What Are the Transitional Phrases in English Literature ?
- When writing a narrative, the writer guides the reader through the scenes of the story. The transitional phrase is a simple word or two which informs the reader the scene has shifted, followed by a comma. "Meanwhile, back at the ranch," for example. In a few simple words, you tell the reader that what's happening in the previous scene happens at roughly the same time as the upcoming scene. You're also setting the stage for the next scene, the ranch where something else is presumably happening.
- Some examples of transitional words and phrases include: "meanwhile," "thus," "for example," "for instance," "namely," "notwithstanding," "but," "however," "moreover," "besides," "then," "at the top," "at the bottom," "surrounding," "opposite," "at the rear," "at the front," "in front of," "beside," "behind," "next to," "nearby," "For this purpose," "to this end," "with this in mind," "with this purpose in mind," and "therefore," With some creativity, just about any phrase could be used as a transition.
- If two scenes don't have a transitional phrase between them, it can be jarring at best or confusing at worst. The reader is likely to expect that, without some kind of indication, when one paragraph ends in scene A, the following paragraph begins in the same scene. This isn't always a bad thing; as a writer you sometimes try to create an atmosphere of confusion, and a lack of transitional phrases works well for this situation.
- When you use a transitional phrase, it creates a relationship between two scenes. This is called a "Juxtaposition" in literature, which means placing two different things side-by-side. The transitional phrase doesn't make that relationship, however. You have to do some extra work to ensure the two scenes make sense together. All a transitional phrase does is serve to describe that relationship in space, time or logic.