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Discourse Markers

This document lists and defines common informal and spoken discourse markers in English. Some of the discourse markers defined include "anyway" to mark a shift in topic, "actually" to indicate something surprising or opposite of expectations, "as I was saying" and "as I said" to continue a theme after an interruption, and "absolutely" as a stronger way of saying yes. Other discourse markers covered are "exactly", "okay", "well", "fine", "mind you", "you know", "I mean", "for a start", "what's more", "on top of that", "to tell you the truth", "to be honest", and "sort of/kind of".

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Aiko Maeda
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53 views1 page

Discourse Markers

This document lists and defines common informal and spoken discourse markers in English. Some of the discourse markers defined include "anyway" to mark a shift in topic, "actually" to indicate something surprising or opposite of expectations, "as I was saying" and "as I said" to continue a theme after an interruption, and "absolutely" as a stronger way of saying yes. Other discourse markers covered are "exactly", "okay", "well", "fine", "mind you", "you know", "I mean", "for a start", "what's more", "on top of that", "to tell you the truth", "to be honest", and "sort of/kind of".

Uploaded by

Aiko Maeda
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Discourse Markers / INFORMAL AND SPOKEN DISCOURSE MARKERS

• Anyway – marks a shift away from a topic. It’s sold out, anyway, I didn’t want to go.

• Actually – indicates that what you are saying is a surprise to you or is the opposite of what might be imagined or
introduces the opposite response to what someone wants or expects. I thought I didn’t like dance shows
but actually, I quite enjoyed it. Actually, I’d prefer if if you didn’t smoke in here.

• As I was saying / As I said – continuing a theme after a change of subject. As I was saying before I was
interrupted, I’d like to go to the cinema. As I said last week, I don’t enjoy opera.

• Absolutely – used as a stronger way of saying yes. A. Would you like a holiday in Thailand? B. Absolutely, when
do we go?

• Exactly – used to emphasise what you mean. What exactly are you talking about? Exactly, that’s what I meant.

• Okay or OK – understood or agreed. Okay, I get it.

• Well – used to indicate an emotion including: annoyance, anger, surprise, disappointment and relief. Well, that’s
not what I wanted to hear. Well, I didn’t expect that!

• Fine – used informally to indicate that something is not good. That’s another fine mess you’ve got me into. A.
How are you since your wife left you? B, Fine, what do you think

• Mind (you) – used to highlight or stress something you said to avoid misunderstanding. He couldn’t help
me, mind you, I know he’s busy so it’s not his fault. Or to introduce something else that needs to be considered.
My kids never listen to me. Mind you, I didn’t either at their age so I guess it’s normal.

• You know – indicates that what you’re saying is known by the listener. or to check they understand with a
question mark. Also used as a filler while you’re thinking of what to say next. Studying economics is hard, you
know.

• I mean – introduces a statement to justify what you’ve said. It was a tough driving test, I mean I took my test in
the rush hour in the rain.

• For a start – introduces the first item of a logical sequence or the most important item of other possibilities. The
driving test in Spain is difficult, for a start it’s all in Spanish.

• What’s more – introduces a new fact or argument and implies that this new fact or argument is more important
than the one just given. Used without contraction for formal speech and writing. The stock market fell in 2008
and what’s more, our pension fund was tied up in stocks.

• On top of that – used to indicate something unpleasant in addition to what you’ve just said. I lost my job and on
top of that, I was fined for speeding.

• To tell you the truth / truth be told – indicates that hat you’re saying is honest and open. To tell you the truth, I
was more than a little worried. Truth be told, I’m concerned about the project

• To be honest – explains that you are being truthful about what you’re saying, usually with an understanding that
the person you’re talking to will be disappointed. To be honest, I don’t think your offer is sufficient.

• Sort of / kind of – used to describe that something is partly true but it’s not the entire explanation. Or that
something is difficult to explain entirely. Your answer is sort of correct but there’s a bit more to it that that. My
new car is a kind of blue green colour. Not sure what colour you’d call it.

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