Transitions enhance the flow of thought between sentences. When placed at the start of a sentence, they set the context for the information described in the sentence. Transitional devices can… Read More →
Category: How to master transition words in academic English writing?
Test yourself on transitions in academic writing
Select the transitional device that best matches the sentence. In general, he used complex recipes for his menus. ___________, he used simpler ones this time in order to address the… Read More →
Different transitions for different purposes in English academic writing
All authors should be familiar with and able to use the transitions in the table below accurately when writing journal articles. Interpreting transitions correctly is essential to understanding academic writing,… Read More →
What happens if I use the wrong transitional device in my paper?
If you use the wrong transitional device at some point in your paper, readers may become confused about the logical connections between the ideas you present. After reading the text… Read More →
What are the most common errors with transitions?
The error I see most often with transitions is that “moreover” is used too often. In English written by native speakers, “moreover” is not used very often. When it is… Read More →
Transitions in a journal paper
Some sections of a journal paper tend to contain more transitions than others, and some tend to have different types of transitions from others. The Introduction section tends to contain… Read More →
Can I use the same transition more than once in a paragraph?
In general, the same transition should not be used more than once in a paragraph. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, it can become repetitive when a word… Read More →
Test yourself (2): “on the basis of” or “because of”?
Select the transitional device that best matches the sentence. Four of the participants did not experience skin eruptions after application of the ointment. __________ this finding, the researchers have excluded… Read More →
Test yourself (3): “by” or “due to”?
Select the transitional device that best matches the sentence. ____ composting the trimmings, they were able to generate enough fertilizer for the organic produce businesses in the community. Correct answer:… Read More →
Test yourself (4): “on the other hand” or “on the contrary”?
Select the transitional device that best matches the sentence. A brute-force approach can occasionally provide relevant results. ____, a systematic search using the algorithm consistently gives relevant hits. Correct answer:… Read More →
Test yourself (5): “accordingly” or “therefore”?
Select the transitional device that best matches the sentence. The manufacturers claimed that the new design would achieve the same results in half the time. We ____ tested the new… Read More →
Test yourself (6): “as a result” or “therefore”?
Select the transitional device that best matches the sentence. She could not sleep, and ____ she is tired today. Correct answer: Either can be used. Explanation: Either can be used… Read More →
Test yourself (7): “however” or “in contrast”?
Select the transitional device that best matches the sentence. The weather is unsuitable for soccer today. ____, it is ideal for swimming. Correct answer: However. Explanation: Although both are contrastive… Read More →
Test yourself (8): “in contrast to” or “compared with”?
Select the transitional device that best matches the sentence. __________ the Mercedes, the Audi has a more powerful engine. Correct answer: Compared with. Explanation: Both “compared with” and “in contrast… Read More →
Test yourself (9): “overall” or “in summary”?
Select the transitional device that best matches the sentence. ____, the results showed that the new design is better than the old one, even though it underperformed in some of… Read More →
Test yourself (10): “consequently” and “so” and the adjacent punctuation
Which option is grammatically correct? (a) After 16 hours, the amino acids in circulation will be depleted; consequently, the body starts to use its protein stores in the muscle tissue…. Read More →
Test yourself (11): “briefly” and “in summary” and the adjacent punctuation
Which option is grammatically correct? (a) A detailed description of the procedure is provided elsewhere, briefly, step 1 involves precleaning, step 2 is organizing the equipment, and step 3 is… Read More →
Test yourself (12): “so” and the adjacent punctuation
Which option is grammatically correct? (a) She had practiced the set of drills frequently; so she was able to execute the routine flawlessly. (b) She had practiced the set of… Read More →
Test yourself (13): transitional devices in context
The text below contains several transitional devices. Many of them are incorrect. Can you identify which are incorrect and specify the terms that should be used instead? Since the beginning… Read More →
Useful resources for understanding improving your use of transitional devices
The Writing Centre @ the University of Wisconsin – Madison, The Writer’s Handbook – Using Transitions: http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Transitions.html OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab, Transitional Devices: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/574/02/ OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab,… Read More →