A discourse marker is a word or phrase that is used to connect sentences and paragraphs, and to signal the relationship between ideas. They are often used in formal contexts, such as academic writing or business reports.
Some common discourse markers that are used to open and close texts include:
- To open a text:
- In this paper, I will argue that…
- This essay will explore the topic of…
- I will begin by…
- To close a text:
- In conclusion, I believe that…
- To summarize,…
- In sum,…
Discourse markers can also be used to point to conclusions. Some common discourse markers for this purpose include:
- Therefore:Â This means that…
- Consequently:Â As a result,…
- Hence:Â It follows that…
- Thus:Â We can conclude that…
By using discourse markers, writers can make their texts more clear, coherent, and persuasive. They can also help to signal the structure of their arguments and the relationships between their ideas.
In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 8 in the category of DISCOURSE MARKERS in writing is defined as a:
range of phrases as discourse markers to open and close texts and point to conclusions, often in formal contexts.
From the examples in the EGP searched in iWeb:
In the English Vocabulary Profile:
‘to begin with’ is
B1 ‘at the start of a situation’ or
B2 ‘used to give the first important reason for something’
The most common collocates up to 4 spaces to the right:
In conclusion, the human race is godless.
