Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition

P r a c t i c e w i t h Tr a n s i t i o n a l
Wo r d s a n d P h r a s e s
Practice Passage 1
Here’s a more extreme example of a paragraph with the
transitional words and phrases omitted:
I went to work early to get some extra filing done. I
got there; the phone started ringing. My boss walked
in. He asked me to type a letter for him. He asked me
to make arrangements for a client to stay in town
overnight. I looked at my watch; it was already 11:00.
Now, take the paragraph and add the following
transitional words and phrases:
–
S TA R T F R O M T H E B E G I N N I N G : C H R O N O L O G I C A L O R D E R
–
5 4

---

_____________ I went to work early to get some
extra filing done. _____________ I got there, the
phone started ringing. ____________ my boss
walked in. ____________ he asked me to type a
letter for him. ____________ he asked me to make
arrangements for a client to stay in town over-
night. __________ I looked at my watch, it was
already 11:00.
See how much better the paragraph sounds with
transitional words and phrases to guide you?
Answers
You might have come up with a slightly different ver-
sion, but here’s one good way to fill in the blanks:
Yesterday, I went to work early to get some extra fil-
ing done. As soon as I got there, the phone started
ringing. A moment later, my boss walked in. Imme-
diately, he asked me to type up a letter for him.
Then he asked me to make arrangements for a client
to stay in town overnight. When I looked at my
watch, it was already 11:00.
Practice Passage 2
Here is a series of events listed in random order. Use the
transitional words and phrases in each sentence to help
you put them in proper chronological order. Number
the sentences from 1–6 in the blank provided.
If the penalty structure is to your lik-
ing, make sure that the money market
account is FDIC insured.
After you’ve found the best terms, be
sure to find out what the minimum
account balance is and ask what the
penalties are if your account drops
below the limit.
In order to open a money market
account, you should follow several
steps.
Then you should shop around for the
best terms and yields available.
Finally, once the account is opened and
you are earning interest, you should
consider using that interest to pay off
outstanding credit card debt.
First, you should decide what features
are important to you.
Answers
You should have numbered the blanks in this order: 5,
4, 1, 3, 6, 2. Here’s how the sentences look together in
a paragraph.
In order to open a money market account, you
should follow several steps. First, you should decide
what features are important to you. Then you should
shop around for the best terms and yields available.
After you’ve found the best terms, be sure to find out
what the minimum account balance is and ask what
the penalties are if your account drops below the
limit. If the penalty structure is to your liking, make
sure that the money market account is FDIC
insured. Finally, once the account is opened and
you are earning interest, you should consider using
that interest to pay off outstanding credit card debt.
immediately
as soon as
when
yesterday
a moment later
then