Transitions: Introducing Your Evidence
Down below are some of the transitions we came up with during our in-class brainstorming session. While it can sometimes be helpful to use words such as "first," "second," and "last," these transitions do not usually help when you're trying to use direct textual evidence in your essays or Open Responses. We also discussed how phrases such as "I think" and "I believe" are often unnecessary and make your essay sound informal; rest assured that your readers know that whatever you write is what you think and believe!
A good transition can help you fit a quote seamlessly into your sentence, which makes your essay easier and more pleasant to read. Transitions aren't necessarily one word, as you can see above.
An easy way to remember what kinds of transitional phrases there are is to remember that a transition tells where, who, or why.
There are other things that transitions can tell or show, but these three functions of transitions can also help you remember when you need to use a transition. If it's unclear where you found the evidence, who said it, or why the quote is important, you know that you could use a transition!
An easy way to remember what kinds of transitional phrases there are is to remember that a transition tells where, who, or why.
- A transition can show where your evidence was found in the text.
- A transition can tell who said the quotation in the text.
- A transition can tell why something happened and why it's important
There are other things that transitions can tell or show, but these three functions of transitions can also help you remember when you need to use a transition. If it's unclear where you found the evidence, who said it, or why the quote is important, you know that you could use a transition!
We brainstormed for transitions one day in class. Here are a few examples of each kind of transition and how they can be used!
1. Transitions that show where you found the evidence
In paragraph six, it is stated.... ; In line two, ....; The story begins by saying that.... ; In the concluding sentence, the main character says.....
Example: In the second paragraph, it is stated that "the bus arrived long before Johnny was ready to head out the door."
Example: The fourth line on page two indicates that Bob was "driving far too quickly on the highway" when the police officer pulled him over.
2. Transitions that tell who said what in the text
The main character states that.... ; The author states.... ; During the second paragraph, this character says to this character....
Example: The narrator calls Johnny a "forgetful, sometimes irresponsible young man."
Example: On page three, Nancy calls Bob a "danger to society."
3. Transitions that tell why something happened and why it is important
Paragraph five explains.... ; The second part of this story shows that..... ; Line three demonstrates how this character is.....
Example: The third paragraph shows how Mrs. Jones taught Johnny how to use his planner so that he would "get to school right on time."
Example: Line six explains how Bob felt when he read the article about "the dangers of texting while driving," which taught him to "be more cautious."
Click here to move on to the next skill, Using Brackets in your quotations.