Some of the most common discourse markers in spoken English are:
Right, okay, good, well, you know, I mean, actually, I think, ‘cos, so, like, you see, I don’t know
Right and okay indicate that the speaker is closing off one topic and about to start another, and does not always indicate agreement.
Like is used in conversation to preface examples, e.g. “You know, like, the best way to lose weight is to skip lunch altogether.” (Here, like indicates that the following clause contains an example).
‘Cos is used informally to justify what has just been said, e.g.
“Don’t go to the one on the corner, ‘
cos they charge you for the container. Go to the Chinese takeaway, ‘
cos they give you the box for free.”
You see has the function of giving the listener new information, while
you know is confirming that the listener knows something. Both indicate that a shared knowledge is necessary for the speaker and listener.
Example
Read the following dialogue to see how the discourse markers are used in context.
| Sam: |
You know that time we were looking for the shop that sells cheap DVD’s |
| Mark: |
Yeh, the one in Mong Kok that we never found. |
| Sam: |
Yeh, that’s it. Well, I came across it the other day. |
| Mark: |
Where was it? |
| Sam: |
Well, the thing is, it was down a back street and no-one would ever find it, you need someone to take you there. It was weird. You see, I think it was ‘cos all the stuff was fake. |
