Discourse markers

Discourse markers

• 1.
  Discourse Markers TOEFL classes GlóriaFrazão 29.04.08
• 2.
  Discourse Markers  These are words like ‘however’, ‘although’, ‘nevertheless’.  Referred to more commonly as ‘linking words' and 'linking phrases’, or ‘sentence connectors’.
• 3.
  Discourse Markers  Theymay be described as the ‘glue’ that binds together a piece of writing, making the different parts of the text ‘stick together’.  They are used less frequently in speech, unless the speech is very formal.
• 4.
  What are thedifferent discourse markers that can be used? There are many discourse markers that express different relationships between ideas. The most common types of relationship between ideas, and the sentence connectors that are most often used to express these relationships, are given in the table below.
• 5.
  Discourse Markers The discoursemarkers in the table are generally used at the start of a phrase or clause. (a clause is a minimal grammatical structure that has meaning in its own right, and consists of a subject and verb, and often an object too). Sentence connectors do not always begin a completely new sentence; they may be separated from the previous idea with a semi-colon.
• 6.
  Type of Sentence connectors Position relationship within clause/ sentence Adding Moreover; In addition; Initial position something Additionally; Further; Further to this; Also; Besides; What is more. Making a contrast However; On the other Initial position between two hand; In contrast; Yet. separate things, people, ideas, etc.
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  Type of Sentence Position relationship connectors within clause/ sentence Making an Although; Even though; Initial position unexpected Despite the fact that; In Starts a contrast spite of the fact that; second/ subordinat (concession) Regardless of the fact e clause that. Saying why Because; Since; As; In Initial position something is the so far as. Starts a case second/ subordinat e clause
• 8.
  Type of relationship Sentence connectors Position within clause/sentence Expressing a If; In the event of; As Initial position condition long as...; So long as...; Starts a Provided that...; second/ subordinat Assuming that...; Given e clause that.... Making what you On the contrary; As a Initial position say stronger matter of fact; In fact; Indeed.
• 9.
  There are twoparticular features of the sentence connectors indicated above : 1. Sentence connectors can be used to begin a new sentence or a new clause that follows a semi-colon. 2. Some sentence connectors can be placed in different positions within the sentence a) ‘initial position’ (e.g. Because he is ill, he needs to rest’) b) and ‘mid-way position' at the start of another clause (e.g. He must rest, because he is ill).
• 10.
  How are paragraphslinked together?   In much the same way that ideas within a paragraph are linked, a new paragraph must be linked in some way with the previous one. This, too, needs the use of discourse markers.
• 11.
  How are paragraphs linked together?   Here are some different ways in which the opening of a paragraph can link back to what has happened before.  The three basic types of paragraph-paragraph relationship are :  reinforcement of idea;  contrast of idea;  and concession.  Indicating these relationships builds a 'bridge' between paragraphs and makes reading the text easier.
• 12.
  Relationship Possible linguistic formula with previous paragraph Reinforcement of a) A further example of this phenomenon can be idea seen in Foucault's work. b) Jones (1999) further demonstrates this point in his most recent research. Contrast of ideas a) Jones, meanwhile/on the other hand, expresses this notion as 'self-defence'. b) This argument is not, however, accepted by all critics. For instance, Smith (1999) holds that....
• 13.
  Relationshi Possible linguistic formula p with previous paragraph Concession a) Although the ideas of Jones (1999) are interesting and useful, they do not take account of the growing problems of identity theft. b) While Roberts (2006) emphasises the importance of Foucault's notion of the panopticon, the opposite view is held by other commentators. For example,... The end