Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

MONITORING THE DISCOURSE

109

Reformulations

109a

Some discourse markers enable speakers to monitor and manage the ongoing

discourse by commenting explicitly on the process of talking itself. 

Discourse markers can signal reformulations or alternative expressions,

indicating that the speaker has not selected the most appropriate way of

expressing things and is adding to or refining what they say with a more apt 

word or phrase. Among such markers are: 

as I was saying

as it were

I mean

if you like

in a manner of

speaking

in other words

not to say

or rather

220 | From discourse to social contexts

Cambridge Grammar of English

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Jim was exhausted and dehydrated. 

To put it another way, he was completely

knackered.

He’s been too easy-going, 

not to say careless and stupid, walking across that

mountain at nightfall and on his own too.

The hotel simply hasn’t done its job properly. 

In other words, we’re very

unhappy and we’d like a refund. 

The cottage is in a small town, 

well, a small industrial town, if you like.