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Discourse Markers: The Glue Between Ideas
Level: C1 · 5 minutes · Adults & Advanced Learners
💡 Today’s Idea
Discourse markers signal how ideas connect: contrast, addition, concession, result, sequence. Without them, ideas exist in isolation. With them, they become argument.
📖 From My Experience
When I started writing formally in English and French — academic papers, appeals, formal correspondence — I noticed that my ideas were often correct but disconnected. A good sentence, then another good sentence. But no thread between them. The reader does the work of connecting. That is a tax you impose on your reader. Discourse markers reduce that tax. They say: this follows from that, this contradicts that, despite this, that is still true.
📚 Key Discourse Markers
| Function | Markers |
|---|---|
| Addition | furthermore, moreover, in addition |
| Contrast | however, nevertheless, on the other hand |
| Concession | although, despite, even though |
| Result | therefore, consequently, as a result |
| Sequence | firstly, subsequently, finally |
✏️ Try It! (2 minutes)
Connect these two ideas with three different discourse markers and notice how the meaning changes:
“I was tired.” / “I kept studying.”
🎯 Quick Quiz
Which discourse marker shows a contrast?
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