众所周知，要写出清晰流畅的文章，需要把段落中各部分巧妙地连接在一起。这样可使文章自然而别致，并能层层展开主题句，完整地表达中心思想。 起连贯作用的过渡词语可以用来连接段落中的各个句子，也可以用来连接文章中的各个段落。下面是在段落中连接句子的例子（段中黑体字为过渡词）To many foreigners, the American word family is confusing. Foreigners often hear an American say "My family is coming to visit." In this sentence, family means grandparents and perhaps other relatives. However, at other times, the same American might say, "I m going to stay home with my family this weekend." In this case, he is talking about his wife and children. This is a much narrower meaning than the first one. Using family in this way makes a foreigner wonder which term really describes an American family. The answer, of course, is that there are two meanings for the word family in the United States -- a narrow one and a broad one. And there is another term ---- immediate family ----- to describe something in between.
这一段中出现的过渡手法有两种：一种是过渡词或词组，如however, in this case, of course； 另一种是起过渡作用的代词，如this, one.
段与段之间也可以用过渡词连接，比如but可以连接两个为转折关系的段落．
2. 过渡词语的分类 常用的过渡词根据意思和作用的不同，可以分为以下十一类：
1) 用以解释的过渡词，比如：now, in addition, for, in this case, furthermore, in fact
1. The problem, in this case, is hard to solve.
2. Furthermore, several people telephoned the same night.
2) 表示强调的过渡词，如：certainly, indeed, above all, surely, most important
1. Indeed, a dessert is always enjoyable.
2. Above all, do not build an open fire in a forest.
3) 表示限制的过渡词but, however, although, though, yet, except for
1. Yet there was still a chance that he would win.
2. Except for one girl, all the hikers returned.
4) 用以举例的过渡词for example, for instance, thus, such, next
1. For instance, a telegram often costs more than a telephone call.