Discourse Markers

Function Discourse markers, linking phrases

First, the first thing, first of all, firstly, the

next one, to begin with, moving on to
Sequencing - ordering information the next reason, secondly, thirdly,
subsequently, on top of that, later, after
this, finally

Another thing that comes to mind, also,

and, besides, additionally, another
Adding information
good example of this is, another reason
for this, and one more thing

Unfortunately, however, actually, to be

honest, definitely, essentially, frankly,
Indicating opinion & attitude basically, clearly, I'm afraid, if you ask
me, sadly, thankfully, in fact, seriously,
as a matter of fact

Similarly, in the same way, equally,

Comparing likewise, in a similar fashion, if I
compare it to my country
 However, although, instead of, despite,
Contrasting on one hand, on the other hand, in the
opposite way, in contrast, whereas

A great example of this is, for example,

for instance, a personal example is, in
other words, a striking example of this,
Giving examples
a classic example is, a clear example
of this can be seen, such as, illustrated
by

Let me think about that..., that's a

difficult/interesting question, I haven't
Stalling
thought of that before, well..., actually,
basically,

As a result, because of this, therefore,

Result
consequently, so, then

Generally, broadly speaking, as a rule,

on the whole, it is often said that..., in
Generalising
most cases, the vast majority of, a
small minority of