Providing Transitions

PROVIDING TRANSITIONS

In the spaces provided, choose the transitions to tie together the sentences and ideas in the following essay. Draw from the words given in the box below.

a. finally b. but c. for example d. in addition

e. as a result one second for instance first of all

Hooked on Buying

Every day, Americans head out in droves for our country’s department stores, discount centers, and shopping malls. We all have to buy something we think we really need or we feel is an incredible bargain. In reality, though, we are just ready for another fix of our favorite drug: shopping. There are several reasons why we seem to have turned into a nation of consumer junkies.

______, Americans believe in competition, even when it comes

to acquiring possessions. We feel like losers if we don’t own the cars, appliances, clothes,

and furniture our neighbors and friends own. ______, the Browns’

four-year-old car will seem fine until the Smiths next door buy a brand-new model. Then

the competitive instinct to stay ahead in the game sends the Browns out scouting the new

car lots. ______, the competitive urge tells us that people’s success in life is measured by how much they own. So we admire those with the most material possessions, the ones who own three cars or enough shoes to fill a walk-in closet.

A ______reason for our addiction to consumer goods is the

American belief that “new is better.” It is possible to fix a broken toaster, mend torn

clothing, or make do with an outdated refrigerator. ______we prefer to throw out the old and buy the new. ______, we have junkyards and dumps bursting with the still-usable items we no longer want. Instead of reusing or recycling, which would make more economic sense, we throw away.

______, our buying habit is maintained and encouraged by

advertisers. We are bombarded by television and print ads that carry seductive messages.

______of these messages is that buying a particular product—a stereo, a motorcycle, or a dishwasher,______—is all that is needed to make the purchaser happy. ______message is that buying a certain product will make the user a better, more attractive person. Every shampoo, makeup, or cologne tries to convince us that a single item can transform us into the ideal self we fantasize about.

In this country, shopping satisfies our psychological needs. We are truly hooked