Transition Word List for Elementary and Middle School Students
Transition words connect ideas within a text. They show the relationship between words, sentences, and paragraphs. Transition words can appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence. There are many different categories of transition words. Eight types are listed below.
List/Add: Transition words used to introduce new ideas or expand on a topic
Time/Order: Transition words used to show when something happened or will happen
Cause/Result: Transition words used to show the cause or result of a specific action
Compare/Contrast: Transition words used to show similarities and differences
Example: Transition words used to identify evidence or an example
Clarify: Transition words used to emphasize or further explain an idea
Conclude: Transition words used to summarize or restate ideas
Location: Transition words used to show the where something is located or the physical relationship between two things
Click the button below to download a FREE printable PDF list of over 100 transition words!
| first, second, third | to begin with | in addition |
| additionally | another | next |
| also | furthermore | equally important |
| too | finally | lastly |
| first of all | now | while |
| once | later | after |
| afterwards | earlier | following |
| suddenly | today | soon |
| then | meanwhile | before |
| at the same time | presently | initially |
“This was GREAT for my 5th graders who were trying desperately to write good summaries! I can’t wait to use the others as the year goes on! Great to have these all in one place! Thank you!” -Melissa R.
| eventually | occasionally | finally |
| immediately | at last | until now |
| sometimes | so far | previously |
| as a result | therefore | since |
| accordingly | because | consequently |
| unlike | despite | although |
| but | conversely | however |
| in contrast | on the other hand | regardless |
| otherwise | even though | while |
| nevertheless | in the same way | likewise |
Are your students confused about placing commas with transition words? Click here to read a great article from Grammar Girl about punctuation and transition words.
| as well as | similarly | for example |
| for instance | according to | as stated |
| to illustrate | in other words | to clarify |
| again | in fact | especially |
| to explain | in conclusion | to conclude |
| in summary | to summarize | clearly |
| all in all | overall | in short |
| above | among | around |
| behind | below | beyond |
| nearby | in front of | next to |
Are you teaching your students to write an organized paragraph? Click here to read through the paragraph writing lesson plan and worksheet ideas!
