Discourse markers - Exercises

I. Fill the gaps with markers from the list.

As it were – first of all – for example – in other words – in summary – lastly –

next

Crime and punishment

………………………………… (1), it is important to understand why people commit crimes,

………………………………… (2), what are the motives which make people do things they
would never normally do? ………………………………… (3), a young man steals clothes
from a shop; is it because he is unemployed? a drug addict? mentally disturbed?
………………………………… (4) it is essential to consider whether punishment makes any
difference, or is it just, ………………………………….. (5), a kind of revenge?
………………………………… (6), how can we help victims of crime?
………………………………… (7), how can we get to the roots of the problem, rather than
just attacking the symptoms ?

II. Language for writing – Comparing and contrasting

Concession

. Although, though, whereas, while (subordinate conjunctions)

. All the same, however, nevertheless (adverbs)
. Despite, in spite of (prepositions ans prepositional phrases)

Contrast/opposition

. But (coordinate conjunction)

. Conversely, in contrast, instead, on the other hand (adverbs)
. Unlike, contrary to, in contrast with/to, as opposed to (prepositions)

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A. Rewrite these sentences, using the words in brackets. You may have to
modify punctuation.

1. Teachers should be more involved in extra-curricular activities. Teachers are entitled

to a social life after work. (although) (nevertheless)

2. Teachers should be trained to prepare their lessons more carefully. They should also
be encouraged to improvise when necessary. (but) (all the same)

3. Jack promised to turn in his English assignment on time. He gave it to the teacher two
weeks late. His partner, Bill, handed his paper in on time. (despite-on the other hand)
(in spite of-unlike)

4. Jane is intelligent in many respects. She sometimes says the silliest things. Her twin,
Mary, is more tactful. (though-contrary to) (but-in contrast with)

5. Last year's grammar exam was short and simple. This year's exam will be ten pages
long and will take two hours to complete. (as opposed to) (on the other hand)

6. Mr. Green wanted to punish the student for his unruly behaviour in class. He was not
convinced that assigning more homework was the answer. Mr. Smith, one of his
colleagues, often assigns extra work for students who misbehave. (however-unlike)
(but-conversely)

B. Underline words and phrases in the sentences which show a similarity or a

difference

1. The school year in the UK runs from September to July. In Australia, on the other
hand, students go to school from late January to December.

2. Both Sweden and France have a compulsory national curriculum.

3. Japanese schools are different from schools in many other countries in that they
usually have an entrance exam.

4. Malaysian schools have two terms in year. In contrast, Australian schools have four
terms.

5. School students all over the world are similar in that they have to take exams.

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C. Add the words and phrases which you have underlined in exercise B to the
correct part of the table. Make a note of the punctuation.

Similar different

In the same way, … …, whereas …

D. Use a word or phrase from the table to complete the sentences.

1. ……………Wales ……………Ireland include their own language in the curriculum.

2. State and private schools …………… …………… …………… …………… all their
students take school-leaving exams.
3. Northern Ireland and Wales have a similar education system to England. Scotland,
…………… …………… …………… ……………, has its own system.
4. In the UK, education is compulsory for children until the age of 16, …………… in
Brazil children can leave school at 14.
5. Students in Japanese schools often eat school lunches. …………… ……………
…………… ……………, students in France also often eat in school.
From PHILPOT, S. & CURNICK, L., Headway Academic Skills (level 3), Oxford:
O.U.P., 2011.

III. Language for writing – Cause, reason, purpose and result

A Fill in the blanks with words from the list.

on the grounds that - motives - to prompt - reason for – with the aim of
1. Her …………………………………. not going with us was that she had no money.
2. I wonder what …………………………………. him to send that letter ?
3. She wrote to the press …………………………………. exposing the scandal.
4. He refused to answer …………………………………. his lawyer wasn’t there.
5. I wonder what his …………………………………. were in sending that letter.

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B. Rewrite these sentences, using the words in brackets. You may have to
modify punctuation.

1. I didn’t contact you. I’d lost your phone number. (reason)

2. I will not sign. This contract is illegal. (grounds)
3. The governmant passed a new law. It was in order to control prices. (aim)
4. She sent everyone flowers. I wonder why. (motives)
5. The salary was high. She applied for the job. (prompt)

C. Rewrite these sentences, using the words in brackets. You may have to
modify punctuation.

1. The performance was cancelled. Everyone got a refund. (owing to the fact that)
2. The service was terribly slow. All the customers got angry. (consequently)
3. He did no work. He failed his exams. (As a result)
4. Prices rose sharply last year. There was a lot of protest. (to spark off)
5. His remarks were insulting. Everyone got angry. (to result in)

Adapted from McCarthy, M. & O’Dell, F., English Vocabulary in Use, Cambridge:
C.U.P., 2000

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 Discourse markers – Exercises – Key

I. Fill the gaps with markers from the list.

As it were – first of all – for example – in other words – in summary – lastly –

next

Crime and punishment

First of all (1), it is important to understand why people commit crimes, in other words
(2), what are the motives which make people do things they would never normally do? For
example (3), a young man steals clothes from a shop; is it because he is unemployed? a
drug addict? mentally disturbed? Next (4) it is essential to consider whether punishment
makes any difference, or is it just, as it were (5), a kind of revenge? Lastly (6), how can
we help victims of crime? In summary (7), how can we get to the roots of the problem,
rather than just attacking the symptoms ?

II. Language for writing – Comparing and contrasting

Concession

. Although, though, whereas, while (subordinate conjunctions)

. All the same, however, nevertheless (adverbs)
. Despite, in spite of (prepositions ans prepositional phrases)

Contrast/opposition

. But (coordinate conjunction)

. Conversely, in contrast, instead, on the other hand (adverbs)
. Unlike, contrary to, in contrast with/to, as opposed to (prepositions)

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Adverbs
All the same, he refused.
You can add the fluid to the powder, or, conversely, the powder to the fluid.

In/by contrast, the Times devotes a whole column to the incident.

If you don’t like orange juice have some mineral water instead.

Prepositions

In spite of his age, he still leads a very active life.

Unlike most systems, this one is very easy to install.

Contrary to popular belief, many cats dislike milk.

This is in stark contrast to what he had said previously.

200 attended, as opposed to 300 the previous year.

A. Rewrite these sentences, using the words in brackets. You may have to
modify punctuation.

1. Teachers should be more involved in extra-curricular activities. Teachers are entitled

to a social life after work. (although) (nevertheless)

Teachers should be more involved in extra-curricular activities, although

they are entitled to a social life after work.

Teachers should be more involved in extra-curricular activities. Nevertheless,

they are entitled to a social life after work.

2. Teachers should be trained to prepare their lessons more carefully. They should also
be encouraged to improvise when necessary. (but) (all the same)

Teachers should be trained to prepare their lessons more carefully but they
should also be encouraged to improvise when necessary.

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 Teachers should be trained to prepare their lessons more carefully. All the
same, they should also be encouraged to improvise when necessary.

3. Jack promised to turn in his English assignment on time. He gave it to the teacher two
weeks late. His partner, Bill, handed his paper in on time. (despite-on the other hand)
(in spite of-unlike)

Jack promised to turn in his English assignment on time. Despite his promise,
he gave it to the teacher two weeks late. On the other hand, his partner, Bill,
handed his paper in on time.

Jack promised to turn in his English assignment on time. In spite of his

promise, he gave it to the teacher two weeks late. Unlike Jack, his partner, Bill,
handed his paper in on time.

4. Jane is intelligent in many respects. She sometimes says the silliest things. Her twin,
Mary, is more tactful. (though-contrary to) (but-in contrast with)

Though Jane is intelligent in many respects, she sometimes says the silliest
things. Contrary to Jane, her twin, Mary, is more tactful.

Jane is intelligent in many respects but she sometimes says the silliest
things in contrast with her twin, Mary, who is more tactful.

5. Last year's grammar exam was short and simple. This year's exam will be ten pages
long and will take two hours to complete. (as opposed to) (on the other hand)

Last year's grammar exam was short and simple as opposed to this year's
exam which will be ten pages long and will take two hours to complete.

Last year's grammar exam was short and simple. On the other hand, this year's
exam will be ten pages long and will take two hours to complete.

6. Mr. Green wanted to punish the student for his unruly behaviour in class. He was not
convinced that assigning more homework was the answer. Mr. Smith, one of his
colleagues, often assigns extra work for students who misbehave. (however-unlike)
(but-conversely)

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 Mr. Green wanted to punish the student for his unruly behaviour in class.
However, he was not convinced that assigning more homework was the
answer. Unlike Mr. Green, Mr. Smith, one of his colleagues, often assigns extra
work for students who misbehave.

Mr. Green wanted to punish the student for his unruly behaviour in class but he
was not convinced that assigning more homework was the answer. Conversely,
Mr. Smith, one of his colleagues, often assigns extra work for students who
misbehave.

C. Add the words and phrases which you have underlined in exercise B to the
correct part of the table. Make a note of the punctuation.

similar Different

In the same way, … …, whereas …

Both … and on the other hand
are similar in that are different from … in that
In contrast

D. Use a word or phrase from the table to complete the sentences.

1. Both Wales and Ireland include their own language in the curriculum.

2. State and private schools are similar in that all their students take school-leaving
exams.

3. Northern Ireland and Wales have a similar education system to England. Scotland, on
the other hand, has its own system.

4. In the UK, education is compulsory for children until the age of 16, whereas in Brazil
children can leave school at 14.

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5. Students in Japanese schools often eat school lunches. In the same way, students in
France also often eat in school.

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III. Language for writing – Cause, reason, purpose and result

A. Fill in the blanks with words from the list.

on the grounds that - motives - to prompt - reason for – with the aim of

1. Her reason for not going with us was that she had no money.

2. I wonder what prompted him to send that letter ?

3. She wrote to the press with the aim of exposing the scandal.

4. He refused to answer on the grounds that his lawyer wasn’t there.

5. I wonder what his motives were in sending that letter.

B. Rewrite these sentences, using the words in brackets.

1. The reason I didn’t contact you was (because) I’d lost your phone number.
2. I will not sign on the grounds that this contract is illegal.
3. The governmant passed a new law with the aim of controlling prices.
4. I wonder what her motives were in sending everyone flowers.
5. The high salary prompted her to apply for the job.

C. Rewrite these sentences, using the words in brackets. You may have to
modify punctuation.

1. Owing to the fact that the performance was cancelled, everyone got a refund.
2. The service was terribly slow. Consequently, all the customers got angry.
3. He did no work. As a result, he failed his exams.
4. The sharp rise in prices sparked off a lot of protest.
5. His insulting remarks resulted in everyone getting angry.

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