4th grade linking and transition words worksheets
Fourth graders choose precise transitions for adding, contrast, cause, and example, W.4.2.c, at essay speed.
Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core W.4.2.c.
A new sheet every click.
The kind of sentences you'll fix
Choose the transition that truly connects the two sentences, and write it.
-
Recycling day moved to Friday. (For instance / However / Therefore), the bins go out Thursday night.
Fixed: Recycling day moved to Friday. Therefore, the bins go out Thursday night.
- Keep your goggles on during the lab. (Also / However / Instead), tie back long hair.
- The old oak fell in the storm. (However / In its place / Similarly), the town planted three saplings.
Every print pulls a fresh set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.
What's on each sheet
- Fix it. Choose the transition that truly connects the two sentences, and write it. 8 sentences to fix per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.
How to teach this
Read the two sentences WITHOUT the transition and ask what changed between them. The relationship was always there; the transition just labels it. That insight is the whole skill.
Watch for: Each transition has a direction: adding, turning, concluding, timing. The wrong word sends the reader down the wrong road, however true both sentences are. The relationship BETWEEN the sentences decides everything: read both, name the connection, then choose. Transition first, meaning second, fails every time.
Common questions about linking and transition words
- How does this improve essays?
- Transitions are the visible skeleton of an argument: first evidence, additional evidence, the counterpoint, the conclusion. W.4.2.c asks for exactly this connective tissue.
- Which transitions should a fourth grader own?
- A working dozen: also, however, instead, therefore, meanwhile, for example, in addition, finally, and their kin. The sheets rotate through all of them.
Related worksheets
- 2nd grade linking and transition words A step easier, same skill
- 3rd grade linking and transition words A step easier, same skill
- 5th grade linking and transition words A step harder, same skill
- 6th grade linking and transition words A step harder, same skill
- Linking and transition words, all grades The full progression
- All 4th grade English worksheets Every skill at this level
- All 4th grade worksheets Everything at this level
Ready to print one?
Need a fresh set of questions? Download another copy.
Aligned to Common Core W.4.2.c. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 175, updated August 2026.
Spot a mistake on this sheet? Tell us. · About these worksheets