PRACTICE WITH IN-PARAGRAPH TRANSITIONS TO HELP WITH FLOW

Get  your  Cornell  notes  ready!!    Transi2on:  a  logical  connec2on  between  sentences,  paragraphs,  and  ideas.    **  It  links  things  together  

IN-PARAGRAPH TRANSITIONS

Flow is an important aspect of writing, whether it is a research paper or a persuasive essay. Every sentence should easily transition to the next, no matter the topic, to eliminate choppiness and awkwardness within writing. **You also need to connect your ideas or your body paragraphs with transitions.

SO HOW DO YOU DO THIS?

Use In-Paragraph Transitions! Transitions are NOT just for the beginning of paragraphs, even though they should always be used there, too. Transitions and transitional phrases are the perfect way to avoid listing facts and reasons, and getting the dreaded “awkward wording” on your paper.

WHAT TRANSITIONS ARE HELPFUL WHEN USING INSIDE A PARAGRAPH?

*For example *Similarly *Even so *Meanwhile *Nevertheless *In fact *Consequently *However *So *In addition *As a result *Also *Additionally *Then *Without a doubt * Too *Furthermore *Not only *For instance

TIPS FOR USING TRANSITIONS IN PARAGRAPHS ü  Like everything in writing, VARY them. ü  If you are unsure how to use one, don’t use

it. ü  Put them at the beginning, middle, or the end

of each sentence. Vary this, too! ü  Don’t put them in every sentence, like a

robot. ü  Reread paragraphs ALOUD to help with flow.

ü  An in-paragraph transition is a word or phrase that connects the paragraph’s ideas and sentences together.

**It shows how everything is on the same topic

EXAMPLE: THE FOLLOWING IS A PARAGRAPH WITHOUT TRANSITIONS THROUGHOUT. Deaf people struggle to lead normal lives and are often misunderstood. It can cause problems at work and in social life. Deaf people may become withdrawn. Beethoven describes this when he says, “I am obliged to live like an outcast” (Beethoven Quotes). Technology and sign language had made deaf people’s lives easier. Close captioning has allowed deaf people to watch T.V. since 1972 (Living with Deafness).

EXAMPLE: THE FOLLOWING IS A PARAGRAPH WITHOUT TRANSITIONS THROUGHOUT. What did you notice about that example body paragraph?

THE FOLLOWING IS A PARAGRAPH WITH TRANSITIONS THROUGHOUT.

TO BEGIN, deaf people struggle to lead normal lives and are often misunderstood. It can cause problems at work and in social life. NOT EVEN BOTHERING TO COMMUNICATE, deaf people may become withdrawn. Beethoven describes this when he says, “I am obliged to live like an outcast” (Beethoven Quotes). SINCE THEN, technology and sign language had made deaf people’s lives easier. ALSO, close captioning has allowed deaf people to watch T.V. since 1972 (“Living with Deafness”).

YOUR TURN

Follow the instructions on the handout I have provided! We will move to paragraph transitions in ten minutes. As a result, you will need to keep your notes out.

Now we will look at paragraph transitions. Don’t forget to indicate a change of focus in your notes.  

Paragraph  transi2ons  allow  one  idea  to  flow  into  the  next.      Effec2ve  paragraph  transi2ons  signal  how  consecu2ve  paragraphs  relate  to  each  other.  The  transi2on  shows  the  rela2onship  between  the  “new”  and  “old  informa2on.”      For  example,  the  new  paragraph  might:    

• elaborate  on  the  idea  presented  in  the  last  paragraph  • introduce  a  related  idea  • con2nue  a  chronological  narra2ve  • describe  a  problem  with  the  idea  presented  in  the  preceding  paragraph  • describe  an  excep2on  to  the  idea  presented  in  the  preceding  paragraph  • Can  be  placed  at  the  end  of  one  paragraph  OR    the  beginning  of  the  next  paragraph  

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