It is not always easy to understand the translation of cohesive devices. These are words or phrases that help you to make transitions in your writing or speech. They are particularly important if you want to study at a university or do business abroad because they help others to follow your thought process.

You need to know what these words and expressions mean and where to place them in a sentence or on a page.

Some words that we use when speaking informally are not appropriate for university or professional life. For example, you should not start a thought with “So,” for a thesis paper. It is much more effective to use the term, “therefore.” These terms are also essential if you want to get a good score on a certification test like IELTS or TOEFL.

We can group cohesive devices/linking words/transitional words in different ways.

Use these words or expressions

To put your ideas in order, use these terms at the beginning of a sentence or short paragraph:
First, or Firstly,
First of all,
Second, or Secondly,
Third, or Thirdly,
Then,
Next,
Lastly,

To indicate a time element or the passage of time:
Meanwhile ..,
Presently,
Finally,
.. at that time
.. at this time
previously
formerly
subsequently
in the meantime
eventually
currently
thereafter
immediately
in the past
up until that time
gradually
at times
from time to time

To add information:
Additionally,
In addition,
Furthermore,
What is more,

To give examples:
For example,
For instance,
In this case,
such as
in particular
This can be seen in ..
An instance of this is ..

To contrast:
However,
Although …,
Moreover,
In spite of,
Even though ..,
On one hand,
On the other hand,
Despite the fact that ..
Nevertheless,
In contrast,
Alternatively,
Conversely,

Or to compare:
Similarly,
For the same reason,
Likewise,

To show results:
Therefore,
As a result,
Thus,
.. as illustrated by
Consequently,
Hence,

To transition:
Turning to ..,
With regard to ..,
With reference to ..,
As far as .x.. is concerned,

To summarize:
In conclusion,
In other words,
Clearly,
In summary,
Overall,
All in all,

There are many more cohesive devices that you can find on Unblock Your English with Karen and Fraser in the IELTS section along with examples of how to use them in a full sentence.