Discovery Quiz: Discourse Markers

“I’m sorry, but I can’t approve this order for 50 new computers. We’re trying to cut costs.”

“But we really need them – some of our staff members are working on seven-year-old computers, and it slows their work down considerably.”

“Yes, well, be that as it may, our department’s budget simply doesn’t allow for the purchase of any new equipment this year.”

Use “be that as it may” to…

“Before we prepare our advertising budget for the next quarter, I’d like to take a look at last month’s sales numbers. Jack, can you fill us in?”

“Believe it or not, our newest product isn’t selling very well. Statistics show that far more customers are buying the older products.”

“Really? Wow. In that case, maybe we should change our marketing strategy…”

Use “believe it or not”…

“We have three main candidates for the job in our call center. What do you think about Nancy?”

“She made a great impression in her interview, and she seems to have good communication skills. Furthermore, she has some previous telemarketing experience. I think she’s the best candidate for the job.”

Use “furthermore”…

“Has that order for 1,000 DVDs been shipped to the university yet?”

“No, because we’re still waiting on the final payment. They said it would take a couple of days for the funds to be transferred to our account.”

“OK. Oh, speaking of payments, I wanted to talk to you about possibly changing the credit card processor we use on our website…”

Use “speaking of” to…

“I tried to send you the file, but my e-mail bounced back with an error message.”

“That’s because they’re doing some maintenance on our web server – you can use my personal e-mail address in the meantime.”

“In the meantime” means…

“I heard that the new company policy is going to permit more employees to work from home. Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Seems like it. Statistics show that when employees are given flexible schedules, they actually become more productive – and you have to admit that it’ll make the staff a lot happier to have the option of working from home.”

“I suppose so – but I still think the employees will need to be carefully supervised to make sure they’re doing their work.”

Use “I suppose so” to express…

“Now that we’re two months into our partnership with HGC Industries, I’d like to hear your opinions on how things are going. Tina?”

“We’ve had a few minor miscommunications with staff members at HGC, but we were able to resolve them quickly. On the whole, I’d say things are running pretty smoothly.”

“On the whole” means…

“We need to get a financial analyst on our project development team. What do you think about asking Paul to join us?”

“Frankly, I don’t think Paul is the best person for this project. We need to work fast, and although Paul’s work is very accurate, he tends to miss deadlines.”

Start a sentence with “frankly” to…

“Did you visit the factory in Manila? How was it?”

“The equipment is outdated, the alarm system doesn’t work, toxic chemicals are not properly stored, and the operators don’t always use personal safety equipment. In short – working conditions are extremely dangerous.”

Use the phrase “in short” to give…

“You don’t think we should do a Christmas sale?”

“No, because everyone’s so busy in the days before Christmas that they won’t be paying attention to our sale. Let’s do a New Year’s promotion instead.”

At the end of a phrase, “instead” means…

“Why are you proposing such a large increase in our advertising budget?”

“Well, we have more competitors than we did five years ago, and the market for our products is pretty small – so it’s getting harder and harder to acquire new customers.”

Why is the word “harder” repeated?

“The director would like to eliminate our printed newsletter and send customers our updates only by e-mail. Karen, what do you think?”

“I’m not so sure it’s a good idea. Customers have given us great feedback on the printed newsletter, and not everyone checks their e-mail regularly. Then again, switching to e-mail only would save us a lot of money on printing and mailing costs.”

Start a sentence with “then again” to…