Using Transition Words in Your Writing

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Using Transition Words in Your Writing
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Transitions

• Look at the two groups of sentences
• below. Which sentences read more
• smoothly? Why?

• My friend, Marcos, loves to play sports and is
  very athletic. He has won a scholarship to play
  football at a university next year.

• My friend, Marcos, loves to play sports and is
  very athletic. In fact, he has won a scholarship
  to play football at a university next year.

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Transitions
What are transition words?
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Transitions

• Example
• John skipped meals regularly.
• Therefore, he was always hungry.

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Add the missing transition

• It was an unusually cold spring. The
• trees were leafing out.
• It was an unusually cold spring.
• However, the trees were leafing out.

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What is wrong with this transition?

• Walt never cleaned out the inside of
• his car. Nevertheless, it smelled and
• looked horrible!
• This transition makes no sense. It
• suggests a contrast when no contrast
• is asked for.

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Revision

• Walt never cleaned out the inside of
• his car. Consequently, it smelled
• and looked horrible!

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Transition Words

• A word or phrase that links two ideas or
  sentences
• These show how ideas connect
• If there are no transitions, readers must make
  the connections on their own
• This slows reading down and makes it confusing

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Transition Words

• Can occur anywhere -
• At the beginning of a sentence
• In the middle of a sentence
• At the end of a sentence

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Transition Words

• A transition word directly tells the reader the
• logical relationship between one idea and
• another idea.

Transition
Idea
Idea
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Transition Words

• There are many transition words
• As you become a more experienced writer you will
  use lots of types of transition words
• Lets look at a few of the basics
• These will help to improve your writing right now!

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Words to show LOCATION

• Above
• Across
• Against
• Along
• Among
• Around
• Behind
• Below
• Beneath
• Beside
• Between
• Beyond
• By

• Down
• In back of
• In front of
• Inside
• Into
• Near
• Off
• Onto
• On top of
• Outside
• Over
• Throughout
• To the right
• Under

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Words to Show TIME

• Next week
• Yesterday
• Soon
• Later
• Afterward
• Immediately
• Finally
• Then
• Next
• As soon as
• When
• Suddenly

• While
• After
• At
• Before
• During
• First
• Second
• Third
• Now
• Until
• Meanwhile
• Today
• Tomorrow

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Words to COMPARE (two things)

• Likewise
• Like
• As
• Also
• While
• Similarly
• In the same way
• In contrast

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Words to CONTRAST(to show differences between
things)

• But
• However
• Still
• Yet
• Although
• Otherwise
• On the other hand
• Even though

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Lets practice.

• Read the passage
• Highlight any transition words you find
• Share with a partner

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Tyree was all right after Mama died. But I was
all wrong. The year before, Id seen this show
about snakes. They showed this one snake
slipping out of its old skin and then leaving
that old skin on the ground behind him. Thats
how I felt like Mamad been my skin. But I
hadnt grown a new skin underneath, like that
snake had. I was just blood and bones spreading
all over the place. Every night Tyree stayed
with me in my room till I cried myself to sleep.
And the next morning hed find me sleeping curled
up on the floor beside his bed. After a few
weeks of me ending up on the floor, he called
Aunt Cecile, and she came back to new York and
asked around trying to find a doctor I could go
to a psychologist. Some afternoons Id come
home from school to find Aunt Cecile sitting at
the dining room table writing down and crossing
out numbers as she talked on the phone. And some
evenings Id catch her and Tyree whispering
about different doctors, their fees and social
benefits. Then, one afternoon Aunt Cecile
announced that shed found a person I could talk
to named Dr. Vernon. That Wednesday and for a
whole lot of Wednesdays after that, Aunt Cecile
would take me to Dr. Vernon an old man with a
nice office in Harlem. -from Miracle Boys by
Jacqueline Woodson
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Tyree was all right after Mama died. But I was
all wrong. The year before, Id seen this show
about snakes. They showed this one snake
slipping out of its old skin and then leaving
that old skin on the ground behind him. Thats
how I felt like Mamad been my skin. But I
hadnt grown a new skin underneath, like that
snake had. I was just blood and bones spreading
all over the place. Every night Tyree stayed
with me in my room till I cried myself to sleep.
And the next morning hed find me sleeping curled
up on the floor beside his bed.
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After a few weeks of me ending up on the floor,
he called Aunt Cecile, and she came back to new
York and asked around trying to find a doctor I
could go to a psychologist. Some afternoons
Id come home from school to find Aunt Cecile
sitting at the dining room table writing down and
crossing out numbers as she talked on the phone.
And some evenings Id catch her and Tyree
whispering about different doctors, their fees
and social benefits.
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Then, one afternoon Aunt cEcile announced that
shed found a person I could talk to named Dr.
Vernon. That Wednesday and for a whole lot of
Wednesdays after that, Aunt Cecile would take me
to Dr. Vernon an old man with a nice office in
Harlem.
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Homework

• 1. Complete sheet , Connect the Links to Make a
  Chain
• 2. Highlight any transition words you have in
  your writing piece
• 3. Rate your use of transition words using check
  box Rate Your Transitions (staple to writing)
• 4. Add transitions to make your writing flow
  more smoothly. Highlight your new transitions
  in another colour
• 5. Rewrite this draft of your writing,
  double- spaced for next day
• 6. Keep all prior drafts