The Connection Tying Ideas Together
As readers, we seek direction and connection between ideas or events that writers present to us. As writers, we must provide the connections in order to be understood. That is where transition words and phrases come in. You might have had teachers or professors write in feedback, "Where is your transition?" or "Transition?" on your papers. That, frankly, means that you have jumped from one idea to another without creating that bridge the connects them. Transitional words and phrases create the connection between words, sentences, and paragraphs.
There are three main types of transitions commonly used in English: continue, contradict, and cause-and-effect. The charts on this page provide both the categories and sub-categories of these useful tools for both writing and reading.
Works Cited
Meltzer, Erica L. The Complete Guide to Act English. The Critical Reader, 2021.
Transitional Devices - Purdue Owl® - Purdue University, owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/mechanics/transitions_and_transitional_devices/transitional_devices.html. Accessed 5 July 2026.
