Skip to content

Stylish segues

In writing, you often pick up the outgoing idea from the end of a paragraph and show how it connects to the idea in the next one. This is a segue. Pronounced ‘seg-way’, it comes from cinema, referring to the camera moving from one scene to another without a visible cut. The classic way to create a segue, as I’ve described before, is with a hinge sentence.[1] But why not add a touch of style to your hinge sentences? Sometimes, repeating a single word is enough: ‘While political writing in the 1480s was successfully suppressed, legal writing proved impossible to censor.’ Good segue-writers use repetitions, echoes and word play to reinforce the connection they are making: ‘It was not just pubs that were forcibly shut in the revolution; publishers were closed down too.’ Your goal is to seize on the key idea linking both paragraphs so that your reader will effortlessly follow your thought process.

[1] https://rlfconsultants.com/hinge-sentences/

James McConnachie
23 July 2020


Related articles

Within and between – techniques to ensure your writing flows

When your writing flows, your reader can easily absorb your ideas and understand what you’re trying to communicate.

Hinge sentences

Plan paragraphs with topic sentences, but think about how they connect.

Editing like a pro

Finessing an argument and spotting typos need different mindsets. Whether you’re writing an essay or a PhD, you need to be the editor as well as the author.

Back To Top