“ Firstly, we’ll look at the results of the research conducted, then we’ll examine the impact this is likely to have on the community. To outline a presentation, speech or report Here are some examples of these start, middle and end transition words for chronological order, in situations where you may often need them. “ In the end, we decided to go on vacation to Costa Rica.” “ Last of all, I’d like to toast the happy couple.” “ To wrap up, let’s break out into small groups and share what we’ve learned today.”Ĭheck out some more transition words for concluding here. However, these ending words will help make it clear that you have reached your final point. It’s not strictly necessary to end with one of these transition words you could end with ‘then’ or ‘after’, for example.

These should only be used to end a list or sequence containing more than two points. When you reach the last point on a list, the last event in a sequence, or the end of a presentation, you can use one of these to show you are concluding: For example, you shouldn’t combine ‘first, secondly, third’. In general, however, either format is acceptable as long as you are consistent. If you are writing in a formal context then you should check whether there is a particular rule for you to follow. Some style guides recommend using ‘first’ to begin a list, regardless of how you continue. The question often arises as to whether you should use ‘first, second, third’ or ‘firstly, secondly, thirdly’. And in writing, it would be more common to use a numbered bullet list for 4+ items, rather than writing a sequence of events or points using ordinal numbers. If you list more than three points out loud when speaking, it might make it hard for your listener to follow along. Afterwards, I’ll tidy the house.” A note on numerical transition wordsĪlthough numerical transition words (first, second, third, fourth, etc.) can, in theory, be continued indefinitely, in reality we rarely go beyond ‘third’ when speaking or writing. “They were happy playing in the garden until it began raining.” “ After this meeting, let’s continue the discussion over lunch.” “I need to pop to the shops this morning. “We should have listened to her in the first place!” “Why didn’t you tell me this in the first place?” Continuing a sequence of eventsĪfter you have introduced the first point in a sequence or argument, you can continue chronologically with one of these transition words:

This phrase actually means ‘before’, and is generally used to talk about something that should have happened earlier, but didn’t. “ First of all, I’d like to address the matter of the parking permits.” “ Let’s begin with a look at our quarterly sales report.” “ Initially they wanted to buy a brand new car, but then they decided to purchase second-hand.” “ Once there was a princess who lived in a castle.”Īnother time transition word which sounds like it should belong in this list is ‘in the first place’. Some of these can also be used to commence an argument, discussion, or story. It makes sense to begin with some transition words for the first event in a sequence. Once you have found what you need here, you might enjoy some idioms about time as well. We have included example sentences to show how they can be used, too. We’re going to cover more than 100 time order transition words here! They are grouped logically according to which part of a sequence or what point in time they describe.

Time transition words for order and sequence

Signal words for sequential order