Transitional phrases and sentences help create a smooth reading experience so people stay engaged with your content.
This article discusses 6 types of transitions:
1. Transitional words and phrases
2. Short questions
3. Transition sentences
4. Word connectors in sentences
5. Pronouns connecting sentences
6. Subheads
Transitional phrases and sentences
I bet it has happened to you.
You’re reading an article online. After a few seconds, you can’t remember what you’re reading and why. You’ve lost track.
Sound familiar?
When we read someone else’s content, it’s easy to spot the friction.
We stumble across a phrase. We misinterpret a reference. We get confused and reread a sentence. Or worse, we have to go back a few paragraphs to pick up the flow.
Whenever that happens, the writer has failed to communicate with clarity.
But how do you prevent readers from losing track? How do you keep readers engaged?
Creating a smooth reading experience is like maintaining a bicycle chain
When your chain gets muddy, it starts to squeak and rattle. Pedaling becomes harder. And perhaps the chain might even drop off.
For a smooth riding experience, you first remove the dirt from your chain (my husband recommends the aptly named Muc Off), and then you apply lube to reduce friction and prevent rust.
When editing your content, you do exactly the same. First you remove the dirt from your content—you eliminate wordiness and replace weak phrases. And then you apply writer’s lube—the transitional tricks for a smooth reading experience.
Want to learn the 6 types of writer’s lube to reduce friction and keep readers engaged?
Transition trick #1: Transitional words and phrases
Just like drops of oil make your bicycle chain move without friction, transitional words make readers glide through your content.
Transitional words make the reading experience smoother because they explain the relation between two sentences. Examples of transitional words and phrases include:
- And
- But
- Or
- However
- In contrast
- Because
- For instance
- So
You can use transitional words at the beginning of a sentence to explain the relation with a previous sentence, or to connect two parts of one sentence. Here’s an example:
You’re asking for a sale, but you’re ignored.
You want to inspire people, but everybody continues doing their own thing.
Sometimes you want to shout HEY! YOU! LISTEN!!!!
But you’d look like an idiot. And you know it wouldn’t work.
How often you use transitional words, and whether you use them at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence, depends on the rhythm.
Let’s look at the previous example again, but chop up the first three sentences. Read the example below aloud and you’ll notice it becomes a little too abrupt.
You’re asking for a sale. But you’re ignored.
You want to inspire people. But everybody continues doing their own thing.
Sometimes you want to shout HEY! YOU! LISTEN!!!!
But you’d look like an idiot. And you know it wouldn’t work.
It’s a little monotonous, right?
Your writing requires a variation between long and short sentences.
Now, let’s remove all transitional words, and see how difficult it becomes to figure out the relation between sentences:
You’re asking for a sale. You’re ignored.
You want to inspire people. Everybody continues doing their own thing.
You want to shout HEY! YOU! LISTEN!!!!
You’d look like an idiot. You know it wouldn’t work.
If you’re finding it hard to decide how to chop up your sentences, read content of other writers aloud or copy it by hand. Over time, you’ll internalize the rhythm and your writing will improve.
Transition trick #2: Short transitional questions
Short questions can act like changing gears.
Changing gears?
Yep, just like in cycling, in writing you often move up or down a gear.
For instance, in your introductory paragraph, you’ve empathized with your reader, you’ve explained you understand his problem and you’ve promised to help him solve it. Now, you want to shift up a gear to share your tips. To indicate the start of the section with tips, use a short and engaging question:
- Ready to get started?
- Sound good?
- Shall we begin?
Addressing your readers with short questions makes your content conversational and engaging, and you encourage your reader to read on.
Transition trick #3: Short transitional sentences
A few years ago, I bought a new bicycle.
But each time I cycled uphill and changed gears, the chain fell off. Can you picture me? At the road side. Bike against a hedge. Hands black from muck and grease.
To sort out this chain frustration, I now have a rubber dog fang. The dog fang prevents the chain from falling off.
Your reader requires a similar dog fang to prevent him from losing track and clicking away. That’s what short transitional sentences are for. They often end with an ellipsis (3 dots).
Here are some examples of transitional sentences:
- Let me explain why …
- And now comes the best part …
- Not only that …
- What’s more …
- Even more importantly …
Legendary copywriter Joe Sugarman calls these transitional phrases seeds of curiosity. These phrases are especially effective at the end of a paragraph to encourage readers to start the next paragraph.
Transition trick #4: Word connectors
Have you ever watched a comedian and wondered how he moved from jokes about his first love to politics and then on to Christmas dinners?
The secret to moving from topic to topic without losing your readers or listeners are word connectors. Word connectors are words that are repeated in subsequent sentences.
You see what I just did?
I repeated the phrase “word connectors” to connect the two sentences together. This trick can be used anywhere in your writing, but is particularly useful for metaphors.
Here’s an example from an article comparing cooking skills and writing skills:
Cooking mini-skills are pretty clear.
But writing mini-skills seem fuzzier.
Note how the repetition of the word “mini-skills” helps transition the reader from cooking to writing.
Here’s another example from an article about eliminating weak phrases to spice up bland content:
Words with low nutritional value are similar. They seem to have a meaning, but their meaning is weak.
Repeating a variation of the phrase “low nutritional value” helps readers move to the next topic.
Transition trick #5: Pronouns
Pronouns (words like they, it, he, her) play a similar role as word connectors, but you have to be careful what or whom the pronoun refers to. In the example below, the reader doesn’t know whose ice cream I’m referring to.
Try instead:
Ambiguity confuses readers and makes them stop to consider your message. And as soon as readers stop, they consider clicking away, too.
Take away ambiguity, and readers glide through your text. Effortlessly.
Transition trick #6: Subheads
Bicyclists can argue for hours about the best way to keep your bike chain free from rust. Use WD-40. Use Tri-flow. Use light oil. Re-lube more often.
But your content requires a mix of tricks for the smoothest reading experience. And you know the strongest lube to keep your readers hooked? That’s the use of seductive subheads.
Make sure your subheads arouse curiosity or promise a benefit for reading on. And if you’re explaining a series of tips or tricks, then number your subheads to provide a cue to readers where they are in your content.
When your reader’s mind starts to wander off, a seductive subhead entices him back. It encourages people to keep reading, and helps them move to the next topic without friction.
The truth about your task as a writer
Creating a smooth reading experience requires a singular and obsessive focus.
On your readers.
Empathize with your readers, and understand which squeaks and rattles are slowing them down. Take away ambiguity, and eliminate confusion.
Read your content through your reader’s eyes, and spend more time editing your content.
Make the flow of your words as smooth as a brand-new bicycle chain.
Recommended reading on writing smooth sentences:
Rhythm in writing: How to make your words swing and swirl
How to write clear and concise sentences
How to write a long sentence
You may also like:
29 ways to improve your writing skills (the essential list)
This helps me a great deal in my copywriting. Thank you so much for your insight.
Thank you, Richard. I’m glad you found this useful.
Yes!
I’m always mindful of maintaining flow throughout my piece.
Every paragraph should make the reader want to read the next.
And the next must merge seamlessly with the one before it.
I always enjoy your content, Henneke.
Thank you.
Thank you, Tobenna. I appreciate you’re stopping by to leave a comment.
Writing looks easy but ain’t so
Transitioning has been a big challenge to me and so your post has really made things easier for me
It requires practice and lots of practices to get better
Let me get to work
I’m glad this post was helpful. Reading texts from others aloud and paying attention to the transitions helps a lot, too. Keep in mind that there’s no one way to get it right. Some authors use more transitions than others. So be careful not to overthink it. You’ll probably do better than you think.
A very quintessential points you have penned here.
Thanks
Thank you, Indranil 🙂 Happy writing!
Thanks for the breakfast. Time to put in the work.
Happy writing!
Awesome! The examples of your content always make the reading experience effortless. When I read your content, It feels like I am reading a good story. Thank you so much Henneke for sharing insight and tips about writing. Have a nice day!
Thank you, Jahangir. That’s a lovely compliment. I appreciate it.
Fantastic! Your insights and tips make a lot of sense and provide new options I had not considered before. Your snacks are brilliant – and tasty!
Thank you, Russell. I’m glad you’re enjoying the snacks, too 🙂
Hi Henneke,
I can feel a smooth reading experience in your articles.
Masterpiece article!
Thank you, Ravi. I did my best, you know, to make the writing smooth 🙂
This is a great read. Thank you.
Thank you, Stella. Happy writing!
After reading this article I won’t be wrong if I say, your writing style is a synonym of ‘enchanting’.
Thank you, AarGee 🙂
Love this, Henneke. In writing, it’s the little things that really matter. A transitional word as simple as ‘so’ and ‘or’ can make the reading experience better.
Thank you, Lux. It’s so true that the little things matter. Happy writing!
Hello Henneke! Thanks for sharing this article at this time. It’s so timely because I’m editing posts for my new blog and I found it helpful.
Once again, thank you.
I’m glad you found it useful, Cecilia. Happy editing!
Hello Henneke, do you have any tips on how to read classic literature and stay concentrated? I’d like to get some piece of advice from you not as a writer but as a reader.
Thank you in advance for your time.
I mainly read what I like. Sometimes I read a book because I want to learn something and I’ll persevere (to some extent) even if the writing isn’t very good—as long as I’m still learning from the author. At other times, I read to relax or to get distracted from the everyday madness. In this last case, a book has to be well-written with a good pace, otherwise I’ll abandon it quickly. You can find more about my reading habits here: https://www.enchantingmarketing.com/reading-and-writing/
There are a lot of classics that I haven’t read and I don’t really feel the urge to read them. If you want to persevere and improve your ability to focus, it can help to remove anything that may distract you and set a timer to stay concentrated on reading your book. Over time, your ability to focus will increase.
This article was recommended to me by a teacher for some work I had to do and it helped. I might be a bad writer cuz I don’t cycle too much XD
I’m sure you’re not a bad writer. We all have to learn and improve. I’m glad this article helped.
You are the most engaging writer I come across. I love your writing. It’s so smooth, so enchanting. Where can I find your actual business blogs written by you for any website or company?
Thank you, Aasim. You can find a selection of guest posts I’ve written here: https://www.enchantingmarketing.com/featured/
Great. I benefited so much from this piece. Especially, where you can use a subhead to draw your reader in again. Thank you Henneke
Yes, subheads can be surprisingly powerful. I’m glad you benefited from this post. Happy writing! 🙂
Your tips are amazingly practical, Henneke.
I’ve been a technical and creative writer for serveral years now. But copywriting is a totally different arena.
Thank you for showing us the ropes.
I’m glad you’re enjoying my blog, Irel. I appreciate that copywriting may feel like a completely different arena, but over time, you’ll probably notice some similarities between creative writing and copywriting. So, you can apply your creative writing skills to sales copy, too!
Thank you for stopping by to leave a comment. I appreciate it.
Yes, when I look through the eyes of my readers, then everything in my writing starts to fall into place.
Joe Sugarman came to speak at our place. He said he was the greatest failure in the world (because he had tried and failed so many times – then he succeeded).
PS I cycle every day. That is why I am such a good writer.
Maybe that’s the advice I should give more often. Want to become a better writer? Get on your bicycle more often 😀 😀
Such a great comment from Joe Sugarman. How great you got to meet him!
I found this very helpful, thanks!
Thank you, Kelly. Happy writing!
This article is very informative. I will try to use these tricks in my writing, and I am keeping this article with me for reading it on and off.
Thank you, very much,
Thanks, Muhammad. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Happy writing!
Thanks for posting this article. You helped me with transitions on my book critique.
Great! Happy writing 🙂
Love it, Henneke . You’re the Master of Metaphors.
Thank you, Lee. Metaphors are fun 🙂
Hi Henneke,
I’m absolutely in love with your writing skills. I really love the way you have put up all experience you’ve had. I found your articles very helpful. Yet I would like you to please give me some tips on how to start writing a book. The person who writes is called writer or author. But I’m the other guy who has a self-drafted story which I want to write by self. In short, I want my story to be published as my own (As Written by Laxman) without having hired an outside editors. So please share some tips.
Hi Laxman
You don’t have to call yourself a writer or author to write a book. Anyone with ideas to share can write a book.
Here’s an article about how I wrote my books: https://www.enchantingmarketing.com/turn-blog-into-book/
PS You can hire outside editors without having to put their names on your book. If you’d wanted to, you can even hire a ghostwriter without having to put their name on your book.
Hi Henneke
The idea of a bicycle riding metaphor works well, does it not? Particularly the oil – used sparingly. And, as usual, it’s your pictures that do it for me J It’s taken me a while to visit your blog (having followed you on Twitter for some time). Interesting for me, because now I realise there may well be truth in all these claims that one needs however many ‘touches’ before a ‘sale’.
Thank you so much for taking the time to visit and leave a comment, Wanda. I appreciate it 🙂
It’s also been a while since I’ve been using cycling metaphors, so perhaps it’s time to exercise my metaphoric muscles again!
Thanks for highlighting the importance of transition words. Your examples have made it crystal clear. I feel so refreshed when I read your AMAZING content. The way you explain techniques of writing with examples is so helpful.
Even, I got to know a little bit more about cycling too 😉
Thank you for your lovely comment, Arfa. And yep, transition words play quite a big role in creating a smooth reading experience.
Happy writing!
I enjoyed reading this. As well as the other articles you have posted. I have just begun writing in the marketing industry and I was having a hard time. Your tips helped correct a lot of things I thought I was doing right. Thank you so much for sharing these goodies!
That’s great to read, Gladys. Thank you! 🙂
Happy writing!
I also can’t help but notice a subtle 2-5 blocks of text, never less and never more that run through this post – which I enjoyed and got through like a freewheeling cyclist down a steep hill! 🙂
Sounds like you didn’t encounter any speedbumps while enjoying your ride 🙂
Hey Henneke,
Awesome post. I’m a regular visitor here, and have found all posts interesting. The tips you have mentioned here are unique. Bike ride technique is a amazing. Thanks 🙂
Hey Henneke,
Absolutely remarkable post. My goodness, I need to really practice writing and using analogies and stories like you do .. because the bike example tied in beautifully with the theme of the post. It really helped me out.
I really love the changing gears and dog fang tips.
Thanks for the practical tips and for always being so thorough.
– Andrew
It was a fun post to write! 🙂
Thank you for stopping by, Andrew
More great tips! Thanks as always!
Hello Henneka,
This is really superb. Creating engaging contents is never easy but once it becomes part you, you will always find it fun.
Its always good to see look and read or articles using our readers eyes because this is the best way we will be able to spot some flaws on the article that we might not have noticed initially.
I love this post mam, thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it, Theodore. Thank you for stopping by!
Thanks Henneke. One thing that helps is reading copy out loud. Its amazing what your eyes read vs. what your ears hear. Its a great way to edit.
Yep, I usually read my copy aloud at least twice. If you’d hear me, you might think I’m crazy 😉
Wow, Henneke, once again an awesome post. I was so inspired when I read it, I had to share it on Twitter and Google+, just in case people missed it.
I do believe this advice will stick after I leave this page.
Linda
Thank you for sharing!
Usual gold Henneke. Thanks again.
Max
You’re welcome, Max 🙂
Great value once again, still learning from you happily reading taking it in, no pressure only better writing and a course on Dog Psychology.
I learned to love what I do. Love A.
Thank you, Annamarie. I feel lucky to love what I do, too.
Hey Henneke, another fantastic post that teaches me so very much as a budding solutions generator aka copywriter. Thanks, printed it and will study it with the rest of the outstanding info.
PS I sold my Gazelle bike when I left for the US. Boy, I still regret that, oh well, it is what it is.
Thank you, Elvire. I can imagine you’re missing your Gazelle. Time to buy another bike?
Hey Henneke,
You were talking directly to me. I’ve read blogs where I wander off or had to go back and re-read sentences all over again to get the point.
Then I ask myself if I write like this. I tell that these are some great tips to follow. I will definitely have to bookmark this for my own sake!
Thanks for sharing Henneke! Have a good one!
I think we all experience bad writing from time to time. It’s always useful to check and analyze why that happened – like a reminder how not to write 😉
Love your post. I always learn lots but this time it really hit me. I thought I knew lots about transitions but you really open my eyes to some new ideas.
Thanks.
You’re welcome, Wendy. I’ve noticed that most people use transitions quite intuitively, but when they pay a little more attention to transitions, they can make their writing even smoother. And it makes a real difference to the rhythm of their writing. Rhythm in writing doesn’t get enough attention.
Happy writing!
Thank you, Henneke.
I always learn something from your posts.
Today I learned a new word. Smoothen. I had to look that up, just to be sure. Either it’s not commonly used in American English, or I need to read more.
And I had to Google “rubber dog fang”. I had no idea. But, I came back. You didn’t lose me.
I don’t know how you come up with such great ideas for posts. So much of what you write seems obvious. Simple tips that we use occasionally without thinking. Reading a post like this brings the transitions into the conscious and forces me to think about them.
Well done.
“Smoothen” might be British English? I double checked it before posting as WordPress didn’t like it either (but Word was okay with it). Would you use “smooth” as a verb instead? Sometimes I get my languages mixed up 😉
I’m glad you came back to finish reading the post. Perhaps I should have added a picture of a rubber dog fang to explain it.
I don’t know about smoothen. It showed up in my dictionary. But, I hadn’t heard it before. Yes, I would use smooth as the verb. That doesn’t mean I’m right. ?
Of course I came back. I read and re read your posts. Today I was distracted by thoughts of cleaning a bike chain, wondering if it should be cleaned before it’s oiled, or if a spray will clean and lube at the same time. Scatterbrained.
Clean first, and lube afterwards. That’s what I’ve been told 🙂
I trust your advice on smoothen. I’ll change it in the text. Thank you, Scott.
Henneke, I had to laugh at the irony of this …the speck of grit in your oil if you like. I tripped over “smoothen” and had to dismount my bike to check it out in the English and USA dictionaries. They don’t list it. I think it should be “smooth” or you could say “smooth out” or “smooth over”. “Smoothing” is definitely better than “smoothening”. But other dictionaries might disagree. I respectfully suggest if a word is in doubt, it’s risky to use it in a sentence that you want to be smooth! 😉
Hi Sue
I looked it up before publishing. It’s in Merriam Webster’s. To smoothen means to become smooth or to make smooth. It wasn’t marked as chiefly British English, so I guessed it would be okay. But it’s clearly confusing for American ears, so I’ll change it. Thank you for pointing it out! I appreciate it.
You’re posts are always so informative. And you explain things in such a fun, engaging way.
Thank you, Monica! 🙂
“Have you ever watched a comedian and wondered how he moved from jokes about his first love to politics and then on to Christmas dinners?”
I still wonder this, even when I am watching for the connections. There is a real art to using word connectors. I’m a Toastmaster in my spare time, and I find it pays to watch videos of good speeches and then reverse-engineer them to see why they pack such a punch.
The same applies to good writing (like yours!) It’s well worth picking through the parargraphs to see what makes them so gripping.
Thanks Henneke!
You’re a Toastmaster? You can do anything, it seems, Alison. Accountant, cartoonist, Toastmaster, writer. What else is on your illustrious list? 🙂
By the way, reverse-engineering is how I learned to write as well. I studied how others write (especially people whose writing I like). And I still try to do this to continue improving my writing (and drawing!).
🙂
Your drawing goes from strength to strength! I was just admiring the clever concept you came up with for Henrietta and the bike cogs up above. Whatever you are doing, it’s working 🙂
Hey Henneke,
I really like number 2. It makes your writing more conversational, as you pointed out.
What makes it work? It adds another hook to keep your reader paying attention.
Cheers,
Chris
Yep, that’s it!
🙂
I love reading your answers to comments. Short, spiffy sentences. Or sequential phrases separated by commas. Definitely the feel of a well-oiled bicycle chain. Thanks, and enjoy your sunny days.
I like the word “spiffy”! 🙂
Thank you for your compliment and for stopping by, Ken. You got a nice rhythm in your comment, too.
Hi Henneke
Solid post. You are right, sometimes I read a post and three paragraphs down I can’t recall what the writer said in d past paragraph. This is definitely not good and I often worry that my writing might come off this way.
The blogosphere is so competitive nowadays that a blogger can’t afford to bore or confuse readers. You nailed a lot of ideas in this post and I intend to implement drops of light oil and changing of gears in my next article. Love your action-packed articles. They sure help me in my copywriting. 🙂
Glad to hear you found this useful, Chioma!
If you want to check how smooth your writing is, then it can help to leave it for a couple of days, and then read it aloud with fresh eyes. This always helps me spot tiny problems that I didn’t see in first instance.
Happy writing!
Hey Henneke,
That’s an awesome post once again, as always! I do come across such friction from time to time with my own writing. I realize it when I write a blog post.
Connectors, the oil – great examples and I am sure these will help me next time when I’m stuck like that.
Have a nice week 🙂
Cheers,
Jane.
Great! Glad to hear you found the post helpful.
Happy writing!
Ah yes,
Now we’re getting into the finer points. This is advice with high nutritional value indeed. I may need to go back a re-read this article often until it becomes second nature.
Thanks Henneke!
Yep, the finer points. But they make a big difference. Smoothening the transitions is one of my most important editing jobs.
Some writers replace commas by colons, and after some umming and ahhing put the comma back in. I can do exactly the same with the transitional phrases. Merging two sentences, then deciding to chop it into two, then choosing a different transitional phrase, and then scrapping it again 😉
Yes, well, editing is the biggest part of writing, no?
David Ogilvy said: “I am a lousy copywriter, but I am a good editor. So I go to work editing my own draft.” I guess he’d agree with us that editing is the biggest part of writing.
Hemingway said “I write one page of masterpiece to ninety-one pages of shit. I try to put the shit in the wastebasket.”
I guess that’s another way to put it.
I like that quote! Thank you for sharing. I didn’t know it yet.
I’m glad it’s not just me with the colons!
Your articles are tremendously helpful Henneke. My writing is definitely improving since subscribing to your list 🙂
That’s great to hear, Cherry! 🙂
Henneke, I really enjoyed reading this post–it was like we were riding our bikes through the countryside, chatting in a conversational, care-free way.
I always enjoy metaphors that are appropriate to the content, because I start to wonder how the writer is going to make various comparisons–are they corny or do they make sense. Your bicycle chain metaphor hit the target beautifully.
What’s more, the article was packed with practical information. Thank you for another wonderful post.
Thank you, Hans. That’s a wonderful compliment 🙂
And yep, it would be nice to organize an enchanting bike trip some time 😉
Hi Henneke,
This was a wonderful post. I always had this issue. I myself would lose track when I read my own posts. The thing is I did not know this is a problem or if there was a solution for it.
When reading through your post, after every para I felt oh see this particular trick can work with my problem.
I think using connecting words and drops of light oil can do wonders.
I guess I am learning a thing or two about bicycles reading your blog, which is a good thing. lol
Have a great week.
-Swadhin
Ha yes, this blog offers so much value – not only do you get free writing advice, you even learn something about cycling, and cooking, too! 🙂
It’s amazing how you start noticing certain writing techniques everywhere once you’ve learned about them.
Happy reading and writing!
In a word, enchanting!
But I’m confused – you say Greetings from sunny England . . .
sunny South Africa, yes – but sunny England???? 😉
And just yesterday you were in Penang . . . I can’t keep up with you!!
Seriously, most enjoyable reading your posts.
Well done,
pitters
Well, yes, it might sound like a lie, but the sun does shine … sometimes, even in the the Northwest of England 😉
Thank you for stopping by, Tony.