Transitions play an important role in any piece of writing. They function as bridges that transport your readers from one idea to the next. Without these bridges, your writing becomes disjointed. And your readers may have a hard time understanding the connection between your ideas. In fact, an article that lacks effective transitions leaves your readers confused and downright frustrated.
If you’ve been haunted by revision requests regarding readability, there’s a chance you struggle with transitions. This is a particularly common challenge among writers who compose in a “stream of consciousness” manner or those who jump around from section to section while writing. Luckily, any writer can improve his or her use of transitions by following a few simple tips.
Learn the Types of Transitions
There are three different types of transitions: those between sentences, those between paragraphs, and those between sections.
- Sentences: These tend to be made up of just a few words or a short phrase and are used to show relationships between ideas within the same paragraph.
- Paragraphs: These can be placed at the end of one paragraph, at the start of another, or in both places to show a logical transition from one idea to the next.
- Sections: Commonly used in longer pieces, these can sometimes be several sentences long. They generally serve the purpose of summarizing information from a previous section and preparing readers for the following section.
Try a Reverse Outline
One of the best ways to improve transitions is to try the “reverse outlining” method.
Perhaps you already outline your articles before you begin writing. However, what we outline and what we end up writing don’t always match up, which is why taking the time to do a quick reverse outline after you’ve completed a draft can be so helpful.
Basically, a reverse outline means taking the time to go through your draft and summarize each section or paragraph in just a few words or short phrases. By the time you’re done, you’ll have an outline of what you’ve actually written, which you can then scrutinize for potential organization and transition issues.
Here’s an example of two paragraphs that don’t have a smooth transition:
A reverse outline of these paragraphs might look something like this:
Paragraph 1: Loans can help you pay for school, and there are several types.
Paragraph 2: Loan interest rates and capitalization can get you in over your head financially.
Looking at paragraphs like this, they feel disjointed and almost contradictory. Let’s see this example again with a transition sentence in between:
Here’s a reverse outline of these revised paragraphs:
Paragraph 1: Loans can help you pay for school, and there are several types.
Paragraph 2: Even though loans can be good, you need to be aware of how they work. If you’re not careful, loan interest rates and capitalization can get you in over your head financially.
With the transitional sentence in place, it’s much clearer how the two paragraphs relate to each other. The reverse outline helps us visualize this.
Reverse outlining also gives you the added benefit of comparing your main ideas to your original thesis. This helps you ensure that your organization makes sense.
Familiarize Yourself With New Phrases
Sometimes, all you need is a word or two to connect one idea to the next. You might consider making an effort to learn several transitional phrases that you can use between sentences and paragraphs. This helps your ideas flow together better and allows you to avoid boring your readers by using the same phrases repeatedly.
Whether you’re looking for a transitional phrase that’ll show similarity, contrast, cause and effect, or any other relationship between your ideas–there are dozens of options available to you.
To save yourself some time when you’re in need of the perfect transitional phrase, consider printing out a chart of phrases and keeping them at your desk. There are plenty of pre-made charts and lists available online that you might find useful, such as the handy one below:
Also, pay attention to the way some of your favorite authors use transitions. When you read particularly smooth writing, go back and underline the transitions you see. Think about ways to use these types of transitions in your own writing.
As you hone in on your own unique style of writing, you might find that certain transitional phrases work better. At that point, you might even consider putting together your own chart of transitional phrases.
Additionally, utilizing the “find” feature (by pressing CTRL + F) can help you go through your work and locate any transitional phrases that you may be over-using; some of my common culprits, for example, are “however,” “furthermore,” and “on the other hand.”
Read Your Work Aloud
Finally, take the time to read your work aloud before submitting it. It might seem silly (and maybe others in your household will think you’re a little odd for talking to yourself), but it makes all the difference. Reading your work aloud helps you catch grammatical errors or typos. It also helps you ensure that the overall “flow” of the piece is logical.
As you read your work out loud, try your best to envision yourself as a reader who doesn’t have extensive knowledge on the subject. If at any point in your reading something sounds choppy, jumpy, or abrupt, make note of it.
Once you’ve gone through the entire piece, come back to those problem areas, paying special attention to your use of transitions—or lack thereof. For “choppy” sections, ask yourself, “Is it clear how these ideas are related?” If not, you’re probably missing a transitional phrase or sentence.
Ultimately, every writer’s process is different, so there’s no universally guaranteed method for improving one’s use of transitions. Give these simple tips a try to get a better idea of what works for your own writing. You’ll be well on your way to providing readers with important signposts and bridges they need to better navigate and understand your work.
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