Discourse markers are words and expressions that show how a piece of discourse is constructed. They can show the connection between what is being said now to what was said before, show the connection to what is about to be said, show the speaker's attitude to what has been said, clarify, direct, correct, persuade, etc.
| Marker | Meaning / Use |
|---|---|
| Naturally | you'll do what you think is best. (Of course, this is what I would expect.) |
| Basically | you're spending too much money. (This is the most fundamental point.) |
| Apparently | it's going to be very hot tomorrow. (I've heard this, but I don't know if it's true.) |
| Admittedly | it would take a long time to do this way. (I know this point goes against my main argument.) |
| Surely | you understand why I'm saying this? (I'm almost certain of this point, but I need reassurance.) |
| Actually | my name's Shauna, not Shona. (I'm correcting you as politely as possible.) |
| After all | Britain is an island. (Don't forget this seemingly obvious point — it's a key one.) |
| As a matter of fact | it's cheaper to send it by air. (This is a fact which might surprise you.) |
| Mind you/Still | it won't be easy. (It occurs to me that this contrasts with what I just said.) |
| Given that | you studied so little, it's surprising you passed. (I'm taking this fact into consideration.) |
| By the way | have you heard the news about Sara? (This isn't connected to what we've been talking about.) |
| All in all | finding an interesting job isn't easy. (I'm considering every part of the situation.) |
| At least | the room was cheap, even if the view was awful. (This is one good point, amongst the bad ones.) |
| Besides | Jess doesn't really like chocolate. (This strong point makes the previous ones unnecessary.) |
| Above all | we need to make this decision quickly. (This is the most important point to consider.) |
| otherwise | you won't get a refund. (Because if you don't, this will be the result.) |
| Anyway | it's up to you. So, shall we go out now? (I'm concluding, and not talking about that any more.) |
| I'd rather | followed by past tense to express preference politely. |