In class this week, we are discussing the importance of transitions in writing. Without transitions, the flow of writing can seem abrupt. You may remember learning about transition words, such as “furthermore,” “moreover,” “additionally,” and “next.” Transitions signal to the reader when you’re changing the subject or introducing more information and creates a nice flow.
Obviously, the traditional five paragraph essay offers a prime example of transitions. Speaking about a topic usually involves three main points that back up the writer’s thesis statement, so they’ll use transitional words like “first of all,” “next,” “finally,” and “in conclusion” to indicate the flow of the essay. Within paragraphs you’ll find words like “additionally,” “moreover,” and “furthermore” to signal to the reader that another elements backs up a point.
However, transitions can be more than just signaling words or phrases. Starting a sentence with a dependent clause also helps a writer to transition from one topic to the next. For example, you could say: “While some people dislike pineapple on their pizza, others enjoy it with ham on a ‘Hawaiian’ style pizza.” Changing up the sentence structure throughout an essay can create a smoother flow that reads easily — and impresses the grader.
