When writing an academic essay you want to clearly communicate your arguments. Transitions aid you in creating a logical relationship between sentences and paragraphs. Transitions help writers focus their reader’s attention in a particular way. They direct the reader on how to interpret the content of your essay.

Do not expect transitions to compensate for a poorly organized essay. Transitions are not used to make a piece of writing sound smarter. Instead, transitions allow the reader to follow the argument your paper lays out. Through transitions, readers see how ideas work together to develop a logical argument. Transitions convey a relationship between concepts or ideas. Transitions indicate an upcoming example, an exception to a previous argument, or an alternative to an established argument.

You can add transitions to improve the logical flow of your essay writing. Transitions operate boldly and in a straightforward manner. They fill the gaps between one topic and the next.

Transitions shape your essay’s argument for your reader. They work between and within paragraphs to help you write with precision.