The  transitional  paragraph  may,  like  the  transitional  word,  link  one
part  of  a  composition  compactly  with  another  by  deliberately  relat-
ing what  has  gone  before  to  what  is  to  follow.  It  is  especially  help-
ful in  composition  that  is  long  and  involved  in  reasoning.  Rarely
should  any  of  these  three  types  of  paragraphs  be  used  in  business
letters  or  other  business  composition  of  a  page  or  less  in  length.  In
such  forms  directness  and  immediateness  are  usually  too  important
to  be  held  waiting  for  introductions,  conclusions,  and  transitions.
In  view  of  the  above  explanation,  examine  the  following  excerpts
and  analyze  their  construction:


Its  very  weight  and  bulk  were  suspicious.  They  warned  me  at  the  outset.  But
having  a  moment  to  spare  I  decided  to  "take  a  chance."  So  I  pulled  out  the  end
of  the  envelope — it  was  the  kind,  you  know,  that  tries  to  make  you  believe  it  is
sealed — ^and  emptied  the  "good  stuff"  on  my  desk.  Stuff?  Three  inserts,  a  book-
let, two  large  circulars,  one  testimonial  letter,  one  form  letter  (multigraphed,  with
my  name  and  address  inserted  with  ink  that  was  "out  of  match"  !),  one  order  blank,
one  stamped  and  addressed  envelope !  I  was  just  about  to  dump  the  job  lot  into
the  wastebasket,  gaping  up  from  the  corner  of  my  desk,  when  something  caught
my  eye.  There,  in  the  upper  right-hand  corner  of  that  stamped,  addressed  envelope
was  a  thing  I  had  never  seen  before — MY  NAME —


If  not  delivered  in  five  days,  return  to
Frank  DnBois,  Certified  Public  Accountant,
10  Dey  Street,  New  York  City.
