As I was Saying… (to bring the conversation back to a former point) Anyway…

Homework

Discourse markers can be found in both speaking and writing, but we don’t usually use the same discourse markers for both. Discourse markers in spoken English are generally much more casual than the ones we use for written English.

Common Discourse Markers in Speech

SasS

As I was Saying… (to bring the conversation back to a former point)

Anyway… (to move on to another point or to close a conversation)

Here’s the thing/The thing is… (to raise an important issue)

I’m glad you brought that up because… (to add onto a point just raised)

At the end of the day... (to conclude an argument)

Common Discourse Markers in Writing

On the other hand… (to move to an opposing viewpoint)

In the case of… (to introduce an example)

In addition to… (to raise a new point or example)

From another perspective… (to introduce an opposing or different viewpoint)

In the final analysis…. (to conclude)

Task 1. Study each discourse marker below. Decide if it is more likely to be spoken or written. Write spoken or written on the line.

1. anyway___S____ 9. in sum ___W______

2. now _____S_____ 10. for a start___S______

3. firstly _____W____ 11. as I say ___S______

4. in addition ______W___ 12. to begin with_____W____

5. well____S_____ 13. you know ___S______

6. mind you___S______ 14. thirdly___W______

7. moreover _____W____ 15. good____S_____

8. on the other hand____W_____ 16. in conclusion___W______

Task 2. Choose the function of each discourse marker in the sentences below.

1. Absolutely a. to start a conversation

2. You see, I don’t like horses. B. end a conversation

3. The thing is, I don’t like her. C. change a topic

4. For starters, let’s call Jim. D. order what we say

5.You know, pizza was a great idea. E. mention what we say

6. Wonderful. F. say smth in another way

7. Actually, I got a ticket. G. share knowledge

8. Anyway, I’ve been waiting for you to tell this. H. as a response

9. Lastly, I’m allergic to peanuts.

10. In other words, forget about it.

11. I mean, it is not my fault.

12. So, we will meet again.

13. Right, let’s get down to it.

14. Okay, tell me about it.

1H	8C
2G	9D
3G	10F
4D	11 E
5G	12 B
6H	13 A
7A	14 A