Lessons · Grammar/Writing
CLT Grammar/Writing · Lesson
Transitions
A transition word tells the reader how two ideas relate: contrast, cause, addition, example or sequence. The test asks you to pick the one that matches the actual relation.
- Cover the transition and read the sentence before and the sentence after.
- Name the relation in your own words: "the second contradicts the first," "the second is the result."
- Match: contrast (however, yet, nevertheless), cause and result (therefore, thus, consequently), addition (moreover, furthermore), example (for instance).
Wrong The clocks of the day lost minutes at sea. Moreover, Harrison's clock kept nearly perfect time.
Right The clocks of the day lost minutes at sea. By contrast, Harrison's clock kept nearly perfect time.
The second sentence sets Harrison's clock against the others, so a contrast word is needed.
- Two choices from the same family ("however" and "nevertheless") cannot both be right, so the answer is in a different family.
- Sometimes no transition is best. If the relation is already clear, the choice without one may win.
Every practice question comes with a full explanation, including why each wrong choice is wrong. Free, with no account.