CONVERSATIONAL TRANSITIONAL PHRASES

Question

What are some common, idiomatic transitional phrases used in a conversation when you want to end one topic and transition to a new one? Please look at the scenario below:

Person A: "This is all I have to say about testing. On to something new/ shifting gears, We need to start thinking about our presentation. Any suggestions?"

I think I have heard the ones below:

A. onto the the next thing

B. shifting gears

C. Moving on

D.????

Could someone provide me with a few common, idiomatic transitional phrases to be used in the above situations please?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

apatzinguenseWhat are some common, idiomatic transitional phrases used in a conversation when you want to end one topic and transition to a new one?

That's a very specific request. Here's a list of websites you can explore. I don't know if any of them categorize transition phrases to this level of detail, but you may be able to find something that fits your requirements.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Conversational+Transitional+Phrases&source=hp&ei=WLt6YvjuN-q1qtsP_r6M2AY&iflsig=AJiK0e8AAAAAYnrJaL4te2O-PS1Rm-7odsBQAX_DIjdS&ved=0ahUKEwj4-sXp09X3AhXqmmoFHX4fA2sQ4dUDCAg&uact=5&oq=Conversational+Transitional+Phrases&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyBQghEKABMgUIIRCgATIFCCEQqwIyBQghEKsCUABYAGCyHmgAcAB4AIABcIgBcJIBAzAuMZgBAKABAqABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz

Of the three you suggest, only the first (A) sounds wrong to my ear. I've never heard On to something new or On to the next thing in conversation.

I suppose you could say But enough of that before you say Moving on.

Another one I hear pretty often is just Anyway.

It seems to me that most of the time, one topic leads naturally to another in a conversation, so there is seldom a need to make such a clean break. Anyway, the phrases you suggested seem to belong more to a speech or lecture before a group than to an informal conversation.

When one topic leads to another in conversation, you may hear someone say That reminds me.

And if your conversation partner goes off on a tangent, to bring them back to the topic you were interested in discussing, you can always say, in a joking way, and with a smile, As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, ....

CJ

CONVERSATIONAL TRANSITIONAL PHRASES

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