ESL Writing: Transitions and Punctuation (1)

The ESL writing worksheet below explains how to correctly use punctuation such as commas, periods, and semi-colons with various transition words

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Transitions: Punctuation

When you use transitions, you have to be careful with punctuation.

For example, with these transitions, you need to know the three rules below:

However / Nevertheless / Still / Despite that / Nonetheless / Even so

Therefore / Consequently / As a Result / Thus / For this reason

Rule 1: When they are at the beginning of a sentence, you need to put a comma after them.

• My father is very strict. However, I know that he loves me.
• Tennis is a very fun sport. Therefore, I play every weekend.

Rule 2: You can also use a semi-colon (…; however,…) or a period (…. However,…).

• We studied very hard; despite that, we both failed the test.
• We studied very hard. Despite that, we both failed the test.

Rule 3: You can not use only a comma (…, however, …).

• James lost his job, consequently, he had to move in with his parents. (Wrong!)
• James lost his job. Consequently, he had to move in with his parents. (Right!)
• James lost his job; consequently, he had to move in with his parents. (Right!)

Write “C” if the punctuation is “correct” or “I” if the punctuation is incorrect.

If you write “I”, fix the punctuation. (Sample answers on page 77 of Write Right: Transitions.)

1. _____ My uncle is a pilot. Even so, he is sometimes afraid of heights.

2. _____ Chris is the oldest boxer in the city, nevertheless, he hasn’t lost any fights this year.

3. _____ Jacky was caught using her cell phone to cheat on the test. Therefore cell phones are now banned in classrooms.

4. _____ The politician has lied to the people many times. Still, many people vote for him.

5. _____ Our team trained much harder than the other teams, as a result we won the championship.

6. _____ This computer is the most expensive one; however, I don’t think it’s the best.

7. _____ Jack didn’t have health insurance, consequently, he couldn’t get treatment when he got sick.

8. _____ Rose said that she doesn’t like cold weather nonetheless she decided to move to Canada.