Transition words are the various individual and the group of words that help the readers understand the connection between sentences. “However”, “also”, “Furthermore”, and, “as we know”, “but” are some examples of transition words. These words prepare the readers for the upcoming sentences.
They give directions to the readers that help them more wholly understand the message you aim to give. The usage and type of these words change according to the content you write. However, their purpose remains the same.
Example Transition Words Usage
- I baked cookies yesterday. As a result, my kitchen smelled very nice
- In the above sentence “as a result” is a transition word
- However, there are the following ways to use transition words as well
- My dog became very happy because I came back home
- In the above case, there are no two sentences but two phrases
- I wanted to go out for a walk. However, as it was raining, I decided to stay indoors instead
Importance of Transition Words
Connecting words can increase or decrease the overall readability of the text. This directly correlates with the SEO of your content.
First of all, they make the sentences easier to read and understand for the actual readers of the content. Secondly, people who do not have mastery of the English language will have an easier time trying to understand your web pages. Thirdly, crawlers will rate your content higher.
All the bold words above are connecting words that prove the abovementioned first point.
Fixing Transition Words?
We usually use connecting words in a common way. From the literature writers to social media, most have similar practices related to connecting words. Joining words are there to support the natural flow of the ideas.
Reading will help us realize the uses of the common ones: but, and, also, or and like. With frequent practice over time, they will become natural in your writing. The three major steps for improvement are:
1. Know the words:
Non-native writers are the ones who need to practice this step the most. Looking up the major joining words and understanding their uses through examples will help.
2. Understand the relations:
When you master the usage of the transition words, it is time to understand the relationship between your sentences.
We need to be aware of this relationship while writing the connecting words that will join these sentences.
3. Know the actual usages:
You know the words, and you know what you want to write. There are a plethora of connecting words that can fit in one place, to choose the correct one, reading other texts helps. After some trial and error, the use of transition words will come naturally.
Conclusion:
Transition words can be hard to understand at first, their usage also changes with time. But a person who regularly reads and writes will quickly develop a grasp on them. They will increase the quality of your website content!
Next Lecture: Consecutive sentences can be harmful