Transitions+in+Writing

You can use the transitional word list that you were given when you took your midterm exam**.
 * Complete this activity in groups of 2 people. You will read the following paragraphs and edit them by inserting a logical transition or signal word. Insert them where you see an asterisk (*). When you have finished editing the paragraph, cut and paste it into a Word document, and give me a copy.

__**Paragraph #1**:__

Although the United States has become an advanced technological country, many old-fashioned superstitions still remain.* When walking down a street in New York City past ingeniously constructed skyscrapers, you might see a sophisticated New Yorker walk around instead of under a ladder.* He or she knows that walking under a ladder brings bad luck. *Should a black cat wander from a back alley to that same bustling street, some people would undoubtedly cross to the other side of the street to avoid letting a black cat cross their paths.* In addition, it is true that most buildings in the United States do not have a thirteenth floor and many theaters do not have a thirteenth row. Again, we all know that thirteen is an unlucky number, *if you take a ride through Pennsylvania Dutch country, you will see large colorful symbols called hex signs attached to houses and barns.*The people who live there say they are just for decoration, but sometimes I wonder.


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In the past several years, we have become much more aware of hazardous conditions in the environment.*Scientists recently reported that ozone, the natural shield protecting us from the sun's ultraviolet rays, has declined significantly.* They noted that a hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica has developed and blamed the widespread use of certain chemicals for the ozone decrease. Scientists have* warned us about the greenhouse effect, the gradual warming of the Earth because the heat from the sun's rays is prevented from radiating back into space by a blanket of artificial gases. The chief gas in the greenhouse effect is carbon dioxide, a by-product of burning fossil fuels in cars and factories,* waste disposal has become a significant problem.*We not only have tons and tons of household garbage to get rid of, but we also have hazardous waste from nuclear facilities and plants. *While all of these are significant problems that must be solved in the near future, at least we are now more aware of them.


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When surnames (last names) began appearing in Europe eight hundred years ago, a person's identity and occupation were often intertwined. ***In fact,** a surname was a direct link between who a person was and what the person did. ***For example**,Taylor, is the Old English spelling of tailor, and Clark is derived from clerk, an occupation of considerable status during the Middle Ages because it required literacy. The names Walker, Wright, Carter, Stewart and Turner* **also** indicate occupations. A walker was someone who cleaned cloth; a wright was a carpenter or metalworker; a carter was someone who drove a cart; a steward was a person in charge of a farm or estate, and a turner worked a lathe. ***However**, one of the few occupational surnames reflecting the work of women is Webster, which refers to a female weaver.

In the following paragraph, please insert an appropriate signal or transitional word in the spaces between the parentheses. When you have finished editing the exercise, cut and past it into a Word document and give a copy to me.
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 * How to Make Friends in the Cafeteria**

International students should have American friends to help them practice their English and to teach them about American culture. However this is easier said than done. Because of limited English and shyness in a new culture, the international student has great difficulty getting acquainted with Americans.(**However**), it is possible to make friends if you follow these six steps: (**First** ), go to the college or university cafeteria at the busiest time of day and order your lunch plus an extra package of French fries or a delicious looking dessert. (**Next** ) look around for a table occupied by only one person. Check to see that this person is not busy studying for an exam. (**Third,** ) approach the person and introduce yourself. You might say, "Hi, I"m Sylvia. Would you mind if I shared your table?" If you are invited to sit down (**then** ) the hardest part of the process is over. Politely eating your lunch, ask the American questions about his or her major, classes, and so on. Beware of becoming too personal at this first meeting. You might even offer that extra serving of fries or the dessert. (**When** ) you've finished eating, you should show your interest in meeting your acquaintance again. "Maybe we can have lunch again sometime this week" is a good way to show interest in getting better acquainted. (**Finally** ), getting acquainted with an American in the cafeteria isn't as difficult as you may have imagined. It just takes a little bravery, a lunch and a few English phrases.

Choose the most logical transition signal word from the choices in parentheses. Then cut and paste it into a Word document and print out a copy for me.
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 * How Storms are Named**

Have you ever wondered how those big ocean storms called hurricanes or typhoons get their names? Who decided to name a hurricane "Ann" or "Barbara" or "Bill? The way hurricanes and typhoons are named has changed over the years, and it is an interesting story. Originally, weather forecasters described them by their position in degrees of latitude and longitude. (In addition, **for example**, since) a typhoon might be called "21.20 north, 157.52 west". (Then, **However**, Moreover), this method was confusing because storms don't stay in the same place (thus, **therefore**, in brief) people developed other ways to identify them. In the Caribbean Sea, hurricanes were named for the Catholic saint's days (**thus**, for example, moreover) a hurricane that struck an island in the Caribbean on Saint Ann's Day was named "Santa Ana". A weather forecaster in Australia used to name typhoons after politicians whom he disliked (**because**, for example, however) he wanted to make weather forecasts such as "Typhoon Smith is on a very destructive path" or "Typhoon Jones is very weak and is not moving in any direction." (In addition, **Later**, As a result), during World War I, hurricanes and typhoons were named according to the military alphabet: Able, Baker, Charlie, etc. (Later, **then**, furthermore,) during World War II, women's names began to be used, (**so**, therefore, and) for the next thirty-five years, weather forecasters talked about "Typhoon Alice" or Hurricane Betsy". (**However**, Then, In addition), in the 1970s, the women's liberation movement came along and forced weather forecasters to use men's names, too. (Thus, **For example**, Finally) after about 1975, a storm could be named "Gertrude" or "George". (**In Short**, So, As a result) the way hurricanes and typhoons are named has changed over the years and will undoubtedly change again.