Discourse Markers & Text Cohesion Flashcards

Which discourse marker best signals a contrast between two ideas?

Answer: However

'However' is a contrastive discourse marker used to introduce an idea that opposes or qualifies the previous one.

"The project was expensive. _______, the results were worth the cost." Which marker fits best?

Answer: Nevertheless

'Nevertheless' is a concessive marker that acknowledges a negative point (expense) before introducing a contrasting positive outcome.

Which of the following is a cause-and-effect discourse marker?

Answer: As a result

'As a result' introduces the consequence or outcome of a preceding action, making it a cause-and-effect marker.

"She studied hard. _______, she passed the exam with distinction." Which marker shows a logical result?

Answer: Therefore

'Therefore' introduces a conclusion or result that follows logically from the preceding statement.

What is the primary purpose of discourse markers in written text?

Answer: To connect ideas and show logical relationships

Discourse markers create cohesion by signaling how sentences and paragraphs relate to each other logically.

Which sentence uses a discourse marker incorrectly?

Answer: He was hungry. Furthermore, he ate dinner.

'Furthermore' adds parallel information of the same type, but eating is a result of being hungry—'so' or 'therefore' would be correct here.

"_______ being tired, she completed the assignment on time." Which discourse marker fits this concessive structure?

Answer: Despite

'Despite' precedes a noun phrase to show that an outcome occurred even though a contrasting condition existed.