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TOEFL Listening Section Conversation Strategies TOEFL Listening Practice Conversations TOEFL Listening Section Lecture Strategies TOEFL Listening Practice Lectures Listening For Tone Attitude Transitions And Signal Words in Listening Listening For Agreement Disagreement Listening For Intonation Cues Listening For The Main Point Listening to Accented English TOEFL Listening Practice Listening For Basic Comprehension TOEFL Listening Practice Listening For Pragmatic Understanding TOEFL Listening Practice Connecting Synthesizing Information The Four Stages of The Listening Process Critical Listening Thinking Evaluating Others' Speeches Improving Your Note-Taking Skills Strategies For Mapping a Speech

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TOEFL: Structure of The TOEFL Listening Section
Transitions And Signal Words in Listening

When you're listening to someone speaking English, paying attention to transitions and signal words really pays off. Here are some tips with examples of how these words are used in conversations.

Transitions And Signal Words in Listening

Transitions And Signals

When you're listening to someone speak English, do you pay the same amount of attention to every single word? Hopefully not! That's not how native speakers do it, and it's not how you listen to your native language either. A better strategy is to listen selectively, paying more attention to the more important words. Listening this way is more flexible because it helps you understand the main point even if you're stumped on one or two individual words.

So, which words should be the ones you really listen for? Well, there are a few types, but some of the most important words in any language are transition words or signal words. These words help you navigate the conversation by letting you know where you are and where you're going. You can think of them as being like signposts that guide you through all the information you're hearing. In this lesson, we'll talk about these words and how to use them.

Beginnings And Endings

First, we'll talk about the types of transitional and signal words that signal beginnings and endings. Here are a few examples of signal words and phrases that can mark beginnings and endings of a conversation:

Here's an example of how those words might be used in actual conversations:
STEVE: Hi, everyone, and welcome to our monthly meeting. To get started, let's go over our reports from last quarter. First off, I'm very proud that everyone showed a net growth…
Here, Steve uses 'To get started' to introduce the first topic of the meeting: the reports. Then, he uses 'first off' to introduce the first topic within the discussion of the reports. At the end of the meeting, you might hear something like:
STEVE: Well, I think that's all. Does anyone have any other questions or concerns?
Here, Steve is using 'I think that's all' to mark the end of the meeting.

Topics And Arguments

That was beginnings and endings. Other transitional words help you move through the middle of a conversation by introducing topics, signaling topic changes, and connecting topics to each other. Several different words and phrases can either introduce a new topic of conversation or signal a return to a previous topic.

In real life, people don't always discuss one topic all the way through and then move on to the next. Instead, they jump around during the conversation, which can be confusing - unless you've mastered the appropriate transitions! Here are some examples of transition words and phrases that help you move between topics:

Here are some examples of how these phrases might be used in actual conversations:
STEVE: Okay, so are we clear on the schedule for the trip?
JAMES: I think so. But can we just go back to the packing list for a second? I remembered a few things - we're going to need extra batteries and one of those plug converters.
STEVE: Right, good idea. Oh, and that reminds me - we're also going to need to look into international SIM cards…

In this passage, Steve and James are at the end of a longer conversation. Steve starts off by wrapping up, checking with James to make sure they've covered everything about the schedule. Then, James returns to a previous topic by saying 'can we just go back to the packing list.' Steve acknowledges his point, and then uses the phrase 'oh, and that reminds me' to transition into a new topic: international SIM cards.

Relationships Between Ideas

Signal words can also help you understand the logical relationships between topics of discussion. Here, you're really looking out for words that that signal relationships, like cause-and-effect or part-to-whole. Here are some examples:

These words will help you understand the logical relationships going on in the other person's mind, and put everything into context so you can understand the conversation as a whole. If you're struggling to grasp the main point, pay special attention to words that signal relative importance. Here's an example:

PROFESSOR: So, because of the reforms, the Roman military changed significantly. One big change was in the size of the army: it got a lot bigger because there was more manpower to draw on. Another change was professionalism: suddenly, instead of volunteer soldiers, you had a professional army. So basically, the Roman army went from a bunch of citizen-volunteers to a much larger group of professionals. Now, let's talk about the consequences of that.

In this passage, the professor first uses 'So, because' to introduce a cause-and-effect relationship. He's just told the class about some reforms, and now he's going to discuss their effects. Then, he uses 'one big change' and 'another change' to break his point up into two smaller points. After that, he uses 'so basically' to summarize his points about the reforms. Finally, he starts off a new topic with 'now, let's talk about.'