TRANSITIONAL

EXPRESSIONS

Istarto, M. App. Ling.

MAJ., IDAF, MoD.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSION

A well-written paragraphs depend not only on writer’s

control of what he wants to say, but also on the ease and
smoothness with which his thought moves from sentence/s
to sentence/s, and from paragraph/s to paragraph/s.

Ease of movement between sentences is aided by the

use of transitional devices. Transition means “passages or
change from one position, place, or stage to another”.

In writing, transition involves showing evidence of the

links, the bridges, between related units (sentences and
paragraphs).
 TRANSITIONAL EXPR (Meaning)

The transitional words are such signs for motorists to

prepare for changing directions or conditions.

For instance, when you complete a sentence or

paragraph, you can then let the readers know what is
coming next. When you finish a group of paragraphs
dealing with one topic, you can let the readers know that
another topic is being taken up.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS

1. Introductions

1.a. Introducing the subject of an essay:

It is often said/claimed that...

e.g. It is often said that women definitely play very important roles in the military.

It is sometimes forgotten that...

e.g. It is sometimes forgotten that speeding can kill.

It has been widely known that....

e.g. It has been widely known that Bali is the most beautiful island in the world.

The Idea of ....

e.g. The idea of running this course is to improve the professionality of soldiers.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS

1.b. Organizing the essay:

It is important to try to understand that...

e.g. It is important to understand why the government keeps buying the armement
from the other countries.

This essay/paper will start by...

e.g. This paper will start by identifying the players within the system.

There are a number of issues .......

e.g. There are a number of issues to understand here.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS

1.c. Limiting the scope of the essay:

I will confine myself to talk about...

e.g. I will confine myself to talk about the roles of women in the Air Force.

I will limit myself to discuss...

e.g. I will limit myself to discuss the issue of whether abortion is always wrong
or the circumstances under which it is ethically justifiable.

I will deal with the question of...

e.g. I will deal with the question of whether abortion is always wrong or
the circumstances under which it is ethically justifiable.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS
2. Building an Argument

2.a. Introducing a topic:

The main issue is...
e.g. The main issue is that the price of the fuel keeps increasing.

The issue at the stake here is....

e.g. The issue at the stake here is that the number of vehicles in Jakarta keeps
increasing.

It is worth mentioning that...

e.g. It is worth mentioning that, for the past five years, women have been
involved in many military operations overseas.

It is interesting to consider ...

e.g. It is interesting to consider what the ocean would be like if the world fails
to address the climate change.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS

2.b. Making Generalization:

It is generally/widely accepted/believed that ...

e.g. It is generally believed that to stay healthy we need to practice regularly.

In most/many cases ....

e.g. They also know that in most cases their choises are not relevant to their
desires.

Generally/usually...
e.g. In general, Indonesian people are poorly informed about politics.

On the whole...
e.g. On the whole, children today are far healthier and better aducated than
they were in 1950s.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS (cont.)

2.c. Being more precise: In particular..., Particularly....,

More specifically...
e.g. - Assymetric warfare, in particular, is more dangerous than the traditional one.
- What has happened in westtern Europe, and particularly in the UK, will affect
the global market.

- My topic will be the ethical violance and, more specifically, the ethical violance
committed by the government officials.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS (cont.)
3. Dealing With Sources And Supporting Argument.

3.a. Introducing a quotation or paraphrase.

As ....claims/points out/suggests..
e.g. As Professor McNamara claims, this class has been growing rapidly for
the last 5 years.

e.g. The quality of the human resources is intimately related to the quality
of the education system, as Professor McNamara points out.

According to ...
e.g. According to Professor McNamara, failing to acknowledge other people’s
work when you use it in your writing is considered to be plagiarism, or
cheating, and is punished severely in English speaking universities.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS (cont.)

3.b. Paraphrasing and Reformulating.

In other words...
e.g. The evaluation showed she was making ‘sub-maximal effort’, or, in other
words, wasn’t trying as hard as she could.

Thas is to say ...

e.g. It is a good thing to spell out that the future belongs to private and
public, that is to say, mixed economies.

According to ..
e.g. According to textbooks, Napoleon died from stomach cancer.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS (cont.)

3.c. Introducing examples:

For example...., For instance..., Serve to illustrate ....

By way of illustration...

e.g. - Take, for example, China which has become the most influencing country in
the region.

- A bitter struggle between the ruling party and the local authorities has served
to illustrate how the political landscape, even at local level, has changed.

- By way of illustration, we can point to Benyamin Sueb, the famous Betawi

comedian and film star in the 1990s.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS (cont.)

3.d. Evaluating an argument :

It is reasonable to assume that ....

e.g. - From what we know of other star systems and other galaxies, it seems
reasonable to assume that there are Earth-like planets throuout the
universe.

The truth is that ...

e.g. The truth is that relative decline in economic growth in the near future is
unavoidable.

It would make sense to ..

e.g. It would make sense to say that relative decline in economic growth in the near
future is unavoidable.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS (cont.)

3.e. Agreeing :

It is hard to disagree with....

e.g. Now people would find it hard to disagree with the fact that there are
Earth-like planets throughout the universe.

Agree wholeheartedly with...

e.g. My first reaction is to agree wholeheartedly with her statement that decline in
economic growth in the near future is unavoidable.

One must acknowledge..

e.g. One has to acknowledge that the important of education is to improve the
quality of human resources.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS (cont.)
3.f. Disagreeing :

It is quite wrong to....

e.g. It would be wrong to assume that such behaviour is unique to this country.

I cannot agree with...

e.g. I cannot agree with her statement that the decline in economic growth
in the near future is unavoidable.

I do not share the view that ...

e.g. I do not share her view that the decline in economic growth in the near
future is unavoidable.

This argument does not hold water.

e.g. But when everything is deeply considered, neither argument holds
water.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS (cont.)
4. Referring to Data:

From the table/data/diagram/chart it can be seen that....

e.g. From this table it can be seen that the number of educated unemployments has
been increasing significantly for the last two decades.

The table/data/diagram/chart shows that...

e.g. The chart shows that the number of educated unemployments has
been increasing significantly for the last two decades.

It seems/appears from the table/data/diagram/chart that...

e.g. It appears from the chart that larger cities are more polluted than
smaller ones.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS (cont.)

5. Introducing stages in the argument:

First of all..., After that...., Then..., Finally.

Firstly...., Secondly...., Thirdly..., Finally.
First and foremost..., A second problem is that...
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS (cont.)

6. Additional Markers: In addition, In addition to...,

also, moreover, similarly...., furthermore..., what is
more .... Not only....but also...
e.g. - In addition, there is evidence to suggest that genetic and hormonal
factors play a part.

- In addition to being the capital of the Indonesia, Jakarta is also the

central of business.

- Furthermore, recent studies in SE Asia have found that global warming

has a significant factor of the increasing level of birds migrations.

- He has done everything, and what is more, he has given everything.

- Not only do I think that it is important to share friendship with people of

different ages, but also different backgrounds.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS (cont.)

7. Making Comparisons and Contrasts : compared with,

similarly, in/by comparison with, likewise, equally,
equally, correspondingly.

e.g. - The cost of living in Jakarta is relatively higher compared with other
big cities in Indonesia.

- In comparation with other big cities in Indonesia, the cost of living in

Jakarta is relatively higher.

- Similarly, Jakarta also has numerous social problems to solve.

- He is a smart and professional soldier, and encourages other soldiers

to be likewise.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS (cont.)
8. Contrasting Ideas: But, yet, nevertheless, however, in
contrast, on the contrary, instead, otherwise, on the
one hand .... On the other hand, unlike, whereas,
conversely.

e.g. - Unlike most other lenders, ADCU can arrange loans over the telephone.
- Pensions are linked to inflations, whereas they should be linked to the
cost of living.
- In real life, nobody was all bad, nor, conversely all good.
- On the one hand the policy reduces the inflation. On the other hand it
raises the rate of economic growth.

- Although 'motivation to learn' is already an intricate, multifaceted construct, when the target of the learning process is the
mastery of a L2, the picture becomes even more complex. On the one hand, a L2 is a 'learnable' school subject in that discrete
elements of the communication code can be taught explicitly. Thus, the results of studies on academic achievement
motivation are of direct relevance when talking about the mastery of a L2. On the other hand, language is also socially and
culturally bound, and serves as the primary channel of social organisation in society. This means that the mastery of a L2 is not
merely an educational issue, comparable to that of the mastery of other subject matters, but it is also a deeply social event
that requires the incorporation of a wide range of elements of the L2 culture.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS (cont.)

9. Expressing Cause and Effect : therefore, thus, hence,

consequently, for this reason, so that, as a result.

E.g. - The process is said to be much quicker and therefore cheaper.

- Immunology has demonstrated the link between the brain system and
the defence systems. Thus, a stressed person will have lower resistance to
desease than a relaxed person.

- The incumbent President SBY encourages people to use domestic

products. Consequently, industries are compelled to improve and
standardize the quality of their products.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS (cont.)

10. Conclusions

10.a. Summarizing the Arguments.

To conclude, ... In a nutshell, ...
To sum up, .... To summarize, ...
In short, ... This goes to show that, ....
On the whole, ...

To sum up, ...

e.g. To sum up, China’s recent economic growth has been impressive.

To summarize, ...
e.g. To summarize, the transformation of the Indonesian democratic system
during the first fifteen years of the the reformation era was quite complex.
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS (cont.)
10. b. Drawing Conclusions/Introducing your own point of
view:

In conclusion, ...
My personal opinion is that...
Speaking personally...
My own view is that...
From my point of view...
It is my belief that...
I am convinced that...
It seems to me that...
I believe that...
 TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSIONS (cont.)
10. b. Drawing Conclusions/Introducing your own point of
view:

e.g. In conclusion, the results need further analytical study.

My personal opinion is that, in the future,

women should be given wider roles and
responsibilities in the military.

I am convinced that women could compete with

their male counterparts if they are given wider
roles and responsibility in the military in the
Questions
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Comments
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