Definition:
A word or phrase that shows how the meaning of one sentence is related to the meaning of the preceding sentence. See also:
- Coherence
- Transition
- Coherence Strategies: Transitional Words and Phrases
- Coherence Exercise: Combining and Connecting Sentences
- Sample Example Paragraphs: Junk Food Junkie and Confessions of a Slob
Examples and Observations:
- "Far to his left, in the northeast, beyond the valley and the terraced foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the two volcanoes, Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl, rose clear and magnificent into the sunset. Nearer, perhaps ten miles distant, and on a lower level than the main valley, he made out the village of Tomalín, nestling behind the jungle, from which rose a thin blue scarf of illegal smoke, someone burning wood for carbon. Before him, on the other side of the American highway, spread fields and groves, through which meandered a river, and the Alcapancingo road."
(Malcolm Lowry, Under the Volcano) - "Learn to alert the reader as soon as possible to any change in mood from the previous sentence. At least a dozen words will do the job for you: 'but,' 'yet,' 'however,' 'nevertheless,' 'still,' 'instead,' 'thus,' 'therefore,' 'meanwhile,' 'now,' 'later,' 'today,' 'subsequently,' and several more. I can't overstate how much easier it is for readers to process a sentence if you start with 'but' when you're shifting direction. . . .
"Many of us were taught that no sentence should begin with 'but.' If that's what you learned, unlearn it--there's no stronger word at the start."
(William Zinsser, On WritingWell, Collins, 2006) - "Do not be too self-conscious about plugging in transition words while you are drafting sentences; overuse of these signals can seem heavy-handed. Usually, you will use transitions quite naturally, just where readers need them."
(Diana Hacker, The Bedford Handbook, 2002)
Also Known As: transition, transitional word, signal word
