1.8. Discourse markers

“MAIN POINT” MARKERS

Exercise 1. In the passages below, underline the sentences which could begin with ANYWA Y / ANYHOW / IN ANY CASE / AT ANY RATE.

1. I'm not going to the party, 1 don’t like parties much. I’m too tired. I’ll probably just stay at home and watch TV tonight.

2. We are confident that our equipment will provide years of useful service. We have thousands of satisfied customers all over the world. If a fault should develop, we guarantee that our engineers will carry out immediate repairs, free of charge.

3. Both Adams (1974) and Bentley (1991) found that language learning improved when the audio-tactile method was used. Conzales (1985) also reported some success with this approach. It appears that the technique will play a part in language teaching in future. Nevertheless, further research is needed to determine how it can be used most effectively.

4. Alice phoned the office. She says she isn’t feeling well. She thinks it might be flu. She won’t be at work today.

5. We’d better go now. We’ve got a lot of work to do tomorrow. It ‘s getting late. If we don’t go now we’ll miss the last bus.

6. We cut all scenes of sex and violence. It is against our religion. It's bad for the children.

Exercise 2.Choose between ANYWAY and THE THING IS in the conversations below.

1. A. Are you doing anything this weekend?

B.No, nothing special.

1. Anyway,/ The thing is, I’m having some friends round for dinner. Would you like to come?

2. A. Louise looks very happy today.

2. Haven’t you heard? She and Harry are getting married.

1. That’s nice. They've been friends for ages. Maybe she told Harry it was now or never.

2. Maybe so. Anyway / The thing is, they’ve finally made the decision.

3. A. Did Paolo get the job he applied for?

B. No. I thought he had a good chance of getting it. Maybe they thought he was too old. Anyway, / The thing is, he didn’t get it.

4. A. I hear Marie passed her biology exams.

B. She had no problems at all. Anyway, / The thing is, she has such a go memory, she just needs to look at a diagram once and she remembers it.

4. A. What do yon think of Joe Glenn’s paintings?

2. Not much. Anyway, / The thing is, he has simply no idea about colour.

4. I thought it was best to warn him. Anyway, / The thing is, Cheryl wanted him know.

“EXTRA POINT” MARKERS

Exercise 3. Read the sentences below and decide on a suitable order (more than one may be possible). Before which sentence would you put the linker (BY THE WAY or INCIDENTALLY)?

1. (a) Four of them were absent.

2. It seems George Michael is their favourite singer.

3. I did a survey of the students in the class today.

2. (a) Have you seen her recently?

2. She says she’s enjoying her holiday.

3. I got a postcard from Lisa McDonald this morning.

3. (a) Twenty-eight new students enrolled today.

2. A lot of them seem to be from Eastern Europe.

3. We’ll divide them into two groups, OK?

4. (a) The opening ceremony is on TV.

2. The Olympic Games start tomorrow.

3. How many medals did we get last time?

5. (a) Do please clean everything up after you.

2. It’s your turn for the sauna tonight.

3. It’s reserved for you from eight till nine thirty.

Exercise 4. Mixed ‘main point’ and ‘extra point’ forms. Insert a suitable linker in the passages and conversations below.

I Are you coming to the lecture this evening?

• Yes, I expect so. By the way. how long is it supposed to last?

2. The report from the committee suggests that the tax on petrol should not be

Introduced. Such an increase would be harmful to industry. it

would be unfair to motorists living in rural areas.

3. The latest news is that Thomson has recovered from his injury and will play

lor Rovers tonight. , new figures show that Thomson was the

highest-paid player in the league last season.

4. Chris, you couldn’t by any chance lend me $10 till tomorrow, could you?

, I forgot to go to the bank this morning.

5. - Are you getting time off from work to play in the competition?

I haven’t asked for time off. My boss wouldn’t be keen on the idea. , the competition doesn’t start till 6 p.m., so there shouldn’t be

my problem.

6. It was a good result for Vampyra, the Transylvanian athlete, who won the

silver medal in the 5,000 metres. , that was Transylvania’s first

medal in these games.

7. - I hear that Charles and his wife are separating.

• Well, that shouldn’t surprise anyone. , they haven’t been

getting on well for years.

8. --So, are you off to do your shopping now?

• Yes, I’ve got a lot to do. , could you possibly give me a lift

into town if you’re going that way? I didn’t bring my car this morning.

EXEMPLIFICATION AND SUMMATION

Exercise 5. ALL IN ALL / IN SHORT / IN A WORD. How could you sum up the ideas in B? Or find a good umbrella nomination for them in A? A:

1. our lour of Australia was a disaster;

2. she is the best person for the job;

3. a consumerist worldview.

4. anything challenging.

5. he had a miserable childhood;

6. it will cost thousands of pounds to put the house in order;

7. oppressor and oppressed stood in constant opposition to one another.

8. the company's prospects for the coining year are excellent;

9. his professionalism as a man in arms;

j) the majority of readers now are scholars (whether students or professional academics);

k) a wealth of activities;

B:

1. Elizabeth is experienced, good at communicating and highly qualified.

1. Our best players had to go home because of injury and we lost every match;

2. Our profits are up, our order book is full, and we have first-class managers;

3. What it has created is a reformulation of consumerism that transforms all the public mass media and their contents into opportunities to sell ideas, values, products;

4. the reading public as a whole is shrinking, literature is increasingly relegated to the schools as something to be studied;

5. Try tennis, badminton or windsurfing;

6. His father beat him, his mother died young, and he hated his school;

7. The roof leaks, the window frames are rotten and there is no electricity;

8. Robert Bruce’s, king of' Scots, successes against the English stemmed from his military qualities, his understanding of his men, his appreciation of the tactics required for victory;

0. Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf, guildmaster and journeymen stood in constant opposition to one another.

9. There are quizzes, travel reports, documentary, features, interviews, cartoons, game shows, music songs, comedy.

Exercise 6. Mixed “exemplification and summation” forms.

FOR EXAMPLE / FOR INSTANCE vs. ALL IN ALL / IN SHORT? Decide