(完整word版)discoursemarkers

1、DISCOURSE M ARKERSDiscourse means “ pieces of language longer than a sentence.” Some words and phrases areused to show how discourse is constructed. They can show the connection between what a writer has been discussing, what was previously written and what will be written; they can help to make cle

2、ar the structure of what is being written; they can indicate what a writer thinks about what has been written or about someone elses viewpoint. There are a very largenumber of these“ discourse markers is im”p,oasnsidbliet to give a complete list in a fewpages. Here are some of the most common exampl

3、es. Some of these words and expressions have more than one use; for more information, look in a good dictionary. Some of these markers are used mostly in informal writing; others are more common in a formal style. Note that a discourse marker usually comes at thebeginning of a clause. Also, some of

4、these markers begin independent clauses, and others only begin dependent clauses. Your teacher can go over those distinctions in class. Right now, just focus on the main use of each type of expression.Focusing and LinkingWith reference to., Regarding., As regards., As far as.is concerned, As for.,Th

5、ese expressions focus attention on what is going to be written, by announcing the subject in advance. Some of them also make a link with previous discourse, by referring back to what was discussed before.With reference to is a very formal expression used mainly at the beginning of business letters:

6、“ With reference to your letter of September 17, I would like to inform you ”Regarding can come at the beginning of a piece of discourse: “ Regarding the data achieved in the previous round of experiments ”As regards. and As far as.is concerned usually signal a change of subject by the writer: “ The

7、re are no problems with production. Now as regards marketing, I think the best thing to do ” “ There are no problems withproduction. As far as marketing is concerned, I think the best thing to doAs for usually signals a lack of interest, a strong difference of opinion with someone, or dislike for so

8、mething or someone: “As for the opposing viewpoint, it has been adequately demonstrated that there is little merit in its argument. ”Balancing Contrasting PointsOn the other hand,.WhileWhereasThese expressions are used to balance two facts or ideas that contrast, but do not necessarily contradict ea

9、ch other.“ Arranged marriages are common in many Middle Eastern countries. In theWest, on the other hand, they are unusual.”“I like spending my holidays in the mountains, while/whereas my wife prefers the seaside.”“ While/whereas some languages have 30 or more different vowel sounds, others have fiv

10、e or less. ”Emphasizing a ContrastHowever,.Nevertheless,.Still,.YetIn spite of.,However and nevertheless emphasize the fact that the second point contrasts with the first. Neverthelessis very formal: “ Britain came last in the World Children s Games again. However, we didehaovne success, with Annie

11、Smith s world record in the first race of the day.”Still introduces the contrasting point as an afterthought: “I don t like the job much. Still, the moneys okay.Yet, still , and in spite of. can be used to suggest that something is surprising, in view of what has been written before: “He says he s a

12、 Socialist, and yet he owns three houses and drives a Rolls.” “ The train was an hour late. Inspite of this, I still managed to get to the meeting in time.” “ I still managed toget to the meeting in time.”SimilaritySimilarly,.In the same way,.These expressions are more common in a formal style.“ The

13、 roads are usually very crowded at the beginning of the holiday season. Similarly, there are often serious traffic jams at the end of the holidays.”“ James Carter did everything he could to educate his children. In the sameway, they in turn put a high value on their own children s education.Concessi

14、on and Counter-ArgumentConcession:It is trueOf courseCertainlyIfMayCounter-Argument:However,.Even so,.ButNevertheless,.Nonetheless,.All the same,.Still,.These expressions are used in a three part structure: (1) the writer mentions facts that point in a certain direction, (2) it is agreed (the conces

15、sion) that a particular contradictory fact points the other way, (3) but the writer dismisses this contradiction and returns to the original argument.“I cannot agree with colonialism. It is true that the British may have done some good in India. Even so, colonialism is basically evil.”“ He is incapa

16、ble of lasting relationships with women. Certainly, several women loved him, and he was married twice. All the same, the women closest to him were invariably deeply unhappy.”“ Very few people understood Einstein s theory. Of course, everybody hadheard of him, and a fair number of people knew the wor

17、d relativity , buthardly anybody could tell you what he had actually said.”“It was a successful party. The Scottish cousins, if a little surprised by the family s behavior, were nonetheless impressed by the friendly welcome they received. ”“I m glad to have a place of my own. Its true its a bit smal

18、l and its away from the center and it does need many repairs done. Still, its home. ”ContradictingOn the contrary,.The expression is used when a writer wants to strengthen a negative statement just made.“She did not allow the accident to discourage her. On the contrary, she began to work twice as ha

19、rd.”“The lecture was ntoat all interesting. On the contrary, it was a complete waste of time. ”Dismissal of Previous DiscourseAnyway,.Anyhow,. At any rate,. At leastThese expressions can be used to mean“What was written before doesnt matter; the mainpoint is as follows. An”yway and anyhow are very i

20、nformal expressions.“I m not sure what time Ill arrive, maybe half past seven or a quarter ofeight. Anyway/Anyhow/At any rate, I ll certainly be there before eight. ”“What a terrible experience! Anyway/Anyhow/At any rate, youre safe; thatsthe main thing. ”At least can suggest that one thing is certa

21、in or all right, even if anything else is unsatisfactory: “The car s completely smashe up. I dont know whatwere going to do. At least nobody was hurt.”Time or Logical SequenceFirst, Firstly, First of all,.Second, Secondly,. Third, Thirdly,.Lastly,.Finally,.To begin with,.To start with,.In the first/

22、second/third place,.DuringFor one thing,.For another thing,.We use these expressions to more firmly root the reader to ideas that are connected by order of importance, order of logic, or by chronology. Firstly , secondly, and thirdly are more formal than first , second, and third , and are more comm

23、only used in British than American English.“ First(ly), we need somewhere to live. Second(ly), we need to find works, and third(ly), we need to ”“ There are three reasons why I don my feet hurt. For another thing, you can giving me a headache. ”t want to dance with you. To start with, t danthcies, m

24、anudsicthisrdly,Twins or triplets can be formed during the division of the fertilized egg. During the Cultural Revolution, many young people were sent to thecountryside.AddingMoreover,. (very formal)Furthermore,. (formal)In addition,.As well as that,.On top of that,. (informal)Another thing is. (inf

25、ormal)What is more,.Besides,.In any case,.These expressions can be used to add information to what has already been written.“The Prime Minister is unwilling to admit that he can ever be mistaken. Moreover, he is totally incapable of admitting that his associates are ever in the wrong. ”“The peasants

26、 are desperately short of food. In addition, they urgently need doctors and medical supplies. ”“She boorrwed my bike and never gave it back. As well as that/On top of that, she broke the lawnmower and then pretended she hadnt.Besides and In any case can add an extra, more conclusive fact or argument

27、:“Why are you trying to get a job as a secretary? You never manage towodrk eight hours a day. Besides/In any case, you cant type. ”GeneralizingOn the whole,.In general,.In all/most/many/some cases,.Broadly speaking,.By and large,.To a great extent,.To some extent,.Apart from.,Except for.,These expre

28、ssions tell how far the writer thinks a certain generalization is true.“On the whole, I had a happy childhood.”“In general, we are satisfied with the work.”“ Broadly speaking, teachers are overworked and underpaid.”“To a greaetxtent, a persons character is formed by the age of eight.“In most cases,

29、people will be nice to you if you are nice to them.Apart from and Except for introduce exceptions to generalizations: “ Apart from the salad, I thought the meal was excellent. ” “ Except for Sally, all the people there seemed pretty sensible.”Giving ExamplesFor instance,.For example,.e.gIn particula

30、r,.These expressions introduce particular examples to introduce what has been written.“ People often behave strangely when theyre abroad. Take Mrs. Ellis, forexample/for instance ”“Some common minerals, e.g. silica or olivine ”In particular focuses on a special example: “We are not at all happy with

31、 the work you did on the new kitchen. In particular, we consider the quality of the wood used for the cupboards to be very poor.”L ogical ConsequenceTherefore,. (formal)As a result,. (formal) Consequently,. (formal) SoThese expressions signal that what is written next follows logically upon what was

32、 just written.“Her parents approval was most important to her. She was therefore unable to avoid an unwelcome marriage.”“Her parents didn t like. approval was most important to her, so had to marry a man sheHer parentsapproval wasimmposrtant to her. As a result, she wasdevastated by their harsh resp

33、onse to her divorce.“The company is opening new branch offices in Beijing and Xian. Therefore, we will need to hire bilingual employees.”Making Things Clear, Giving DetailsActually,.That is to say,.In other words,.Actually can be used to give details, especially when those details are unexpected: “

34、Tommy s really stupid; he actually still believes in Santa Claus. ”That is to say and In other words are used when the writer is about to repeat what has been written, but in different words: “We cannot continue with thedeal on this basis. That is to say/In other words, unless you bring down the pri

35、ce we shall have to cancel the order.”PersuadingAfter all,. No doubtAfter all suggests that what follows or precedes is a strong argument that the reader might not have taken into consideration: “I think we should let her go on holiday alone this year. After all, she is fifteen; she is not a child.”

36、No doubt can be used to persuade people politely to do things or to express an opinion that the writer feels will be generally accepted: “No doubt you ll be paying your rent soon? “N”o doubt the evidence gathered from the experiments will convince the scientific community of the veracity of my theory. ”Referring to Anothers ExpectationsActually,.As a matter of fact,. (informal) In fact,.These expressions are used to clarify whether someone else s expectations have been fulfilled or not.Actually can express a confirmation or a negation of another personsexpectations: “He asked me if