Transitions
Expression of Ideas is about 20% of the Reading and Writing section (8–12 of 54 questions), and Transitions is one of its two skills. Each question gives a short text with a blank and asks which transition word or phrase fits best; all four choices are real transitions, so you must decide what the relationship is.
What the question asks
The text has a blank at the point where one idea meets another, and the choices are transitions such as “However,” or “As a result,”. Your job is not to find a nice-sounding word but to name the relationship between the idea before the blank and the idea after it. Work in this order every time.
The seven relationships
Almost every SAT transition belongs to one of seven families. Learn the family first; then any word in the family will be easy to recognize. Several words in a family often mean almost the same, so a well-made question never offers two words from the correct family: both would be right.
| Relationship | Common transitions | Plain meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Contrast | However, Yet, In contrast, On the other hand, By comparison | but |
| Addition | Also, Moreover, Furthermore, In addition, Similarly, Likewise | and also |
| Cause and effect | Therefore, Thus, As a result, Consequently, For this reason | so |
| Example | For example, For instance, Specifically | such as |
| Sequence | First, Next, Then, Afterward, Finally, Meanwhile, Previously | and then |
| Concession | Admittedly, Of course, Even so, Still, Nevertheless | true, but |
| Emphasis or summary | In fact, Indeed, In other words, Overall, In short | even more / to sum up |
Use the plain-word test
Cover the choices and put a simple word in the blank: but, so, also, for example, then. Whatever simple word fits tells you the family. If “but” fits, you need a contrast. If “so” fits, you need a result. Only after that read the choices. This protects you from fancy words that sound smart but say the wrong thing.
Read both sides, not just one
A transition links two ideas, so you need to understand both. Many wrong answers come from reading only the sentence before the blank. Also look at signal words nearby: a “however” in the earlier sentence can tempt you to pick a contrast again, but the new sentence may be a result of that contrast. The blank can also fall inside a sentence, after a semicolon or in the last sentence of the text; the logic is the same.
Look-alike pairs
These pairs cause most mistakes. Ask which job the second idea does.
| Pair | Difference |
|---|---|
| For example / In fact | For example gives one case of the general idea; In fact adds a stronger or more surprising point |
| Similarly / In addition | Similarly says two things are alike; In addition simply adds another point |
| Therefore / Meanwhile | Therefore shows a result; Meanwhile shows two things happening at the same time |
| However / In other words | However turns the idea around; In other words says the same thing again, more simply |
| Instead / Otherwise | Instead replaces one thing with another; Otherwise says what would happen if the condition were not met |
The old city bus network ran on a fixed timetable that rarely changed. ______ the new network adjusts its routes every season to match how many people actually ride.
- Therefore,
- For example,
- In contrast,
- Similarly,
- Before the blank: a fixed timetable that rarely changed.
- After the blank: routes that adjust every season.
- Plain word: “but”. The two networks are opposite.
- “In contrast,” shows that relationship. “Therefore” and “For example” do not fit, and “Similarly” says the networks are alike.
Heavy rain fell on the mountains for three days without stopping. ______ the river rose above its banks by Friday morning and covered the low fields near the village.
- Instead,
- As a result,
- Previously,
- For example,
- The rain is the cause; the rising river is what happened next.
- Plain word: “so”.
- “As a result,” is the cause-and-effect transition.
- “Instead” needs something that is replaced, and “Previously” points to an earlier time.
Some animals use objects as tools to get their food. ______ sea otters balance a stone on their chests and strike shellfish against it to crack the shells open.
- For instance,
- However,
- Therefore,
- Finally,
- The first sentence is a general idea: animals use tools.
- The second sentence gives one specific case, the sea otter.
- Plain words: “such as”.
- “For instance,” introduces an example.
Kamila’s first two pottery bowls cracked in the kiln, and she felt discouraged. ______ she kept practicing, and by spring her bowls were selling at the weekend market.
- Therefore,
- Nevertheless,
- Similarly,
- For example,
- Before the blank: failure. After the blank: she kept trying and succeeded.
- She continued in spite of the failures, so the plain words are “but still”.
- “Nevertheless,” shows that something happened in spite of what came before.
- “Therefore” would mean the cracked bowls caused her to keep practicing, which is a weaker, odd link.
- Choosing by topic instead of by relationshipTwo sentences about the same topic can still be a contrast or a result. Ignore the topic and ask: what does the second idea do to the first?
- Picking “However” for everything“However” is right only if the second idea really goes against the first. Test with the plain word “but”.
- Reading only the sentence before the blankRead the sentence after the blank too; the relationship is between the two.
- Choosing “Therefore” when there is no causeA result needs a reason in the earlier idea. If you cannot say “because of that”, it is not cause and effect.
- Mixing up “For example” and “In fact”An example is one case of a general idea. “In fact” says something even stronger or more surprising, often correcting a belief.
- Being fooled by a signal word in the earlier sentenceA “however” or “but” earlier in the passage does not mean the next transition must be a contrast. Judge only the two ideas next to the blank.