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Discover How to Keep Your Reader on Track
By Dan Safford
A transition is way to move smoothly from sentence to sentence,
paragraph to paragraph or section to section. It's an indicator to the
reader that what's about to be said is related to what you just said.
You can use one-word transitions or multi-word phrases. You can also use full sentences.
Use transitions between sentences. Look at the following examples:
Example-Without Transitions
The shallow soils in the vicinity around
the site include the Murrill gravelly loam, the Washington silt loam,
the Duffield silt loam, and the Bedford silt loam. The material
observed near the surface within the site boundary is formed of various
fill materials including sand, gravel, silt and clay as well as
concrete and brick fragments.
Example-With Transitions
The shallow soils in the site vicinity
include the Murrill gravelly loam, the Washington silt loam, the
Duffield silt loam, and the Bedford silt loam. However, the material
observed near the surface within the site boundary is formed of various
fill materials including sand, gravel, silt and clay as well as
concrete and brick fragments.
What's the difference in meaning between the two?
Use transition between paragraphs. You also need to show the readers the links between you paragraphs:
Example-No Transitions
The mean fracture aperture ranges were
calculated as 0.008 1 to 0.080 cm (81 to 800 microns) for the six
packer-tested intervals. The overall bedrock mean fracture aperture is
estimated as 0.045 cm (450 microns), with a standard deviation of 0.030
cm (300 microns). The mean bedrock fracture porosity can be estimated
as the mean fracture aperture (0.045 cm) divided by the mean fracture
spacing (28 cm), which is 0.00 16 (unitless) (0.16 percent).
Bedrock core samples from five selected depth intervals from were
submitted to Core Laboratories of Houston, Texas, for analysis of
bedrock matrix porosity, bulk density, grain density and total organic
carbon (Appendix F). The depth intervals 272 feet, 315 feet, 331 feet,
351 feet, and 382 feet, were selected to be representative of the
changing lithology encountered in this borehole. The results of these
core analyses indicate bedrock matrix porosity ranging from 0.0 16 to
0.191 with a mean of 0.065 (unitless), bulk density values ranging from
2.18 g/cn9 to 2.79 glcm3, and TOC ranging from 0.09 percent to 0.16
percent.
Example-With Transitions
The mean fracture aperture ranges were
calculated as 0.008 1 to 0.080 cm (81 to 800 microns) for the six
packer-tested intervals. Based on the calculated mean fracture
apertures for each interval, the overall bedrock mean fracture aperture
is estimated as 0.045 cm (450 microns), with a standard deviation of
0.030 cm (300 microns). The mean bedrock fracture porosity can be
estimated as the mean fracture aperture (0.045 cm) divided by the mean
fracture spacing (28 cm), which is 0.00 16 (unitless) (0.16 percent).
To further characterize the bedrock units encountered at the
MW-10D corehole, bedrock core samples from five selected depth
intervals from were submitted to Core Laboratories of Houston, Texas,
for analysis of bedrock matrix porosity, bulk density, grain density
and total organic carbon (Appendix F). The depth intervals 272 feet,
315 feet, 331 feet, 351 feet, and 382 feet, were selected to be
representative of the changing lithology encountered in this borehole.
The results of these core analyses indicate bedrock matrix porosity
ranging from 0.0 16 to 0.191 with a mean of 0.065 (unitless), bulk
density values ranging from 2.18 g/cn9 to 2.79 glcm3, and TOC ranging
from 0.09 percent to 0.16 percent.
Examples of transitional words and phrases.
You can use many transitional words or phrases in your writing. Here are examples of common transitional words and phrases:
| Transitions that express results: |
hence, therefore, consequently, as a result. |
| Transitions that express example: |
for example, for instance, specifically. |
| Transitions that express comparison: |
similarly, likewise, on the other hand. |
| Transitions that express addition: |
moreover, furthermore, in addition, also, too, besides. |
| Other transitional words/phrases: |
however,
that is, in other words, in short, to conclude, in summary, so, thus,
accordingly, but, conversely, indeed, in fact, no doubt. |
Note
that transitions are interchangeable; that is, you can substitute one
for the other without affecting the surrounding grammar of the
sentence(s). But if you do that, you can significantly alter the
meaning. Look at the examples above. What would happen if you
substituted other transitions?
You can also use full sentences to keep the reader on track:
This concludes the discussion of the
methodology we used to conduct the study. The next several paragraphs
discuss the findings and our conclusions.
This may sound mechanical and even too
obvious. So what? The readers will only appreciate what you're doing.
They won't comment on your mechanical writing style.
Use
transitions between sections. Readers need to be told that there is
continuity between sections as well. Make sure you show that continuity
by starting off your sections with a transition of some sort.
Section 2.0 discussed the objectives of
the project. This section will describe the methodology used to conduct
the geotechnical survey.
Or
The preceding three sections addressed
the proposed site for the Calama Treatment Plant. In the next two
sections we discuss the different methods of processing the wastewater
that comes into the plant.
Or
So far we have given you the technical
reasons for delaying the project by two months. Now we want to address
the cost advantages.
Your readers will welcome these clear signposts.
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