Transition and Organization

• Most students who come into the writing center always ask if their papers “flow well.” This means that the students worry about whether the paper is organized, or whether there’s a smooth change from one paragraph to the next, especially while switching subjects.  Clarity should always be kept in mind while writing or revising the paper.
• The paper must be well-organized, i.e. eliminating clutter, awkward sentences, and fragments so the paper reads smoothly.  Try to keep sentences clean, clear, precise, but at the same time, strong and effective.

--Tracie, RUWC Tutor

    The Function and Importance of Transitions

• In both academic writing and professional writing, your goal is to convey information clearly and concisely, if not to convert the reader to your way of thinking. Transitions help you to achieve these goals by establishing logical connections between sentences, paragraphs, and sections of your papers. In other words, transitions tell readers what to do with the information you present them. Whether single words, quick phrases or full sentences, they function as signs for readers that tell them how to think about, organize, and react to old and new ideas as they read through what you have written.

             http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/transitions.html

    Transitional Strategies

• The end of one paragraph can set up a clear connection to the next paragraph, whether you aim to reinforce or debunk what has been stated. One way to create a transition is to repeat a key word or phrase from the preceding paragraph. In addition, since all paragraphs should help prove the thesis, another strategy could be to remind the reader of that larger goal. --Hamilton College Writing Center

       Common Transitional Words and Phrases

  To link complementary ideas:

• again, in addition, at the same time, in the same way, similarly, likewise, hence, as a result, furthermore, moreover, secondly, thirdly.

 To link conflicting ideas:

• in reality, in truth, on the contrary, on the other hand, nonetheless, however, in contrast.

 To demonstrate cause and effect:

• therefore, thus, so, it follows, then, as a result, consequently.

Other Useful Writing Links

 Dartmouth College

  http://www.dartmouth.edu/~compose/student/ac_paper/write.html

       Geneseo Online Writing Guide

       http://writingguide.geneseo.edu/org.shtml

Repetitiveness and Redundancy

Created by: Tracie Battle J

Repetitiveness and Redundancy

--Excessive use of the same words, phrases, or ideas throughout a particular work.

• A paper that contains repetitive phrases can be painful to read.  While writing, one should avoid using the same expressions or ideas over and over.  It all comes down to word choice.

•  The key is to find synonyms-A word having the same or nearly the same meaning as another word or other words in a language.

      Here are a few sentences with examples of synonyms:

         1.  Sheila did not know what she was going to do.

         2.  She had been pondering her current predicament for days.

3.  How did she ever get into this situation?  What are her options?

4.  Sheila is so worried she cannot sleep; all she can do is think about her dilemma.

5.  She is contemplating a possible solution, making sure to consider the consequences of her actions.

• Pondering, contemplating, thinking, and considering all mean the same thing. So, if I were writing a story about Sheila and her “situation” I could have a variety of choices to describe her “problem,” predicament, and yes dilemma! J

    Works Cited:

Transition and Organization Handout created by Tracie Battle with the help of Dartmouth College, Hamilton College, and the University of North Carolina.

Repetitiveness and Redundancy Handout created by Tracie Battle for Radford University Writing Center.