Discourse Markers For Spoken English
Discourse Markers For Spoken English
Discourse Markers For Spoken English
like
right
you know
fine
now
so
I mean
good
oh
well
as I say
great
okay
mind you
for a start
firstly
in addition
moreover
secondly
in conclusion
thirdly
in sum
to begin with
Discourse markers do not always have meanings that you will find in your dictionary.
However, they do have certain functions, and some discourse markers, such as well, can
have a number of functions.
See also:
Like
Look
Mind
Okay, OK
Well
Okay, OK
Ending a conversation
[A mother (A) and daughter (B) on the telephone]
A:
So well see you Sunday, Liz.
B:
Right, okay Mum.
A:
Okay, see you then, love.
B:
Bye, Mum. Thanks for calling.
A:
Bye, Liz.
[At the end of a meeting]
A:
Anyway, is that it? Has anyone got any questions?
B:
No. I think were done.
A:
Right, fine, thanks everyone for coming. Well circulate the documents tomorrow and
make some follow-up calls about the project.
See also:
So
Okay, OK
Changing or managing a topic
A:
We went to town to buy wallpaper to match the carpet.
B:
Did you try Keanes? They have a sale.
A:
We looked there, but Jim said he thought it was too expensive and he didnt like any of
their designs.
B:
What does he like?
A:
He likes geometric shapes. He hates flowers. Anyway, we eventually found some that
we both liked and when we went to pay for it, we realised that neither of us had brought
any money. (Anyway marks a return to the main topic of buying wallpaper.)
Ordering what we say
We also use discourse markers to order or sequence what we say. Some of the common
words and phrases which we use for this are:
and
in general
second
to sum up
and then
in the end
*secondly
whats more
last of all
so
well
*firstly
next
lastly
ab
for a start
on top of that
third(ly)
firstly and secondly are more formal than first and second.
A:
I think Sheila might be having some financial problems at the moment.
B:
I dont think so, Caroline. For a start, she has all the money that her aunt gave her.
Whats more, she has a good job and she seems to have a good lifestyle.
Firstly, we are going to look at how to write an essay. Secondly we are going to look at
what makes a good essay and what makes a bad one. Lastly, were going to do some
writing activities.
We can use the letters of the alphabet (a, b and c), to list reasons or arguments for
something:
There are two reasons why I think its a bad idea, a because itll cost too much money,
and bbecause itll take such a long time.
See also:
I mean
Well
Shared knowledge
When we talk, we think about how much knowledge we share with our listener. We often
mark what we think is old, shared or expected knowledge with you know and we mark
new knowledge that we see as not shared with the listener with phrases like see, you
see, the thing is:
You know, hiring a car was a great idea. (The speaker and the listener know about
hiring the car.)
A:
Why dont you come and stay with me when youre in Lisbon?
B:
Itd be difficult. I have to be back in Dublin by Friday. You see, my sister is getting
married on Saturday so I wont have time to visit. (B assumes that A doesnt know about
her sisters wedding. This is new information)
See also:
See
You know
You see
Discourse markers as responses
As we listen to someone speaking, we usually show our response to what we hear either
by gesture (head nod) or by a short response (Mm, yeah, really, thats a shame). This
shows that we are listening to and interested in what is being said. We call these short
responses response tokens.
Common response tokens include:
absolutely
fine
okay
wow
(all) right
good
yeah
certainly
great
really
yes
definitely
I see
sure
exactly
no
wonderful
Yeah.
A:
And he went in very quietly without waking her.
B:
Right.
A:
He opened her bag and
To show surprise
A:
Weve decided to go to Africa for a month next year.
B:
Oh really!
To show sympathy
A:
He cant play soccer for at least six months. Hes broken his leg.
B:
Thats terrible.
See also:
Of course
Discourse markers showing attitude
Some expressions are used to mark attitude or point of view in speaking or writing.
Common expressions of attitude are:
actually
frankly
I think
(Im) sorry
admittedly
hopefully
literally
surprisingly
amazingly
honestly
naturally
thankfully
basically
ideally
no doubt
to be honest
certainly
if you ask me
obviously
clearly
Im afraid
of course
understandably
confidentially
I must admit
predictably
undoubtedly
definitely
I must say
really
unfortunately
essentially
in fact
sadly
fortunately
indeed
seriously
If you ask me, Neil is making a big mistake leaving his job to go travelling with his
friends.
We will obviously have to pay for the damage done to the window.
The whole problem has been caused, I think, by having too many cars on the road at
busy times.
Sadly, Hilda has decided not to come with us.
See also:
Think
Discourse markers: sounding less direct
We are careful when we speak not to sound too direct or forceful. We use words and
phrases such as like, maybe, sort of to soften what we say (hedges).
We often use these words and expressions as hedges:
apparently
kind of
perhaps
roughly
arguably
like
presumably
I think
maybe
probably
surely
just
* sort of is more common in British English; kind of is more common in American English.
Can I just ask you a question?
We can probably add some more water to the sauce.
Is this perhaps one of your first times driving a car?
Compare
Theres a new restaurant in town. We
it next weekend.
See also:
Hedges (just)
Think
Like
Mind
Well
Discourse markers: um and erm
We can use erm when we pause before saying something, especially when we are not
sure about what to say:
Hes erm hes not very pleased with your work, Im afraid.
Her last book was called erm what was it? I cant remember the name.
Discourse markers: interjections (Oh! Gosh!)
An interjection is a single-word exclamation such as hooray, oops, ouch which shows a
positive or negative emotional response:
A:
The meetings been cancelled.
B:
Yippee!
A:
Ive just dropped the box of eggs.
B:
Oh no!
A:
I dont think this dessert looks very fresh.
B:
Yuck!
See also:
Oh