Page 66 - English Grammar and Composition-Student Textbook short

The love of Christ binds us together in a distinctive way. Often, these relationships last years or even a
lifetime. The reward is in coming alongside others and fulfilling some of our purpose on this earth.

Fulfilling our purpose on earth is very satisfying, and I can say that short-term missions are one of
the best things I’ve experienced in my life. It’s wonderful that God would call us to join in this inspiring part
of His work in the world. The entire experience, from planning to new relationships, can definitely build our
faith and bring us closer to Christ.

Notice that without the transitions, the essay is understandable, but the author's ideas seem disconnected
from one another. However, with the transitions, the author has taken more control over the reader's
interpretation of the writer's work. The author's voice is much stronger and clearer in the second example. In
addition to the transitions at the beginning of the paragraphs, the second example has a transition after a
quote. Instead of just leaving the quote alone, the author has now told us why he/she used that particular
quote, again taking control over the reader's interpretations. At some point in your editing process, look at
the end of each paragraph and see how it connects to the first sentence of the paragraph following it. If the
connection seems missing or strained, improve the transition by clarifying your logic or rearranging the
paragraphs.

Practice 18: Writing Transitions

In the exercise below, write a transitional sentence that will show how the paragraphs are connected. The
sentences you are writing are at the beginning of the second, third, and fourth paragraphs. Make sure to
use transitional words.

The water cycle is a process that is vital for sustaining life on earth by providing water to plants, animals and
humans. It is also the driving force behind the earth's climate. Clouds are formed through condensation, and
temperature is regulated through evaporation and water vapor in the air. The water cycle is responsible for
distributing water across the earth through evaporation, condensation and precipitation.

Evaporation from the oceans is the primary mechanism supporting the surface-to-atmosphere portion of the
water cycle. After all, the large surface area of the oceans, over 70 percent of the earth's surface is covered
by the oceans, provides the opportunity for large-scale evaporation to occur. On a global scale, the amount of
water evaporating is about the same as the amount of water delivered to the earth as precipitation.

Water vapor condenses into droplets. At ground level, this condensation accumulates on plants and soil as
dew or frost, but higher in the atmosphere it forms clouds. Depending on the atmospheric conditions, clouds
either disperse back into vapor or continue to condense until they must precipitate.

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