Active Voice
Coherence
Conciseness
Parallel Structure
Precise Words
Sentence Rhythm
Strong Verbs
Unity
UMD Composition Department
Copyright 1999
Transitions
Transitional words are like turn signals. They tell the reader where you're going next without drawing attention to the process you go through as a writer.
For example, instead of preparing a speech (First, I will present the main idea. Next, I will give supporting ideas. Then, I will write a conclusion), you can simply present the ideas with transitions that signal how the ideas fit with each other. Transitions allow you to forget the process you used to arrive at your organization and let you focus on communicating with the reader.
Read the following example, without and with transitions.
On a rainy day in New York City, I can be 10 to 15 minutes late to an appointment without feeling too much guilt about not calling ahead. Sitting in a cab that's crawling along Park Avenue more slowly than I can walk, I had to concede I wouldn't make it to my destination within even my generous lateness guidelines. It was time to make the familiar "I'm running late" phone call, and check to see if the delay will have a domino effect on my schedule.
That involves yanking two devices from my bag: my cellular phone (to make the call) and my personal organizer (to check my schedule and perhaps get the phone number I need). I could do it all with one gizmo: my new smart phone, which combines a wireless phone with an electronic organizer a la 3Com's Palm or Franklin's Rex. It's the next best thing to having a human assistant at your side.(adapted from S. K. Kirschner, Power Phones, Popular Science, August 1999, 67)
This passage doesn't flow smoothly. It lacks transitions.
Now read the original below to see how the writer glued the ideas together . Transitional words and phrases are colored.
On a rainy day in New York City, I can be 10 to 15 minutes late to an appointment without feeling too much guilt about not calling ahead. But sitting in a cab that's crawling along Park Avenue more slowly than I can walk, I finally had to concede I wouldn't make it to my destination within even my generous lateness guidelines. It was time to make the familiar "I'm running late" phone call, and check to see if the delay will have a domino effect on my schedule.
Ordinarily, that involves yanking two devices from my bag: my cellular phone (to make the call) and my personal organizer (to check my schedule and perhaps get the phone number I need). This time, however, I could do it all with one gizmo: my new smart phone, which combines a wireless phone with an electronic organizer a la 3Com's Palm or Franklin's Rex. It's the next best thing to having a human assistant at your side. (from S. K. Kirschner, Power Phones, Popular Science, August 1999, 67)
Click on next to see how repeated words create coherence.
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