1. ASManager2.zip Driver
2. i_trans.txt File Contents

i_trans.txt Driver File Contents (ASManager2.zip)

Name: <  >
Class: <  >
Date: <  >



Transitional Words Hold Your Essay Together


You're getting there! But, there are a few more things you need to do. The first is to check and see if the essay holds together. If each sentence and paragraph seems to stand by itself, then you might want to add transitional words and phrases. These are the "glue words" that hold an essay together.

Read the version of the essay-in-progress on your handout or on the screen below, and notice the capitalized words and phrases. They are transitional words and phrases.


Most schools in the United States operate on a 180-day calender. THIS came about originally because of the agrarian nature of the country. The farmers needed to have their entire families available to help with the planting of crops in the spring and the harvesting in the fall, as well as the field work in the summer. NOW, HOWEVER, less than one percent of the population is employed in agriculture. AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE AGE OF TECHNOLOGY, it is imperative that the school year be lengthened by twenty days.

IN THIS AGE OF TECHNOLOGY, American students need more schooling to compete with the rest of the world. American students attend school fewer days of each year than the students in any of the other top twenty industrial nations. CONSEQUENTLY, American students also score lower on national tests than students from these other countries. THE RESULTS of our shorter school year are obvious as we see American jobs being lost to the Western Rim countries. With the end of communism in Europe and the rise of capitalism there, countries like Germany and Poland with a well-educated work force will offer tougher competition.

A SECOND REASON why the school year should be lengthened is students would forget less if the summer vacation were not as long as it is. Many classes need to spend most of the first quarter reviewing what was learned the previous year before they can go on to new material. BECAUSE OF THE CONSTANT REVIEW, some students find school boring and become disruptive in class. It doesn't seem like they ever learn anything new, so they take school less seriously than they should, AND THUS, they feel less compelled to be in class every day.

NOT ONLY ARE STUDENTS BORED with the current calender, but students also become bored during the summer. The students would end up in less trouble if they had a shorter vacation. The crime rate goes up among juveniles in the summer because they have fewer things to do and more time on their hands. There are not enough summer jobs for all the students, so many spend the summer sleeping more, causing tension between them and their parents. ADDITIONALLY, students spend more time partying in the summer, causing more of them to have alcohol-related car accidents.

Summer vacation is fun, but American schools tend to overdo it. It is time that the schools take vacations that are more realistic to the current world situation. If the school year is not lengthened, America will continue to fall further and further behind the rest of the industrial world.


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Here is a list of transitional words and phrases to consider when you're revising. They are grouped according to how they might be used. (You will also find these on the handout accompanying this file titled "Common Transitional Words and Phrases.") Practice using these words by typing a sentence using one of them at the markers following each group.


Additional Facts:

again        also         and another
besides      but also     finally
first        further      furthermore
in addition  initially    in the first place
last         likewise     moreover
next         plus         second

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Comparison:

also             as              as though
as with          by comparison   in like manner
in the same way  likewise        or
similarly

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Contrast of Change or Condition:

although           anyhow       anyway
at the same time   but          by contrast
despite            either       even though
for all that       however      if
in any event       in contrast  instead
in spite of        neither      nevertheless
nonetheless        nor          on the contrary
on the other hand  or           otherwise
still              unless       yet

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Place:

above    across  adjacent   among    below
beneath  beside  between    beyond   farther
here     in      into       nearby   nearer
on       over    there      under

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Result:

accordingly   as a result   because     consequently
since         hence         obviously   for this reason
so then       therefore     thus	
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Repetition:

all of this means    as has been noted   as has been stated
finally              in brief            in conclusion
in essence           in other words      in short
on the whole         that is to say      to conclude
to summarize

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Specific Examples:

especially	for example	a few of these are
for instance	in particular 	

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Emphasis:

basically     certainly    essentially
indeed        in fact      of course

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Time:

after        afterwards       as soon as
at last      at length        at present
before       currently        finally
immediately  in the meantime  later
meanwhile    not long after   now
since        soon             then
until        when             whenever
while

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Name and save this file now. (Press ctrl+S, type a name for the file, and press enter.)

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My Essay

Now, go to the file you worked on earlier. Read carefully through the latest revision of your five-paragraph essay and add transitional words or phrases that will help the essay move forward smoothly. Remember that your goal is to help your reader to understand exactly what you mean.




If you haven't done so already, name and save this file now. (Press ctrl+S, type a name for the file, and press enter.)


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