The Use of Discourse Markers in American English

Imagine you are watching an old American movie: the crime film “Dirty Harry.”

You’ve heard that some of the film is very famous in American culture.

You are looking at the scenewhich sounds like this:

You ask yourself one question: Do I feel happy?

And you, punk?

A sudden, strange thought comes to your mind. What is the purpose of the word Good?

You’ve heard different English speakers use the word in different ways, but you’re not sure what it means.

In our Everyday Grammar report we will discuss the common adverb GoodWe show you how Americans use it as they speak.

Don’t be afraid. Unlike an unexpected meeting with Dirty Harry, this report will be painless!

What are adverbs?

Adverbs are one of the most difficult topics in English grammar. They are difficult because they represent a large group of words that have different meanings.

In general, the definition of an adverb is as follows: a word that describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a phrase.

Adverbs are often used to indicate time, place, or a manner of doing something. They can also be a rank or measurement of something.

Consider the sentence: “I really like English grammar.” The adverb Real changes the meaning of the verb to likeThe adverb Real increases the power of the statement.

There are also sentence adverbs. They limit or describe the meaning of an entire statement.

Sentence adverbs also provide more information about the sentence. These are sometimes conjunctive adverbs or discourse markers. Carelessly Whatever name you give them, the purpose is the same: they connect sentences in the same way coordinating conjunctions do, but they provide a different kind of information.

Here’s an example.

Let’s consider the following statement:

I love English; However, I don’t like English grammar!

The word However is a conjunctive adverb that a contrast or comparison is coming.

You can read more about these kinds of words in an earlier story in Everyday Grammar, titled “Contrast and Concession.”

The case of “good”

Today we’ll discuss common conjunctive adverbs, or discourse markers, and how they are used in everyday speech.

Let’s go back to the word GoodAs you heard at the beginning of today’s program, Good can have different purposes.

1. Good indicates contrast or disagreement

The first use is to show a contrast or even a disagreement. Think of this line from the end of the American film “Some Like It Hot.”

“You don’t understand, Osgood! I’m a man.”

“Good, “Nobody is perfect…”

Here the speaker uses Good to indicate that a contrast is coming.

The first speaker, actor Jack Lemmon, expects the second person to become angry when he says he is not a woman, but a man.

But Osgood reacts in an unexpected, or contrasting, way. He doesn’t act surprised at all!

2. Wells shows uncertainty

The second use of Good is to show insecurityespecially in answers.

Think of this exchange between two friends.

Do you mind if I borrow five dollars?

Good, I’m not sure if I have any money on me…

In this example, the second speaker responds a bit slowly. The word Good shows that she is not sure she has the money. Or maybe she knows she has five dollars but doesn’t want to say so.

Anyway, the point is that Good serves as a word that shows movement between the question and the answer. This transition indicates that there is some uncertainty.

3. To indicate that a conversation has ended

The third common use of Good is to show a transition to the end of a conversation.

Consider this example. Imagine you are in a business meeting and your boss says the following:

Good, This meeting was very productive.

In this case the word is Good shows a transition to the end of the meeting. Your boss is showing that he wants the meeting to end quickly.

In American culture, this is seen as a gentle, indirect way to end a conversation.

However, if a speaker directs your attention to the word “well,” the meaning changes. The pronunciation may take on an angry, tense tone.

Consider the difference between these two statements:

Good, This meeting was very productive.

GOOD, This meeting was very productive.

The first comment is a respectful way to end a meeting.

The second statement is a tense, perhaps angry way to end a meeting. If you’ve heard the second statement in a business meeting, you know something is wrong!

Do you understand the use of ‘well’?

Think back to the movie scene you heard at the beginning of this report. Now that you’ve learned the word Good, Think about what Dirty Harry might have meant.

As with any good crime film, we end with a few questions.

What do you think Dirty Harry meant when he said Good? Does he use it in a way that has the same meaning as using Good discussed, or does he use it in a different way?

Please leave your answers in the comments section on our website, learningenglish.voanews.com, or on our Facebook page.

Good, I think that’s all for today’s program. Until next time!

I am John Russell.

And I’m Alice Bryant.

John Russell wrote this lesson for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

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Words in this story

scene – N. a part of a play, film, story, etc., in which a particular action or activity takes place

adverb – n. a word that describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a phrase, and is often used to indicate time, manner, place, or degree

conjunctive adverb – N. a conjunction that connects two sentences with adverbial emphasis

coordinating conjunction – N. a conjunction (such as and, oror But) that joins words, phrases, or clauses of equal importance

contrast – N. to be different, especially in a way that is very clear

insecurity – N. the quality or state of uncertainty

rank – N. a step in a process or sequence of classification

carelessly – adv. without being held back by difficulties or problems

transition – N. transition from one subject or place to another