4.3: Improving Paragraph Coherence

Idea to Essay: Collected Strategies and Readings for the College Writer 4e · LibreTexts

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    Understanding Coherence

    A strong paragraph holds together well, flowing seamlessly from the topic sentence into the supporting details and on to the concluding sentence. To help organize a paragraph and ensure that ideas logically connect to one another, writers use a combination of elements:   

    • A clear organizational pattern: chronological (for narrative writing and describing processes), spatial (for descriptions of people or places), order of importance, general to specific (deductive), specific to general (inductive). You can find more explanation and examples of these patterns in “The Writing Process” chapter.   

    • Transitional words and phrases: These connecting words describe a relationship between ideas.   

    • Repetition of ideas: This element helps keep the parts of the paragraph together by maintaining focus on the main idea, so this element reinforces both paragraph coherence and unity.   

    In the following example, notice the use of transitions, in bold:  

    Owning a hybrid car benefits both the owner and the environment. First, these cars get 20 percent to 35 percent more miles to the gallon than a fuel-efficient gas-powered vehicle. Second, they produce very few emissions during low-speed city driving. Because they do not require gas, hybrid cars reduce dependency on fossil fuels, which helps lower prices at the pump. For example, Alex bought a hybrid car two years ago and has been extremely impressed with its performance. “It’s the cheapest car I’ve ever had,” she said. “The running costs are far lower than previous gas-powered vehicles I’ve owned.” Given the low running costs and environmental benefits of owning a hybrid car, it is likely that many more people will follow Alex’s example in the near future.   

    Words such as “first” and “second” are transition words that show sequence or clarify order. They help organize the writer’s ideas by showing that he has another detail that supports the topic sentence point. The words “for example” indicate the writer is transitioning to an example that will illustrate the detail just shared.  

    In addition to transition words, the writer repeats the word “hybrid” (and other references such as “these cars” and “they”), and ideas related to benefits to keep the paragraph focused on the topic and hold it together.   

    The following section provides some useful transition words and phrases.    

    Common Transitional Words and Phrases  

    All-purpose transitions to open paragraphs or to connect ideas inside paragraphs:  

    Admittedly  

    At this point  

    Certainly  

    Granted  

    It is true  

    Generally speaking  

    In general  

    In this situation  

    No doubt  

    No one denies  

    Obviously  

    Of course  

    To be sure  

    Undoubtedly   

    Unquestionably  

      

      

    Transitions that show sequence or time:  

    After  

    Afterward  

    As soon as  

    At last  

    At first  

    Before  

    Finally  

    Then  

    Later  

    Meanwhile  

    Next  

    Soon  

    First, second, third…  

    In the first place  

      

      

      

    Transitions that clarify the order of events or steps:  

    First, second, third   

    Generally, furthermore, finally  

      

    In the first place, also, last  

    In the first place, furthermore, finally  

    In the first place, likewise, lastly  

      

    Transitions that introduce examples: 

    For instance  

    For example  

    To illustrate  

    Transitions that continue a line of thought:  

    Consequently  

    Besides the fact  

    Further      

    Considering…it is clear that  

    Additionally  

    Furthermore  

    In addition  

    Looking beyond  

    Because  

    Following this idea  

    In the same way  

    Moreover  

      

    Transitions that change a line of thought:  

    But  

    Yet  

    However  

    Nevertheless  

    On the contrary  

    On the other hand  

      

      

      

    Transitions that show importance:  

     

    Above all  

    Best  

    Especially  

    In fact  

    More important  

    Most important  

    Most of all  

    Least of all  

      

    Transitions that show that you are concluding a point or thought:  

     

    Indeed  

    Hence  

    In conclusion  

    In the final analysis  

    Therefore   

    Thus  

    Finally  

    Last of all  

      

    A Word of Caution about Transitions  

    Single-word or short-phrase transitions can be helpful to signal a shift in ideas within a paragraph, rather than between paragraphs. But it is also important to understand that these types of transitions shouldn’t be frequent within a paragraph. As with anything else that happens in your writing, they should be used when they feel natural and feel like the right choice. Below are two examples to help you see the difference between transitions that feel like they occur naturally and transitions that seem forced and make the paragraph awkward to read; the transitions are in bold.   

    Paragraph with too many transitions:   

    The Impressionist painters of the late 19th century are well known for their visible brush strokes, for their ability to convey a realistic sense of light, and for their everyday subjects portrayed in outdoor settings. In spite of this fact, many casual admirers of their work are unaware of the scientific innovations that made it possible this movement in art to take place. Then, in 1841, an American painter named John Rand invented the collapsible paint tube. To illustrate the importance of this invention, pigments previously had to be ground and mixed in a fairly complex process that made it difficult for artists to travel with them. For example, the mixtures were commonly stored in pieces of pig bladder to keep the paint from drying out. In addition, when working with their palettes, painters had to puncture the bladder, squeeze out some paint, and then mend the bladder again to keep the rest of the paint mixture from drying out. Thus, Rand’s collapsible tube freed the painters from these cumbersome and messy processes, allowing artists to be more mobile and to paint in the open air.  

      

    Paragraph with subtle transitions that aid readers’ understanding:   

    The Impressionist painters of the late 19th century are well known for their visible brush strokes, for their ability to convey a realistic sense of light, for their everyday subjects portrayed in outdoor settings. However, many casual admirers of their work are unaware of the scientific innovations that made it possible for this movement in art to take place. In 1841, an American painter named John Rand invented the collapsible paint tube. Before this invention, pigments had to be ground and mixed in a fairly complex process that made it difficult for artists to travel with them. The mixtures were commonly stored in pieces of pig bladder to keep the paint from drying out. When working with their palettes, painters had to puncture the bladder, squeeze out some paint, and then mend the bladder again to keep the rest of the paint mixture from drying out. Therefore, Rand’s collapsible tube freed the painters from these cumbersome and messy processes, allowing artists to be more mobile and to paint in the open air.  

      

    Exercise 4.3a Evaluating Transitions  

    Think about the differences in the use of transitions in the two paragraphs and what you observe about the effectiveness of these transitions in each.   Discuss your ideas with a classmate.   

    Exercise 4.3b Body Paragraph Development Practice  

    Write a paragraph on a topic of your choice. Be sure to include a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence and to use transitional words and phrases to link your ideas together.  

    This page titled 4.3: Improving Paragraph Coherence was last modified on Thu, 25 Jun 2026 04:18:13 GMT and is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by The Butler Community College English Department.