An investigation into the use of transitional words in writing paragraph by 9th graders at tri ton secondary school in an giang province m a 60 14 10

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY- HO CHI MINH CITY
UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE
--------------------------

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF TRANSITIONAL WORDS IN
WRITING PARAGRAPH BY 9TH GRADERS AT TRI TON SECONDARY
SCHOOL IN AN GIANG PROVINCE.

Submitted by
LÂM KIM NGỌC

Supervised by
TRƯƠNG HỚN HUY, M.A. Senior Lecturer

HO CHI MINH CITY, April 2013


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Table of contents

i

List of tables

iv

List of charts

v

Statement of authorship

vi

Retention and use of the thesis

vii

Acknowledgements

viii

Abstract

ix

 
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

1

1.1  The rationale for the study 

1

1.2  Aims of the study 

 3 

1.3 Research questions

3

1.4 Significance of the study

3

1.5 Limitations

3

1.6 Definition of key terms

4

1.7 Structure of the thesis

4

Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

6

2.1 Writing

6

2.2 Paragraph

6

2.2.1  Topic sentence 
2.2.2  Supporting sentences 
2.2.3  Concluding sentence 

 7 
 7 
 8 

2.3 Unity

8

2.4 Coherence

9

i 
 


2.5 Transitional words
2.5.1 
2.5.2 
2.5.3 
2.5.4 

Definitions of transitional words 
Kinds of transitional words 

Importance of transitional words in writing 
Problems of transitional words in writing 

11
11 
11 
16 
18 

2.6 Previous studies

23

Chapter 3: METHODOLOGY

26

3.1 Participants

26

3.2 Data collection

26

3.3 Identification of transitional words

27

3.3.1  Selection of transitional words 

3.3.2  Extraction of transitional words 

27 
28 

3.4 Data collection procedure

29

3.5 Analysis of data

30

3.5.1  Quantitative analysis 
3.5.2  Qualitative analysis 
Chapter 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS

30 
30 
35

4.1 Kinds of transitional words used by the ninth grade students at Tri Ton secondary
school in An Giang.
35
4.1.1 
4.1.2 
4.1.3 
4.1.4 
4.1.5 
4.1.6 

Transitional words of Chronological Order 
Transitional words of Addition 
Transitional words of Example 
Transitional words of Compare and Contrast 
Transitional words of Cause and Effect 
Transitional words of Conclusion 

35 
36 
37 
38 
40 
41 

4.2 Transitional words frequently used by the ninth grade students

42

4.3 Problems of transitional words were found in the 9th grade students’ writing at Tri
Ton secondary school in An Giang
44
4.3.1  Spelling mistakes 
4.3.2  Punctuation mistakes 
4.3.3  Misuse of transitional words 

45 
48 
51 

ii
 


Chapter 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

62

5.1 Conclusion

62

5.2 Recommendations for the students’ use of transitional words in writing

62

5.3 Recommendations for further research

68

APPENDIX 1: List of transitions by Oshima and Hogue (1998)
APPENDIX 2: Activities for the students’ use various transitional words
APPENDIX 3: Activities for avoiding transitional words mistakes
REFERENCES

iii
 


LIST OF TABLES

 
 

3.1 Oshima and Hogue (1998)’s framework of transitional words

28

4.1 Transitional words often used by the ninth grade students

43

4.2 Organization and language of an argument

44

4.3 The frequency and percentage of spelling mistakes in the students’ writing

46

4.4 Spelling mistakes made by ninth grade students

47

4.5 Misuse of transitional words by ninth grade students

52 

 

iv

 


LIST OF CHARTS
4.1 Transitional words for Chronological Order used by the ninth grade students 35
4.2 Transitional words for Addition used by the ninth grade students

36

4.3 Transitional words for Examples used by the ninth grade students

37

4.4 Transitional words for Compare and Contrast used by the ninth grade students 38
4.5 Transitional words for Cause and Effect used by ninth grade students

40

4.6 Transitional words for Conclusion used by ninth grade students

41

4.7 Problems of transitional words made by the ninth grade students

45

v
 

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP
I hereby certify that the minor thesis entitled “An investigation into the use of
transitional words in writing an English paragraph by ninth graders at Tri Ton
secondary school in An Giang province” and submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Master of TESOL is the result of my own work, except
where otherwise acknowledged and that this minor thesis or any part of the same has
not been submitted for a higher degree to any other university or institution.
Ho Chi Minh City, March 20th, 2013

LAM KIM NGOC

vi
 


RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS
I hereby state that I, Lam Kim Ngoc, being the candidate for the degree of Master of
TESOL at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, accept the requirements
of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Thesis deposited in the
Library.
In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the
Library should be assessable for purposes of study and research, in accordance with
the normal conditions established by the Library for the care, loan or reproduction of
thesis
Ho Chi Minh City, March 20th, 2013

LAM KIM NGOC

vii
 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Mr.
TRUONG HON HUY, who offered me valuable comments and guidance. Without his
encouragement and assistance, this work would not have been completed.
Moreover, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all my students who were
willing to complete the writing tasks and to the teachers at Tri Ton secondary school
in An Giang for their assistance with the data collection.
Last but not least, my special thanks go to my family, especially my husband, who
bore a great deal of hardships during the execution of the thesis.

viii
 


ABSTRACT
This thesis aims at (1) investigating kinds of transitional words used by
the students at Tri Ton secondary school in An Giang; (2) exploring problems
encountered by the students in the use of transitional words; and (3) suggesting some
possible ways to improve the students' use of transitional words in writing. The
participants of the study were 106 ninth grade students who were taking a beginners’
course in paragraph writing at Tri Ton secondary school in An Giang. Both
qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed in this study. The data
for the study were collected in the first semester of the 2011 – 2012 year. The
participants were asked to write two argumentative paragraphs. The study revealed
three problems which the students faced in the use of transitional words: (1) learners
did not use a variety of transitional words in their paragraphs; (2) learners mainly
made spelling and punctuation mistakes; (3) problems were found in the students’
writing in the use of the five logical connectives

‘however, moreover, also,

furthermore, therefore’ . The results showed that learners did not use transitional
words appropriately and correctly. They should therefore be given more opportunities
to practice and improve the use of transitional words.

ix
 


CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
 

1.1 The rationale for the study
Transitions are useful words for assisting a reader in understanding
how thoughts are connected in a paragraph. Specifically, Tyner (1987: 126)
has said that transitions can show the order in which actions, steps, or
thoughts take place. Also, Oshima and Hogue (1998), Sadara (2006) assert that
transitional words signal how sentences within a paragraph are logically linked. As
a result, an appropriate use of transitional words can make a piece of writing flow
smoothly from one sentence to another in a paragraph.
Compare the following paragraphs (cited in Oshima and Hogue 2006: 25 – 26)
Paragraph 1:
One difference among the world’s seas and oceans is that the salinity varies in different
climate zones. The Baltic Sea in northern Europe is one - fourth as saline as the Red Sea in the Middle East.
There are two reasons for this. In warm climate zones, water evaporates rapidly; the concentration of salt is
greater. The surrounding land is dry; it does not contribute much freshwater to dilute the salty seawater. In
cold climate zones, water evaporates slowly. The run off created by melting snow adds a considerable

amount of freshwater to dilute the saline seawater.

Paragraph 2:
One difference among the world’s seas and oceans is that the salinity varies in different
climate zones. For example, the Baltic Sea in northern Europe is one - fourth as saline as the Red Sea in the
Middle East. There are two reasons for this. First of all, in warm climate zones, water evaporates rapidly;
therefore, the concentration of salt is greater. Second, the surrounding land is dry; consequently, it does not
contribute much freshwater to dilute the salty seawater. In cold climate zones, on the other hand, water
evaporates slowly. Furthermore, the runoff created by melting snow adds a considerable amount of
freshwater to dilute the saline seawater.

In paragraph 1, no transitional words are used to show how one
sentence relates to the next, making it difficult for the reader to identify the two
reasons. In contrast, paragraph 2 is more logical because transitional signals such as
“first of all, for example, therefore, on the other hand” show how the following
1
 


sentence relates to the preceding one. For example: “first of all” tells the readers
this is the first reason; “second” and “furthermore” explain the second idea is
coming.
However, transitional words are really useful when the writers know how to
use them because a poorly chosen or incorrect transitional word can completely
alter the meaning of a sentence. Linda and Carla (2005:63) state that a good writer
places transitional words at strategic points to assist their readers in understanding
the author's message. Unfortunately, some scholars (Celce – Murcia 1983; Raimes
1998; Obrecht 2000; Joy 2008, Wyrick 2001, Dorfman 2009) have found that
students often make problems of the transitional words – misuse of transitional
words, overuse of transitional words, spelling mistakes, and punctuation mistakes. It

is undeniable that transitional words are important in writing, and many students
make transitional word problems. However, most studies have just focused
transitional words used by college students (Matarazzo, 1972; Tang and Ng, 1995;
Chen, 2006; Mahanani, 2008; Sugita, 2012). Sugita (2012) and Chen (2006)
therefore suggests that some surveys of the secondary school students’ use of
transitional words should be carried out because when secondary school students
are good at the use of transitional words, it is unlikely that they will face problems
of transitional words at high school and college later. Moreover, it is a recognized
by the teachers that although the ninth grade students of Tri Ton secondary school
are supposed to know how to write some genres of writing such as a writing letter, a
story, or an argumentative paragraph, they have not sufficiently been aware of the
use of transitional words to create a logical paragraph yet. As a result, the researcher
attempts to conduct an investigation of the use of transitional words in writing by
ninth grade students at Tri Ton secondary school in An Giang with the aims of
exploring the use of using transitional words in writing by the ninth grade students
and the problems they make in order to make recommendations that hopefully
enhance student writing competence.

2
 


1.2 Aims of the study
The aims of this study are:
(i)

to investigate the kinds of transitional words which the students use in
their writing,

(ii)

to find out problems students face in the use of transitional words, and

(iii) to suggest possible solutions to the problems.
1.3 Research questions
The present study aims to find answers to the following questions.
1.

What kinds of transitional words are used by the 9th grade students at Tri
Ton secondary school in An Giang?

2.

What are transitional word problems faced by the 9th grade students at Tri
Ton secondary school in An Giang?

1.4 Significance of the study
The study attempts to investigate the types of transitional words used by the
ninth grade students at Tri Ton secondary school in An Giang province, and to
identify the students’ misuses of transitional words. Therefore, the study is expected
to have an important role in changing the view of students, and teachers to the use
of transitional words which are necessary for writing besides other issues.
1.5 Limitations
The study focuses not only on the types of transitional words proposed by
Oshima and Hogue (1998) that are used in the paragraphs written by the 9th grade
students of Tri Ton secondary school in An Giang province in 2011-2012 academic
years, but also the problems of transitional words faced by these students. Due to
the limitation of time, the shortage of reference materials and the researcher’s lack
of experience, the recommendations made in this study are to be taken as tentative
only to the situation of using transitional words in writing by the ninth graders at Tri

Ton secondary school; however, the researcher believes that some drawn
conclusions are worth consideration.

3
 


1.6 Definition of key terms
1.6.1 Transitional words
Oshima and Hogue (1998) define transitional words as the type of
cohesive devices that express the logical connections between propositions in
discourse. They also categorize transitional words into six types – Chronological
Order, Addition, Cause and Effect, Compare and Contrast, Example, and
Conclusion. In this study, transitions by Oshima and Hogue (1998) are used as a
framework for investigating types of transitional words (see Appendix 1).
1.6.2 Paragraph
According to Sackler et al (1986), Sadara (2006), Zemach and Islam
(2006), a paragraph is a group of related sentences which discuss one main idea at a
time, in a unified, coherent, and orderly manner.
1.6.3 Secondary school
In Vietnam, a secondary school or middle school is a level of
schooling between elementary and high schools. The school educates and trains
students from around eleven years old to fourteen years old. The school has four
grades – sixth grade for eleven years old students, seventh grade for twelve years
old students, eighth grade for thirteen and ninth grade for fourteen years old
students. ( accessed June 10,
2012).
1.6.4 Ninth graders
Ninth graders are last year students of a middle school and they are
aged between fourteen and fifteen. ( in

Vietnam accessed June 10, 2012)
1.7 Structure of the thesis
This thesis consists of five chapters.
Chapter one provides the background to the study, the objectives of the
study, the significance, and the limitations of the study.

4
 


Chapter two mainly reviews the roles of transitional words and problems of
transitional words. It focuses on the theoretical backgrounds and empirical findings
of the relative studies.
Chapter three presents the research methodology employed in the study. It
describes the subjects’ selection, data collection, and data analysis.
Chapter four analyzes the data and discusses research findings.
Chapter five concludes research findings, and makes recommendations for
teaching and learning transitional words.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

5
 


CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter is a review of related literature relevant to the study, including
an overview of writing, paragraph, unity, coherence, transitional words, and
problems of transitional words.
2.1 Writing
Writing is known as a progressive activity because “when we write
something down, we have already been thinking about this. Then, after we have
finished writing, we read over, make changes and correction what you have
written” (cited in Richard et al, 2005: 212). In addition, Richard and Renandya
(2005), and McMillan (2006) define three main stages: prewriting, writing, and post
writing. In the first stage, prewriting, the writer gathers ideas for the writing task.
As a result, prewriting is considered as creating an invisible foundation for
completed written work so that the continued discussion in the writing step must
refer to that foundation. In the second stage, writing, the writer starts to write his or
her first draft based on the outline made in the pre writing. In this process, the writer
attempts to transform his or her ideas into written words. In the last stage, post
writing, the writer revises the draft to improve what he or she has written. In this
stage, the writer checks the content and organization for unity and coherence of the
written text.
2.2 Paragraph
According to Sackler et al (1998) and Hogue (2000), a paragraph is a group of
related sentences that discuss one main idea. The paragraph can give information,

tell an opinion, explain something, or even tell a short story. Besides, Zemach and
Islam (2006) emphasize that a paragraph should be long enough to develop the
central idea and that all sentences of the paragraph are arranged logically so that the
reader can easily understand what the writer wants to say. Therefore, the structure

6
 


of a paragraph often includes one topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a
concluding sentence.
2.2.1

Topic sentence
A topic sentence is considered the most important element of a paragraph

because the topic sentence clearly states the main idea of the paragraph. The topic
sentence is a helpful guide to both the writer and the reader. The writer can see what
information to include and exclude, and what a paragraph is going to be about, so
the reader can understand the rest of the paragraph. According to Lagan (2006), a
topic sentence contains a topic and a controlling idea. The topic sentence must be a
complete sentence with a subject and one verb. According to Zemach and Islam
(2006), a topic sentence is often the first sentence of a paragraph, or comes at the
end of the paragraph. However, as stated by Fox (1981:3), a topic sentence is
sometimes located somewhere in the middle of a paragraph. It

is

also

even

possible not to have a topic sentence if a writer wants to avoid a direct statement
that seems forced or artificial.
2.2.2

Supporting sentences
Another important part within a paragraph is supporting sentences which

explain the main idea of the topic sentence. Zemach and Islam (2006), Hogue
(2000), Checkett (2006) have indicated that the function of supporting sentences is
to develop the topic sentence because the supporting sentences give more
information about topic sentence of a paragraph. As a result, the supporting
sentences explain specific details, examples, quotations, and statistics to support the
main idea of the paragraph. Fox (1981:8) also stresses that all the supporting
sentences must be related to the topic illustrated in the following diagram (see p.8):

7
 


Topic sentence
Supporting sentence
Supporting sentence
Supporting sentence
Supporting sentence

2.2.3

Concluding sentence

Zemach and Islam (2006), and Checkett (2006) argue that a concluding

sentence should be presented in a paragraph. It marks the end of a paragraph by
restating the topic sentence of the paragraph, making a prediction or giving advice
connected to the paragraph’s topic.
2.3 Unity
Unity is one of the most important elements of good paragraph. The term
“unity” is derived from the Latin prefix “uni” which means “one” (Saraka,
1988:62). Thus, unity is considered as the unified arrangement of sentences in a
paragraph, and means that a paragraph only discusses one main idea. A paragraph
lacks unity if the supporting sentences discuss a topic that has no relation with the
main idea. Below is an example of a paragraph that lacks unity.
Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics. First of all,
we can buy gold in everywhere. Gold is used for trade in over the world. For
example, a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today as the day it was made 25
centuries ago. Cost of gold is changed every day. For many years, it has been used in
hundreds of industrial applications, such as photography and dentistry. The most
recent use of gold is in astronauts’ suits. Astronauts wear gold – plated heat shields
for protection when they go outside spaceships in space. In conclusion, gold is
suitable with everyone. (cited

in Oshima and Hogue, 2006: 13)

The above paragraph lacks unity because the sentences in the paragraph do not
support the main idea. In fact, the main idea of the paragraph is two important

8
 

characteristics of gold, but the supporting sentences “we can buy gold everywhere;
gold is used for trade in over the world, cost of the gold is changed every day.” are
not related to the main idea. Moreover, the concluding sentence “in conclusion, god
is suitable with everyone” does not restate the topic sentence “Gold, a precious
metal, is prized for two important characteristics”
However, the following paragraph is different:
Gold
Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics. First of all,
gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore, it is suitable for
jewelry, coins, and ornamental purposes. Gold never needs to be polished and will
remain beautiful forever. For example, a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished
today as the day it was made 25 centuries ago. Another important characteristic of
gold is its usefulness to industry and science. For many years, it has been used in
hundreds of industrial applications, such as photography and dentistry. The most
recent use of gold is in astronauts’ suits. Astronauts wear gold – plated heat shields
for protection when they go outside spaceships in space. In conclusion, gold is
treasured not only for its beauty but also for its utility.

(cited in Oshima and

Hogue, 2006: 13)
The paragraph has unity because the main idea of the paragraph is about the
important role of gold; hence, all the supporting sentences directly explain and give
clear examples to prove the advantages of gold such as “first of all, gold has a
lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion” or “another important characteristic
of gold is its usefulness to industry and science…”; also “the most recent use of
gold is in astronauts’ suits”, and so on. The conclusion of the paragraph restates the
main idea “in conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also for its
utility”
2.4 Coherence

Another important element of a good paragraph is “coherence” which comes
from the Latin verb “cohere” meaning “hold together”. Halliday and Hassan
(1976:6) define coherence as “the property of signaling that the interpretation of the
passage in question depends on something else”. In addition, Bander (1983) states
9
 


that a paragraph is coherent when its ideas are clearly related to each other in a
logical sequence. Sadara (2006:10) also confirms that coherence helps to flow ideas
from one sentence to another in a paragraph and to connect the ideas to the topic
sentence. Winterowd (1988), Hogue (2000), and Oshima and Hogue (2006) prove
that there are four ways to achieve coherence – repeat key nouns, use consistent
pronouns, use transitional words to link ideas, and arrange the ideas in a logical
order. However, Winterowd (1988), Hogue (2000), and Sadara (2006) have
recognized that the use of transitional words is the most simple and effective way to
make a coherent paragraph. In fact, transitional signals are transitional words such
as firstly, finally, however, or phrases such as in conclusion, on the other hand, as a
result. In addition, subordinators ( when, although), coordinators (and, but),
adjectives (another, additional), and prepositions (because of, in spite of) can serve
as transitional signals that tell the reader when the writers give a similar idea (and,
also, in addition), an opposite idea (on the other hand, but, in contrast), an example
(for example), a result (therefore, as a result, hence); a conclusion (in short, in
conclusion, in summary). In short, transition signals make a paragraph coherent for
smooth movement from one idea to the next. Consider the following two paragraphs
(cited in Hogue, 2000: 112):
Paragraph 1:
One difference among the world’s seas and oceans is that the salinity varies in different
climate zones. The Baltic Sea in northern Europe is one - fourth as saline as the Red Sea in the Middle East.
There are two reasons for this. In warm climate zones, water evaporates rapidly; the concentration of salt is

greater. The surrounding land is dry; it does not contribute much freshwater to dilute the salty seawater. In
cold climate zones, water evaporates slowly. The run off created by melting snow adds a considerable
amount of freshwater to dilute the saline seawater.

Paragraph 2:
One difference among the world’s seas and oceans is that the salinity varies in different
climate zones. For example, the Baltic Sea in northern Europe is one - fourth as saline as the Red Sea in the
Middle East. There are two reasons for this. First of all, in warm climate zones, water evaporates rapidly;
therefore, the concentration of salt is greater. Second, the surrounding land is dry; consequently, it does not
contribute much freshwater to dilute the salty seawater. In cold climate zones, on the other hand, water

10
 


evaporates slowly. Furthermore, the runoff created by melting snow adds a considerable amount of
freshwater to dilute the saline seawater.

In paragraph 1, there are confused ideas such as “There are two reasons for
this. In warm climate zones, water evaporates rapidly; the concentration of salt is
greater. The surrounding land is dry; it does not contribute much freshwater to
dilute the salty seawater. In cold climate zones, water evaporates slowly. The run
off created by melting snow adds a considerable amount of freshwater to dilute the
saline seawater”. As a result, the reader finds it difficult to see the “two reasons”
because the writer does not use any signals to distinguish these reasons. In contrast,
paragraph 2 is more coherent because transitional signals such as “first of all, for
example, therefore, on the other hand” show how one sentence relates to the
preceding one. For example, “first of all” tells the readers this is the first reason;
“second” and “furthermore” explain that the second idea is coming.
2.5 Transitional words

2.5.1 Definitions of transitional words
According to Bellquist (1993), Meyers (2002), and Le (2008), transitional
words are conjunctive adverbs, connectives, or linking words which join two main
clauses and which are preceded by a semicolon and followed by a comma.
Burchfield (1996) adds that transitional words make clear relationships between
ideas in a paragraph. Moreover, Sadara(2006) states that transition words are used
as a device to make a paragraph cohesive. Transitional words are distinguished
from conjunctions by Walpole (1998) that transitional words do not connect
grammatical functions in a sentence but rather logical relations between sentences.
2.5.2 Kinds of transitional words
•

Transitional words of Chronological order
Chronological order is one way of organizing a paragraph. Oshima and

Hogue (1998) confirm that chronological order means a way of organizing the ideas
in a paragraph or in an essay in the order of their occurrence in time. Moreover,
chronological order is a common method to organize a narrative or to relate an
11
 


event by showing or by writing “what happens first, next, and last” (cited in
Siahaan, 2007:101). To achieve coherence in writing a chronological paragraph or
essay, there are some transitional words that can be used such as firstly, secondly,
then, previously, afterward, before as, and now, and so on. Besides, Oshima and
Hogue (1998) introduce some transitional words of chronological order: firstly,
secondly, next, now, then, first of all, after that, finally, last soon, gradually,
meanwhile, after, as, as soon as, before, since, until, when, while. The example of
the use of transitional words of chronological order is stated below.

The cloning of Dolly involved several steps. First, cells that had previously been
taken from Dolly’s mother were starved for five days, which caused them to stop
dividing. This interruption of cells’ division cycle made it easier for them to
reprogram themselves to start growing a new organism. After five days, the nuclei
of these cells were removed and transferred into unfertilized sheep egg, from which
the natural nucleus had previously been removed. In the next step, the egg was
grown in the laboratory for a period of time. Then, the egg was implanted into a
different sheep, where it grown normally. When the sheep finally gave birth the lamb
was the exact genetic copy, or alone, of the sheep that had provided the transferred
nucleus, not of the sheep that had provided the egg.

(cited in Oshima and

Hogue, 1998:58)
•

Transitional words of Addition
Transitional words of addition are used to give an additional idea that is

related to the previous idea. According to Saraka (1988), transitional words of
addition show simple addition to the thought in the preceding sentences. Similarly,
Stephen (1982) explains that employing transitional words of addition aims to
indicate further support. Oshima and Hogue (1998) mention transitional words of
addition such as next, moreover, furthermore, in addition, besides, also, too, and
another, and an additional + noun that are similar to additive conjunction
categorized by Halliday and Hassan(1976) such as and, also, in addition, moreover,
furthermore. The example of the use of transitional words of addition is stated
below.

12

 


Examples:
1. We have seen the movie twice, and now we want to see it again.
2. Cheating is dishonest. Moreover, it hinders students from learning.
3. Students should be on time. Furthermore, they must be prepared.
4. You must complete this essay by 5 p.m. In addition, you must do the
exercises on page 47. (cited in Surfaifel, 2002:20)
•

Transitional words of Cause and Effect
Transitional words of Cause and Effect often appear in cause and effect

paragraph. According to Reid (1994), if a causal paragraph discusses the causes or
the reasons for effect or consequences, an effect paragraph will discuss the effect or
consequences of an action, result, or occurrence. Especially, Cause indicates
something that makes an effect or something that produces something happens.
Effect’s purpose is for changing or something that causes by something. It can be
concluded that transitional words of Cause and Effect are words that are employed
as indicators of a cause or an effect of something. McMillan (1986) states that some
transitions for Cause are as a result, because, consequently, for that reason, so, so
that, then, and therefore. Oshima and Hogue (1998) also introduce transitional
words for Cause such as because of, for, because, since, as, to result from, to be the
result of, and due to. The following example shows the use of Causal transitional
words.
Example: He jumps out of his seat and tells the pilot to drop below
the cloud because he wants to look at a newly completed power plant.(cited in
Hogue, 2000: 40)
Besides transitional words of Cause, transitional words of Effect are

therefore, for this reason, and the main consequence (Stephen, 1982:186). Oshima
and Hogue (1998) also introduce some transitional words of Effect, the first effect,
as a result, therefore, as a consequence, thus, consequently, hence, so. The
following example is about the use of transitional words of effect.

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Example:
During the 1960s, a period of noisy student demonstrations, American colleges and universities
had an easy grading system. Therefore, many students were given more A’s and B’s and fewer C’s. Some
students still receive inflated grades. However, the faculty at many schools has called for an end to grade
inflation. Consequently, students will now have to take their classes more seriously.

(cited in Oshima

and Hogue, 1998:135,137)
•

Transitional words of Compare and Contrast
According to Oshima and Hogue (1998), transitional words of Compare

and Contrast involve the analysis of similarities and differences between two or
more items. In fact, the transitional words of Compare are helpful for analyzing and
discussing the similarities of two or more things, and the transitional words of
Contrast reveal differences of two or more ones. Reid (1994) shows some
transitional words of Compare: likewise, similarly, in like manner, in the same way,
also, too, the same. Furthermore, Oshima and Hogue (1998) not only introduce the
kinds of transitional words of Compare but also classify them based on grammatical

function such as similarly, likewise, also, and too as sentence connector, both
…and…, not only… but also…, as.
Example:
I am going to buy either a Rocket minivan or a Super Minivan. The Rocket and the Super
have standard dual air bags. The Rocket is equipped with four – wheel antilock brakes; also, the Super has
the newest and best braking system. The Rocket seats five people in the front and middle seats, plus two more
in the rear of the Van; the Super does similarly.

(cited in Oshima and Hogue, 1998: 67)

Besides transitional words of Compare, there are words used as
transitional words of Contrast categorized by Halliday and Hassan(1976) such as
but, yet, however, in contrast, although, even though, on the other hand,
nevertheless, unlike, whereas . Similarly, Oshima and Hogue (1998) introduce some
transitional words of Contrast: however, nevertheless, nonetheless, still.
Example:
An American breakfast is different from a Japanese breakfast. Americans start their
breakfast with orange or grapefruit juice or fruit. Moreover, Americans eat harm or bacon and eggs and

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toast. Nevertheless, the Japanese eat broiled fish, rice, and pickled vegetables. Coffee is the beverage for
Americans; however, green tea is the favorite drink for the Japanese.

•

(cited in Reid, 1994:101)

Transitional words of Example
Transitional words of Examples are often used to strengthen the idea or

to give illustrations about the topic discussed on a paragraph or an essay. In fact,
giving the examples is the easiest way to illustrate the arguments of the writer and
to make it easier for the reader to understand what is being discussed. Like other
methods of sentence organization, transitional words of examples are employed as
signals to give exemplifications on a paragraph or an essay that bring the reader into
the illustration of the discussion. Hence, McMillan (2006) confirms there are a great
number of words that can be used to show examples such as for example, for
instance, such as. Also, Oshima and Hogue (1998) show transitional words of
Examples - for example, for instance, such as, especially.
Examples:
1. I have visited too many countries. For example, I have been to
Russia and Canada.
2. He often eats strange foods. For instance, he once ate cow brains.
I like to travel. Specifically, I enjoy places with old cathedrals. (cited
in Hogue, 2000:42)
•

Transitional words of Conclusion
Transitional words of Conclusion often stand at the beginning a

concluding sentence of a paragraph or the concluding paragraph of an essay. It is a
fact that the reader will not know when the writer ends the discussion in his or her
writing until there is a transitional word which shows that the discussion is being
closed. Therefore, transition words of Conclusion are used to conclude or to
summarize the discussion of a paragraph or an essay. According to Wingersky
(1992), transitions of Conclusion are finally, in conclusion, in summary, thus,
therefore, as a result, on the whole. Moreover, Oshima and Hogue (1998) classified

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