How to use linking words in English - BBC English Masterclass

537,941 views ・ 2016-10-17

BBC Learning English


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

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Hi Sian here for BBC Learning English. There are signposts everywhere - today in this Masterclass
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we're going to look at ways you can use signposting when you're speaking.
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So, there are signposts everywhere and they tell us where to go, but did you know that
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when we're speaking we use signpost words and phrases to help direct the listener? These
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are called discourse markers. They help connect what we're saying and tell the listener what
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information is coming up.
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They'll help you sound more fluent and help you understand native speaker conversations.
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Listen to my telephone call this morning. I use eight different discourse markers - can
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you hear all eight...?
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...You know I was hosting an amazing dinner party last night? Actually, it was a complete
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disaster - I burnt the meat... people arrived when I was still cooking. Mind you, I did
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say 'turn up when you want'... and I did start cooking pretty late!
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Anyway, as I was saying, I burnt the meat, the dishes were all ready at different times...
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the dessert was... oh come to think of it, I completely forgot to serve dessert!
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So basically, everyone went home hungry. Anyway, how was your evening? By the way, before I
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forget, it's my birthday next week and I'm having a dinner party do you want to come?
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So the first discourse marker I used was you know, we use this to say: 'I'm going to tell
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you some information that you already know.' ''You know I was hosting an amazing dinner
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party last night?''
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The second one I used was actually - we use this when we're about to give some surprising
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information or correct some information, so: "Actually, it was a complete disaster".
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Then I used mind you - we use this when we're about to give an afterthought that contrasts
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the information that came before, so, "people arrived when I was still cooking. Mind you,
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I did say 'turn up when you want'..."
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The next discourse marker I used was anyway, as I was saying. As I was saying is very useful
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because it means: 'I'm going to return to what I was talking about before'. So, "as
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I was saying, I burnt the meat" This is a previous topic.
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Then I used the discourse marker come to think of it, we use this when you've just remembered
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or thought of something as you're speaking, so "oh come to think of it, I completely forgot
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to serve dessert!" I'm remembering this as I'm speaking.
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Then I used basically - basically is used to summarise what you're going to say. "So
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basically, everyone went home hungry".
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The next one I used was anyway - anyway is really useful and very common. We use it to
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say 'I'm going to change topic now' or 'I'm going to go back to the original topic' or
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'I'm going to finish what I was talking about'. "Anyway, how was your evening?"
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And the final one I used was by the way - we use this to say 'I'm going to change direction
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and talk about something that's not connected to the main topic. "By the way, before I forget,
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it's my birthday next week."
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So basically that's your introduction to discourse markers. We use them all the time, when we're
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speaking... and come to think of it, when we're writing too. By the way, we have a website
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bbclearningenglish.com where you can practise these and find out more information. Anyway
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see you soon. Goodbye.
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