Good writing, whether it’s professional, academic or personal involves clear, concise communication. Transitions aid in that process by connecting the sentences and paragraphs of an essay in a logical way. Whether you’re writing a blog post, email, research paper or technical manual, the correct use of transitional sentences will help the reader get through the writing with ease.

A good transition could be as short as a word or as long as a sentence and should summarize, but not repeat, what was said in the previous paragraph. The transition should also create relationships between sentences to help guide the reader through the writer’s thought process.

Certain words naturally make connections that help the reader understand where the writer is trying to go. For example, “also,” “likewise,” and “similarly” warn the reader that a comparison of similarities is coming up in the essay in the same way that words such as “however,” “still,” and “yet” denote a some sort of contrast.