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1.16: Transitions and Signposting

  • Page ID
    143684
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    Using transitional words and phrases as signposts in your writing will help guide the reader through your analysis. Remember that you want to make your writing as accessible as possible to your reader. The reader, using your transitions, can better follow your analysis because you have shown the reader how each sentence relates to the next. The reader will find your writing to be more credible because the reader will not struggle to understand your point.

    You do not need to include a transition with every sentence! This will clutter your writing and make it more difficult to understand your analysis. Instead, use transitions when you want to signal that you are

    1. Moving on to the next item in a list
    2. Providing an example
    3. Generalizing
    4. Analogizing or comparing
    5. Presenting an opposing viewpoint
    6. Emphasizing a particular thought
    7. Expanding to explain intricacies of a larger concept
    8. Preempting a counteranalysis or counterargument
    9. Concluding a piece of analysis or argument

    Below are lists with suggested words and phrases you can use to signpost in your writing.

    Sequencing

    After Finally Initially

    Before First, second, etc. Last

    During Further Later

    Meanwhile Subsequently Until

    Next Then

    Since To begin with

    Introducing an Example

    As in In particular Say

    For Example Like Such as

    For Instance Namely To demonstrate

    Including Notably To illustrate

    Generalizing

    As a rule In general Usually

    For the most part In most cases

    Generally On the whole

    Analogy/Comparison

    Also Here Much like

    And Identically On one hand

    As In comparison Similarly

    Comparatively In like manner To

    Compared to In the same way Together with

    Compared with Just as Too

    Equally Likewise

    Contrast/Opposition

    Alternatively Despite Notwithstanding

    Although Even though On the contrary

    At the same time However On the other hand

    Besides In contrast Rather

    But Nevertheless Regardless

    By contrast Nonetheless Though

    Conversely Not Unlike

    Emphasis

    Additionally Especially Indeed

    Again Even more In effect

    Apart from this Explicitly In fact

    By analogy Furthermore Markedly

    Certainly Importantly Moreover

    Namely Significantly To emphasize

    Particularly Specifically

    Explanation of Intricacies

    Additionally Frequently Moreover

    Also Furthermore More specifically

    And In detail Namely

    Another reason In like manner Nor

    As well In other words To clarify

    Besides In particular To explain

    By the same token In relation to

    Preemption of Counteranalysis or Counterargument

    All the same Even assuming Though some might argue

    Although Even if While it could be

    At the same time Even though

    Despite Notwithstanding

    Conclusion

    Accordingly

    As a consequence

    Because

    Finally

    In conclusion

    In summary

    Lastly

    On balance

    Overall

    So

    Therefore

    Thus

    To conclude

    To summarize

    Ultimately

    Conclusion

    Keep in mind that your written product should be designed to serve as a tool that the reader can use to make a decision. Complement your roadmap in your introductory paragraph by providing transitions and signposts as you proceed through your legal analysis to guide the reader.


    This page titled 1.16: Transitions and Signposting is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Jean Mangan, Brittany Blanchard, Gabrielle Gravel, Chase Lyndale, & Connely Doizé (Affordable Learning Goergia) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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