Glossary
transition word
A transition word is the hinge between sentences — because, but, unlike, then, however — naming the relationship between what you just read and what comes next.
Transition word is the hinge between one sentence and the next: it names the relationship between them, and it is the fastest evidence for how a passage is built. Five relationships cover almost everything on this topic. Adding — also, furthermore. Contrasting — but, however, unlike, rather than. Cause and effect — because, so, as a result, which is why. Sequence — first, then, by the following spring. Conceding — although, granted, may well be … but. A structure item is settled by pointing at these words: name the relationship, then name the word that signals it, and a shape with no signal behind it can be crossed out. They matter twice more. A concession is where a passage turns, so a but after a granted point is the moment the argument starts — and a tone item usually finds its evidence in that same clause. And a which is why ties a fact to the claim it is meant to prove, which is how a list of figures becomes an argument.
Taught in
Related terms
- text structure — Text structure is how a passage is arranged — chronological, cause then effect, problem then solution, general then specific, concession then counterpoint, or claim, evidence, recommendation — and what in the wording signals that arrangement.
- structural clue — A structural clue is a word in the text that shows how the passage is built — a transition word, a pronoun and its antecedent, or a repeated key phrase.
Source: The reading skills ATI names in its own Content Outline (R.2.1-R.2.4, under the Craft and structure sub-content area), plus the tone and passage-structure skills that sub-content area's published description names; each definition below is written for the Craft and Structure guide in this exam, in our own words, and explains the skill the way the guide teaches it. (ATI Content Outline read 2026-10-09; definitions written 2026-10-09)