Organizing Ideas: つまり / たとえば / 一方で

Use discourse markers to follow summary, illustration, and contrast at the paragraph level.

Recognize how writers summarize, illustrate, and compare ideas.Use つまり, たとえば, and 一方で to map paragraph structure.Read beyond sentence meaning and track the writer's organization.

Guided study

What each marker does

つまり summarizes or restates the point. たとえば introduces an example. 一方で presents another side, often a contrast or parallel viewpoint. These markers are essential in explanatory writing.

電車もバスも止まっていた。つまり、今日は車以外で行けない。

Both the trains and buses had stopped. In short, today I cannot go except by car.

つまり restates the practical conclusion of the earlier sentence.

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日本には四季がある。たとえば、春には桜が咲く。

Japan has four seasons. For example, cherry blossoms bloom in spring.

たとえば introduces a concrete illustration of the broader claim.

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都会は便利だ。一方で、生活費が高い。

Cities are convenient. On the other hand, the cost of living is high.

一方で opens a contrasting side of the same topic.

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