Richard

Common Cues for the Reader

From Linda Flower, "Problem Solving Strategies for Writing", Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. 1985

Cues that lead the reader forward

• To show addition:
  • Again,
  • And
  • And then
  • Besides
  • Equally important,
  • Finally
  • Further,
  • Furthermore
  • Moreover,
  • Nor,
  • Too,
  • Next,
  • First, second, etc.
  • Lastly,
  • What's more,

To show time:

• At length
• Immediately thereafter,
• Soon,
• After a few hours,
• Afterwards,
• Finally
• Then
• Later,
• Previously,
• Formerly
• First,second, etc.
• Next, etc.
• And then

Cues that make the reader stop and compare

• But
• Yet,
• And yet,
• However,
• Still,
• Nevertheless,
• Nonetheless,
• Notwithstanding
• On the other hand,
• On the contrary
• After all,
• For all that,
• In contrast,
• At the same time,
• Although
• Although this is true,
• While this is true,
• Conversely
• Simultaneously,
• Meanwhile
• In the meantime,

Cues that develop and summarize

• To give examples:
  • For instance,
  • For example,
  • To demonstrate,
  • To illustrate,
  • As an illustration,
• To emphasize:
  • Obviously,
  • In fact,
  • As a matter of fact,
  • In any case,
  • In any event,
  • That is,
• To repeat:
  • In brief,
  • In short,
  • As I have said,
  • As I have noted,
  • In other words,
• To introduce conclusions:
  • Hence,
  • Therefore,
  • Accordingly,
  • Consequently,
  • Thus,
  • As a result,

To summarize:

• In brief,
• On the whole,
• Summing up,
• To conclude,
• In conclusion,