Bridge Sentence
A useful bridge often refers back to the previous idea and then introduces the direction of the next paragraph. Contrast, cause, extension, example, or qualification can all supply the logical link; the exact wording should match that relationship.
A bridge sentence helps readers move from one idea or paragraph to the next by making the relationship explicit. It should connect prior information to the new point, not merely add a generic transition word.
Key details
Further guidance
Connection Test
State the relationship between the two paragraphs in plain language first: continuation, contrast, consequence, example, qualification, or shift in scale.
Construction
Reuse enough familiar information from the previous paragraph to orient the reader, then introduce the new focus that the next paragraph will develop.
Quality Check
Remove a bridge that merely says “Furthermore” or “On the other hand” without making the actual relationship understandable.
Worked Example
After a paragraph on cost, a bridge might say: “Cost is only one barrier, however; even affordable systems can fail when staff lack time to learn them.” The sentence closes one issue and opens the next.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Improve Your Paper by Writing Structured Paragraphs (opens in a new tab)University of Wisconsin–Madison Writing Center · Explicitly describes transition sentences as guiding readers from the preceding paragraph into the new paragraph, establishing a stable sentence-level bridge function.
- Transitions (opens in a new tab)Harvard College Writing Center · Explains transitions as connections between ideas and paragraphs and emphasizes old-to-new information rather than reliance on isolated transition words.