ShmoopTube

00:01

Transitions, a la Shmoop. You’ve probably spoken to someone at one

00:11

time or another who didn’t use transitions in their speech.

00:15

It likely sounded something like this:

00:17

“I love hot dogs. Do you swim? Flowers are pretty, aren’t they? How many pets do you

00:23

have? I have to go to the bathroom!”[two guys talking in a room]

00:25

Sound like any 5-year-olds you know? [kid coloring on the floor]

00:32

There may actually be some link between all of those thoughts…

00:34

…but the world will never know. Because that guy failed to use “transitions.”

00:38

You can think of transitions as signposts that are scattered through your essay…[signs on a path in the woods]

00:44

…that help your readers navigate the various ideas you introduce.

00:51

They basically help make clear what one thing has to do with another…

00:55

…so your readers don’t get lost.

00:57

Which is a good thing, because they only have enough water to last them a few days. [girl in the desert with a water bottle]

01:03

Your goal is to craft a paper that flows so smoothly…

01:06

…that it isn’t jarring when you go from one paragraph to the next. [hair on an essay getting brushed]

01:11

It should feel more like a steady stream of thought than a…

01:14

…crashing waterfall of thought. There are two major types of transitions:

01:20

Those that transition through words…

01:23

…and those that transition through ideas. Transition words indicate a relationship between

01:30

a couple of ideas. [two Ideas on a date at the theatre]

01:31

So instead of “I was just bitten by a raccoon. I’ve had my shots”…

01:35

…you could say “I was just bitten by a raccoon; however, I’ve had my shots.”

01:41

The sentence doesn’t change much, but it’s much clearer in the second example why you

01:47

switch from talking about rabid woodland creatures to your medical history. [doctor talking to a raccoon]

01:53

You’re establishing a connection between the two.

01:59

Transitions can show contrast… with words like “but,” “however,” “in contrast”

02:04

or “whereas”…

02:05

…they can show similarity… as in “additionally,” “also,” or “similarly”…

02:12

…or they can demonstrate a sequence… “first,” “second,” “next,” “subsequently,”

02:18

or “previously.”

02:20

But you can also transition through ideas. [light bulbs turning on]

02:23

See how we transitioned there?

02:24

To transition through ideas, you can make a reference to a key phrase from earlier in

02:29

your paper to draw a connection.

02:32

And it doesn't have to be an exact repetition of a phrase…

02:35

…it can simply be a restating or further exploration of a topic that was brought up

02:40

previously.

02:41

For example, if you mention in Paragraph 2 that cats and dogs are capable of feeling

02:46

emotion…[panting dog]

02:48

…and then in Paragraph 3 you talk about what a crime it is to abuse animals…

02:53

…you’ve created a transition. By using a common or related words to make

03:01

a connection between two different parts of your paper…

03:04

…you allow your reader to do some thinking for themselves. [brain on a stationary bike]

03:09

After all, readers don’t want everything spoon-fed to them.

03:14

Maybe just a little banana pudding after dinner.

Full Transcript