ACT English transitions: how to pick the logical connecting word
ACT English transition questions ask which word or phrase, such as however, as a result or for example, best connects a sentence to the one before it. They're part of Production of Writing, which ACT says is 38–43% of the English section. Cover the underlined transition, read the two sentences and decide how they relate: contrast, cause and effect, an example, an addition or a time order. Then choose the one transition in that group. Choices from other groups are wrong no matter how natural they sound.
Where it shows up on the ACT
| Enhanced ACT | |
|---|---|
| Section | English |
| Length | 50 questions (40 scored) in 35 minutes, about 42 seconds each |
| Reporting category | Production of Writing (Organization, Unity, and Cohesion) |
| Share of the section | 38–43% of English, about 15–17 of the 40 scored questions |
| In the Composite | Yes. The Composite averages English, Math and Reading. |
ACT publishes the share for the whole category, not for transitions alone. In the 40 scored English questions of ACT's 2025–26 practice test, we counted 4 transition questions. Three asked "Which transition word or phrase is most logical in context?" ACT scored one of the four under Knowledge of Language instead. Source: ACT, Preparing for the ACT 2025–2026, pp. 6–10: what each section covers and its reporting categories.
What the questions ask you to do
- Choose the transition that matches how two sentences relate: contrast, cause and effect, example, addition or sequence.
- Spot when no transition is the best choice, because the sentence reads correctly without one.
- Pick a transition between paragraphs that links the new paragraph to the one before it.
- Rule out choices that mean the same thing as each other, since both can't be the single right answer.
Transition words by meaning
Choices in the same row mean nearly the same thing. If two choices come from one row, the answer is probably in a different row.
| Relationship | Common transitions |
|---|---|
| Contrast | however, in contrast, on the other hand, yet |
| Concession (true, but) | even so, nevertheless, still, despite this |
| Cause and effect | as a result, therefore, consequently, so |
| Example | for example, for instance, in one case |
| Addition | in addition, also, furthermore, moreover |
| Similarity | similarly, likewise, in the same way |
| Time order | first, then, later, finally, meanwhile |
| Restating | in other words, that is |
Common mistakes
Wrong answer choices are often built around these.
- Choosing the transition that sounds the most formal. Furthermore and moreover are wrong when the second sentence contrasts with the first.
- Reading only the sentence with the transition. The relationship depends on the sentence before it, and sometimes the one after.
- Missing a contrast with an expectation. If something was supposed to work and didn't, the answer is even so or nevertheless, not as a result.
- Picking for example when the second sentence is a different case, not an instance of the first.
- Keeping a transition the passage doesn't need. Sometimes the best choice removes it.
3 example questions with answers
Written by Ashore in the style of the enhanced ACT. They aren't official ACT questions. Try each one before you open the answer.
Question 1 · Easy
Most desert plants survive dry seasons by storing water in thick leaves or stems. Similarly, the ocotillo drops its leaves during long dry spells and grows new ones within days of a heavy rain.
Which transition word or phrase is most logical in context?
- ANO CHANGE
- BIn contrast,
- CFor example,
- DAs a result,
Show the answer
B. The ocotillo does the opposite of storing water in its leaves: it gets rid of them. That's a contrast. Similarly says the two strategies are alike, for example says the ocotillo stores water, and as a result says other plants' storage causes the ocotillo's behavior.
Question 2 · Medium
On Friday morning, the oven at the corner bakery stopped heating, and the repair company couldn't come until Monday. However, the owners sold only the bread they had baked the night before.
Which transition word or phrase is most logical in context?
- FNO CHANGE
- GNevertheless,
- HIn addition,
- JAs a result,
Show the answer
J. The owners could sell only day-old bread because the oven was broken, so the second sentence is an effect of the first. However and nevertheless signal a contrast that isn't there, and in addition treats it as an unrelated extra fact.
Question 3 · Hard
The first version of the school's lunch-ordering app crashed whenever a student uploaded a photo. Over winter break, the developers rewrote the upload code from scratch. Even so, the second version still crashed, this time whenever a student changed a password.
Which transition word or phrase is most logical in context?
- ANO CHANGE
- BConsequently,
- CFor instance,
- DSimilarly,
Show the answer
A. The rewrite should have fixed the crashes, yet the app still crashed. That's a concession, which even so expresses, so the original is right. Consequently would mean the rewrite caused the new crash, for instance treats the new crash as an example of the rewrite, and similarly compares two things the passage doesn't set side by side.
More ACT English guides
- Punctuation rules
- Sentence structure
- Grammar and usage rules
- Rhetorical skills
- ACT score calculator: questions right in each section to a 1–36 score and Composite.
- SAT vs ACT: which test fits you better.
- All ACT guides and free tools
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Practice test 1
Example
27
Composite
(28 + 26 + 27) ÷ 3
- English28
- Math26
- Reading27
- ScienceOptional, not in the Composite25