentence such as; I will go to the
shop, then to the park, and  finally,  I will relax in the bar.

Conclusion

Conclusion transition words are used to conclude the ideas that have been previously
mentioned. A transition word from the conclusion category indicates that you are about to
wrap up your argument.

Conclusion transition words work well to clarify your arguments.

  Therefore
 To summarise
 In short
 To sum up
 In summary
 Briefly
 To conclude
 In essence
 In brief
 On the whole
 In conclusion
 Altogether
 In any event
 Given these points
 Ultimately
 In the final analysis
 Generally speaking
 All things considered
 Usually
 By and large
 Overall
 As noted
 As shown above
 As demonstrated above
 As you can see
 In a word
 In the end
 To end
An excellent example of a sentence to demonstrate this would be; The acting was superb
and the lighting was excellent,  all things considered, it made for an interesting play.

Condition

Condition transition words are used to establish the condition or to bring into

consideration another viewpoint.

Words that fall in this category include:

 Granted that
 If
 When
 Because of
 In that case
 Then
  Unless
 As
 Since
 While
 Whenever
 While
 Lest
 Although this may be true
 In the event that
 Only if
 Even if
 On the condition that
 Given that
A condition transitional phrase might be used in a sentence such as; Take an umbrella  in
case  it rains.

Concession

A concession transition word is used to acknowledge an opposing view and might be

used in the form of the following words and phrases:

 Admittedly
 All the same
 Up to a point
 Even so
 In spite of
 Although/Even though
 Even if
 However
 And still
 And yet
 Be that as it may
 Regardless of this
 Nevertheless
 Albeit
 Although
 Even though
 Nonetheless
A good example of a sentence containing this type of transition would be; In spite of  the
fact that he is rich, he lives in a small house.

Generalization
A generalization transitional word can be used to give an example of an idea relating to
the subject.

Some common transition words in this category are:

 As a rule
 Regularly
 Commonly
 Usually
 For the most part
 Normally
 Predominately
 In general/ Generally
 On the whole
 Overall
 Typically
 In most cases
 Often
 On the whole
 Broadly speaking
 Mainly
 Generally speaking
 More often than not
 Mostly
Here is a sentence that uses a generalization transitional phrase; In general, Japanese cars
are very reliable and breakdowns are rare.

Restatement

Restatement transition words provide clarity for your argument. These transition words
signal the importance of the information shared before.

To restate your thoughts employ these words in your essay.

 In other words
 Otherwise stated
 That is to say
 Alternatively
 Alternatively stated
 Put differently
 To put it differently
 In a nutshell
 Put in another way
 In simple terms
  Simply put
 Simplified
 Said differently
 Reiterated
 Namely
 In short
 In summation
 Expressed simply
 In simple language
Let’s look at an example of a sentence that uses a restatement transition; In other words,
the elephant is already dancing with the dragon.

Reference

Reference transition words are used to literally make a reference to a continuing idea

presented in your essay.

Words and phrases that express these references include:

 Some examples of these might be:

 Speaking about/of
 Considering
 In terms
 With respect to
 Concerning
 The fact that
 With regards to
 Regarding
 In connection to
 As far as
 As applied to
 Pertaining to
You might see a reference transitional phrase in a sentence like this one; I was explaining to
John that the job he wanted was not available due to  the fact that  they had already hired
someone.

Clarification

Sometimes ideas being discussed in your paper needs to be parsed down. Clarification

transition words indicate that you will be exploring your ideas in more detail.

To provide clarification in your essay use these words and phrases.

 That is to say
  To put it in another way
 To put it clearly
 To break it down
 To simplify
 To clearly define
 In lay terms
 In other words
 I mean
 Simply stated
 Simply put
 In simple terms
 To explain
 To make plain
 In explanation
A good example of a sentence that uses clarification transitional phrase is as follows; I
won’t be going because I do not like her,  in other words, she will ruin the evening for me.

Space/ Location

Space transition words are to clarify spatial relationships. They provide spatial order and
reference.

Some transitions words to describe space/locations are:

 On top
 Below
 Beneath
 Around
 Underneath
 To the left
 Surrounding
 Over
 Adjacent
 Across
 At the rear
 Next to
 Opposite
 Adjacent
 On bottom
 Near
 Nearby