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  • Hi Sian here for BBC Learning English. There are signposts everywhere - today in this Masterclass

  • we're going to look at ways you can use signposting when you're speaking.

  • So, there are signposts everywhere and they tell us where to go, but did you know that

  • when we're speaking we use signpost words and phrases to help direct the listener? These

  • are called discourse markers. They help connect what we're saying and tell the listener what

  • information is coming up.

  • They'll help you sound more fluent and help you understand native speaker conversations.

  • Listen to my telephone call this morning. I use eight different discourse markers - can

  • you hear all eight...?

  • ...You know I was hosting an amazing dinner party last night? Actually, it was a complete

  • disaster - I burnt the meat... people arrived when I was still cooking. Mind you, I did

  • say 'turn up when you want'... and I did start cooking pretty late!

  • Anyway, as I was saying, I burnt the meat, the dishes were all ready at different times...

  • the dessert was... oh come to think of it, I completely forgot to serve dessert!

  • So basically, everyone went home hungry. Anyway, how was your evening? By the way, before I

  • forget, it's my birthday next week and I'm having a dinner party do you want to come?

  • So the first discourse marker I used was you know, we use this to say: 'I'm going to tell

  • you some information that you already know.' ''You know I was hosting an amazing dinner

  • party last night?''

  • The second one I used was actually - we use this when we're about to give some surprising

  • information or correct some information, so: "Actually, it was a complete disaster".

  • Then I used mind you - we use this when we're about to give an afterthought that contrasts

  • the information that came before, so, "people arrived when I was still cooking. Mind you,

  • I did say 'turn up when you want'..."

  • The next discourse marker I used was anyway, as I was saying. As I was saying is very useful

  • because it means: 'I'm going to return to what I was talking about before'. So, "as

  • I was saying, I burnt the meat" This is a previous topic.

  • Then I used the discourse marker come to think of it, we use this when you've just remembered

  • or thought of something as you're speaking, so "oh come to think of it, I completely forgot

  • to serve dessert!" I'm remembering this as I'm speaking.

  • Then I used basically - basically is used to summarise what you're going to say. "So

  • basically, everyone went home hungry".

  • The next one I used was anyway - anyway is really useful and very common. We use it to

  • say 'I'm going to change topic now' or 'I'm going to go back to the original topic' or

  • 'I'm going to finish what I was talking about'. "Anyway, how was your evening?"

  • And the final one I used was by the way - we use this to say 'I'm going to change direction

  • and talk about something that's not connected to the main topic. "By the way, before I forget,

  • it's my birthday next week."

  • So basically that's your introduction to discourse markers. We use them all the time, when we're

  • speaking... and come to think of it, when we're writing too. By the way, we have a website

  • bbclearningenglish.com where you can practise these and find out more information. Anyway

  • see you soon. Goodbye.

Hi Sian here for BBC Learning English. There are signposts everywhere - today in this Masterclass

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