Correct Usage of Transition Words...
From the title you can probably tell that this will be a lecture. One of my biggest pet peeves are the incorrect usage of transitional words. I've been wandering around from site to site and everytime I see paragraphs that uses words that don't exist or used incorrectly. Here I will explain the correct usage of transition words as should be used in the English language.
Before I go into the part of correcting the usage of transition words you first must know the definition of it. The definition of a transition word is a word that connects multiple ideas or things in relation. With that please keep in mind that if you are using transitional words there must be a relationship in it or else using it would make no sense. I will only delve into the sequential transition words under the reason because it is the most used transitional words and that it is also the most incorrectly used transitional words.
Transitional Sequence:
Transitional Sequence is the usage of words that involves showing steps, events, etc... in order. Here is an example of an incorrect sequence usage:
Firstly, I have updated the history section of the site (...)
Secondly, new additions are coming soon so please check them out (...)
I would first like to state that the words firstly, secondly, thirdly, and so on are not words. In fact, they don't even exist at all when using transitional words. If you look up the words in a dictionary you would most likely find them listed but using them for sequencing is incorrect. This is probably the most used transition words and it is used incorrectly. It also doesn't sound formal. However, you could used the suffix, -ly, after the first transition word is used:
First, I have updated the history section of the site (...)
Secondly, new additions are coming soon so please check them out (...)
Here is another correct usage of the sequence words:
First, I have updated the history section of the site (...)
Second, new additions are coming soon so please check them out (...)
The paragraph makes more sense and the addition of the suffix, -ly, is unnecessary.
Other sequence words are: at first, first of all, to begin with, in the first place, at the same time, for now, for the time being, the next step, in time, in turn, later on, meanwhile, next, then, soon, the meantime, later, while, earlier, simultaneously, afterward, in conclusion.