Elementary School Transition Words and Phrases

If you need some practice in using elementary school transition words and phrases, then you are in the right place. Following is a definition of transition words and examples of their use along with a worksheet for practice.  

Transition Words and Phrases

When explaining transition words to elementary students, you need to tell them it is like “going with the flow.” It makes writing interesting and moves it along. It is important to use more than one transition word or your writing will sound boring, like: “I saw the dog.  Then I pet the dog. Then he ran away. Then I went home.” It would be much better to say: “I saw a dog and then began to pet him. Soon he ran away, so I went home.” The text was improved by putting short sentences together and using transition words.

Transition words are used in several different situations to tell different things:

• They tell when, where, and how something occurred
• Describe things
• Compare things

Here is a list of elementary school transition words and phrases grouped by function:

Time and Sequence

Words: first, second, again, later, once, when, next, then, earlier, suddenly, meanwhile, last, finally, before, still, afterward, soon, immediately, too, yesterday, now, tomorrow.

Phrases: and then, in the meantime, as soon as, as long as, after awhile, at that time, in the past, at last

Cause/Effect Transition:

Words: since, so, if, of, then, because, therefore, consequently

Phrases: as a result, for this purpose, to that end, to this end

Compare and Contrast:

Words: like, although, but, also, otherwise, however, unlike, again, despite, instead

Phrases: in the same way, on the other hand, once more, even though, on the contrary

Location:

Words: above, below, among, nearby, next to, opposite, beneath, beside, beyond, elsewhere, far, here, near, nearby, there

Phrases: in front of, adjacent to, closer to, further on, to the right/left, opposite to

Examples:

Words and Phrases: even, for example, for instance, to illustrate, after all, in fact, such as

Conclusion:

Words and Phrases: therefore, as a result, in any event, on the whole, in summary, as I have said, in other words, as we have seen, in conclusion, as mentioned earlier

Worksheet for Transition Words

Here is a worksheet for practicing elementary school transition words and phrases.

Example: The transition words are underlined in these sentences:

• First I went to school, then I played at the park.
• I went to the movie, even though everyone said it was scary.

A. Underline the best transition word in the following sentences:

1. (Because, Before) it was raining, I didn’t walk my dog this evening.
2. I love chocolate, (although, therefore) I eat chocolate candy whenever I can.
3. The test was really hard; (for instance, then), only 5 students passed it.
4. You first have to answer the questions; (next, so), you hand in your paper.
5. Ben needs to go to bed early; (although, otherwise) he will be late for school.
6. First you will see a tree; (further on, however) you will see a fork in the road.
7. He really loves reading; (despite, in fact), he reads almost all the time.
8. That would not be smart; (despite, in other words) that would be idiotic.
9. (Under, Among) the trees of the forest, the deer ran gracefully.
10. (On the other hand, Like), you have shown be you can be trusted.

B. Fill in the blanks with the best word.

after all        finally        despite    in front of        in any event  

1. There he was, standing right __________ me.
2. We have been in line 45 minutes; __________ we can buy our tickets.
3. __________ the high cost of the ticket, I am going to the concert.
4. I am his biggest fan; __________, I have all of his albums.
5. __________, I will thoroughly enjoy the show.

Answers:

A.

1. Because
2. therefore
3. for instance
4. next
5. otherwise
6. further on
7. in fact
8. in other words
9. Among
10. On the other hand

B.

1. in front of
2. finally
3. despite
4. after all
5. in any event