LESSON 3.

TRANSITION WORDS TO PHRASES AND CLAUSES

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, the students must have:

a. differentiated the different transitional phrases and clauses;
b. composed sentences with clauses; and
c. followed the correct sentence structure using transition words.

LESSON PROPER

The Transitional Words and Phrases

Transitional words and phrases connect and relate ideas, sentences, and paragraphs. They
assist in the logical flow of ideas as they signal the relationship between sentences and paragraphs. In
prose, the material is supported and conditioned not only by the ordering of the material (its position)
but by connectives which signal order, relationship and movement.

Transitional Words and Phrases/Constructing Sentences using Transitional Phrases

The most basic transition words are conjunctions that join words, phrases, or clauses together. For
example, words like "and," "but" and "or" can connect two sentences together:

• I ran home, and I got there just in time.

• I ran home, but I was still late.

As you can see in the examples above, even simple conjunctions serve different purposes.

• The first sentence uses "and" as a transition word that connects the two occurrences equally.
• The second sentence uses "but," which introduces a contrast.

Knowing the different categories of transition words will help you choose the ones that best get your
point across.

Adverb Transition Words

Other transition words are adverbs that describe the way an action is performed or how it relates to
another idea. For example:

• I went to the mall after he gave me my paycheck.

• Bowling is a sport in which the player with the highest score wins. Conversely, the goal in golf
is to get the lowest score.
Categories of Transitions

There are several types of transitional words and phrases, and each category helps the reader to make
certain connections. Some signal the building of an idea, while others help readers compare ideas or
draw conclusions. Here are some common transition sentences.

Comparison/Contrast

These transitions point out alternatives or differences. See how these work in sentences.

• The boy liked birds, but he was afraid of cats.

• Similarly, he did not like lions and tigers.
• On the contrary, he liked animals that could fly, such as sparrows and falcons.
• Likewise, he thought bats were the most interesting mammals thanks to their wings.

Chronology

These transitions help define time. For example:

• Before you go home, make sure you jot down your assignments.
• During the evening, you can review your work.
• Later, you'll be glad you did.
• You’ll be able to simultaneously eat dinner and review your work.

Cause/Effect

These transitions show the consequences of an action like in these sentences.

• Since you're such a good student, you'll get into a good college.
• Therefore, you can get a job you like.
• As a result, you should be a happy person.
• Because people are happier, they have less stress.

Illustration/Examples

These transition words add emphasis or introduce evidence. Example transition sentences include:

• Ellen loves ice cream. Truly, she'd be happy to eat sundaes every day.
• Specifically, Ellen loves chocolate fudge brownie sundaes.
• To demonstrate her love of ice cream, Ellen is planning an ice cream social for all her friends.

Addition

These transitions add information or reinforce ideas. Here are a few fun transition sentences.

• Jonas promised to love, honor, and also obey his wife.

• Moreover, he will do all the cooking and cleaning while he studies at home.
• Furthermore, he is grateful that his new wife earns enough money to let him do that.
Clarification

Clarification transition words show support. You can see these transition words through the transition
sentences:

• I hate school; that is, I dislike it intensely.

• In other words, I want to drop out.
• To put it another way, school is the worst place in the world.

Qualification

Qualification transition words present conditions or intentions. See them in action now.

• With what was possibly the greatest catch of all time, the Patriots won the Super Bowl.
• They almost always win big games.
• With this in mind, they could be called the greatest team of all time.

Summary/Conclusion

The transitional phrases in summary or conclusion restate ideas like:

• All the facts have been presented and, as can be seen, the results are clear.
• Given these points, it's clearly time to consider some changes.
• In the long run, these recommendations will benefit our company.

REFERENCE BOX

Bett, Jennifer (n.d). Examples of Transitional Words and Phrases in Sentences. Your Dictionary.
Retrieved from https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-transitional-words-
and-phrases.html

Traffic, Catherine (2020). Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Clauses—What’s the Difference?

Grammarly. Retrieved from https://www.grammarly.com/blog/using-that-and-which-is-
all-about-restrictive-and-non-restrictive-clauses/

(n.d). What Is a Phrase? (with Examples). Grammar Monster. Retrieved from

https://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/phrase.htm

(2020). Identifying Independent and Dependent Clauses. Purdue OWL. Retrieved from
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/punctuation/independent_and_depende
nt_clauses/index.html

(2020). Phrase: Definition, Types & Examples. Learn Grammar. Retrieved from
https://www.learngrammar.net/english-grammar/phrase#conjunctional

(2020). Phrases. English Club. Retrieved from

https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/sentence/phrases.htm
(2019). Recognizing Comma Splices And Fused Sentences. Grammar Bytes. Retrieved from
https://chompchomp.com/csfs01/

(2018). Types of Phrases. Study and Exam. Retrieved from

https://www.studyandexam.com/types-of-phrase.html