Linking Words & Discourse Markers – English Grammar Exercises for B2
Catching up with a close friend over coffee or a casual chat.
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence in the conversation.
1 “I’m so exhausted from dealing with clients all day. Oh, ______, did you watch the season finale of that show last night?”
(A) on the way
(B) by the way of
(C) anyway
(D) by the way
2 “My boss has been micromanaging me all week, and it’s driving me crazy. ______, I don’t want to talk about work anymore. How is your new puppy?”
(A) By the way
(B) Anyway
(C) However
(D) In anyway
3 “We are planning a trip to Italy next spring. ______, how was your vacation to Rome last month?”
(A) Speaking of which
(B) Talking of that
(C) Speaking of whose
(D) As a matter of fact
4 “I need to call my mom right after this coffee. Oh! ______! Here is the Tupperware container I borrowed from you.”
(A) As I was saying
(B) Before I am forgetting
(C) Before I forget
(D) Before it forgets me
5 “So the client started yelling at me over the phone… oh, thank you for the coffee! So, ______, the client was extremely rude and demanded a refund.”
(A) returning to the point
(B) as I was saying
(C) as I was speaking
(D) like I was telling
6 “I think the marketing project will be delayed until next month. ______, have you heard about the new Italian restaurant opening downtown?”
(A) On other note
(B) In another note
(C) On the contrary
(D) On another note
7 “I’m going to start taking yoga classes this weekend. ______, do you still have that extra yoga mat you wanted to sell?”
(A) Therefore
(B) What reminds me
(C) Which reminds me
(D) That remembers me
8 “I spent the whole morning dealing with my computer crashing. ______, let’s talk about something more cheerful! How is your dating life?”
(A) Anyway
(B) By the way
(C) In any ways
(D) By the end
9 “I really love your new jacket, it looks great on you! ______, I actually need to ask you a huge favor regarding my presentation tomorrow.”
(A) Don’t change the subject, but
(B) Not to change the subject, but
(C) Not to changing the subject
(D) Speaking of which
10 “So he walked right into the glass door while texting! Oh, hi Mark, nice to see you! … ______, where was I?”
(A) Whatever
(B) Furthermore
(C) Anyway
(D) At anyway
11 “I’m so glad we finally got to catch up today. Oh, ______, happy belated birthday! I totally forgot to text you yesterday.”
(A) before it falls my mind
(B) before it escapes my brain
(C) changing the subject
(D) before it slips my mind
12 “The traffic was awful this morning, I was stuck for an hour. ______, let’s not dwell on negative things. Tell me about your holiday!”
(A) But by the way
(B) But anyway
(C) But whatever
(D) But anyhows
13 “Yes, the new software update is absolutely terrible. ______, I almost forgot to ask, are we still on for dinner tonight?”
(A) By the way
(B) Through the way
(C) In the way
(D) On the other hand
14 “I was thinking about getting a new car soon. ______, how much did you pay for your Honda?”
(A) In terms of cars
(B) Talking for cars
(C) Speaking of cars
(D) Saying about cars
15 “I am submitting my resignation tomorrow morning. ______, could you pass me the sugar for my coffee?”
(A) By all means
(B) In a completely unrelated note
(C) On a fully unrelated notice
(D) On a completely unrelated note
16 “It’s been so stressful at the office lately. ______, I bought two tickets to the concert this Friday. Do you want to come?”
(A) Incidentally
(B) Accidentally
(C) Coincidentally
(D) Incidently
17 “We were discussing the budget cuts, and then… wait, why is the fire alarm ringing? … Okay, false alarm. ______, back to the budget, we need to cut 10%.”
(A) In any rate
(B) At any rate
(C) By any rate
(D) As a result
18 “I can’t believe how expensive groceries are getting. ______, did you hear that Mark and Lisa broke up?”
(A) Changing the object completely
(B) To change the topic complete
(C) Changing the subject completely
(D) Speaking of which
19 “I’ve been trying to get back into a workout routine. ______, I saw your sister at the gym yesterday.”
(A) What reminds me
(B) That remembers me
(C) In the meantime
(D) Which reminds me
20 “John is moving to Japan for work next month! ______, I was thinking of taking Japanese lessons. Do you know any good tutors?”
(A) That reminds me
(B) That recalls me
(C) It remembers me
(D) For instance
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (D) by the way
- Why it is correct: “By the way” is the most natural discourse marker to introduce a sudden, completely unrelated thought or piece of news into a conversation.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: “On the way” refers to physical travel. (B) Structural Error: Incorrect phrasing. (C) Meaning Trap: “Anyway” is used to dismiss a topic, not to enthusiastically introduce a new one.
2 (B) Anyway
- Why it is correct: “Anyway” is used here to dismiss the current negative topic (work) and smoothly transition to a new one (the puppy).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “By the way” adds information; it does not dismiss the previous topic. (C) Common Mistake: “However” is too formal and indicates a contrast, not a topic shift. (D) Structural Error: Grammatically incorrect.
3 (A) Speaking of which
- Why it is correct: Used when something currently being discussed (Italy) triggers a related topic (a trip to Rome).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Common Mistake: Direct translation error; the correct idiom is “speaking of”. (C) Structural Error: Incorrect pronoun usage. (D) Meaning Trap: “As a matter of fact” is used to add emphasis or correct information, not to change the subject.
4 (C) Before I forget
- Why it is correct: A polite and natural way to interrupt yourself to mention something important before it slips your memory.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: Used to return to a previous topic, not introduce a new one. (B) Structural Error: Not used in the continuous tense. (D) Common Mistake: Grammatically incorrect; the person forgets the thing, the thing doesn’t forget the person.
5 (B) as I was saying
- Why it is correct: The perfect phrase to return to your original story after an external interruption (the waiter arriving).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “Returning to the point” is highly formal and unnatural for catching up with a friend. (C) Structural Error: “Saying” is the correct collocation, not “speaking”. (D) Common Mistake: “Like I was telling” is clunky and less standard.
6 (D) On another note
- Why it is correct: Used to clearly signal that you are changing the subject to something completely different.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: Missing the article “a”. (B) Common Mistake: Incorrect preposition (must be “On”). (C) Meaning Trap: “On the contrary” shows disagreement, not a topic shift.
7 (C) Which reminds me
- Why it is correct: Connects the current topic (yoga) to a sudden thought or request related to that topic (the yoga mat).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “Therefore” is formal and indicates a logical conclusion, not a conversational pivot. (B) Structural Error: Must use “Which” or “That”. (D) Common Mistake: “Remember” is what you do in your brain; “remind” is what a topic does to you.
8 (A) Anyway
- Why it is correct: Used to wrap up a rant or a boring topic and explicitly move on to something else.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Meaning Trap: “By the way” is an addition; it does not close the previous topic. (C) Structural Error: “Any ways” with an ‘s’ and “in” is grammatically invalid. (D) Common Mistake: Not a discourse marker for changing topics.
9 (B) Not to change the subject, but
- Why it is correct: A polite, self-aware interruption. You acknowledge you are abruptly changing the topic to ask a favor.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: “Don’t change” sounds like a command to the listener. (C) Structural Error: Cannot use V-ing after the infinitive “to” here. (D) Meaning Trap: The jacket and the presentation are completely unrelated.
10 (C) Anyway
- Why it is correct: Combined with “where was I?”, this is the standard way to resume a story after greeting someone who walked by.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: “Whatever” sounds dismissive and rude. (B) Meaning Trap: “Furthermore” is highly formal. (D) Structural Error: Incorrect phrasing.
11 (D) before it slips my mind
- Why it is correct: A common conversational idiom meaning “before I forget”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: “Falls my mind” does not exist in English. (B) Common Mistake: “Escapes my brain” is an unnatural collocation. (C) Meaning Trap: Too blunt and unnatural for delivering a birthday wish.
12 (B) But anyway
- Why it is correct: The addition of “But” emphasizes the dismissal of the negative topic to force a positive shift.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: Combining “but” with “by the way” creates a contradictory, confusing marker. (C) Common Mistake: Sounds aggressive. (D) Structural Error: “Anyhows” is grammatically incorrect.
13 (A) By the way
- Why it is correct: The classic marker for dropping an unrelated question into the middle of a conversation.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error. (C) Common Mistake: “In the way” means physically blocking a path. (D) Meaning Trap: Used for contrasting two sides of an argument.
14 (C) Speaking of cars
- Why it is correct: “Speaking of + [Noun]” is a great way to pivot the conversation using a keyword from the previous sentence.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “In terms of” is used to specify or limit a topic, not transition casually. (B) Structural Error. (D) Common Mistake: Unnatural phrasing.
15 (D) On a completely unrelated note
- Why it is correct: A slightly humorous or very clear way to abruptly transition from serious news (resignation) to something mundane (sugar).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “By all means” means “of course / certainly”. (B) Common Mistake: Incorrect preposition (“In”). (C) Structural Error: “Notice” is the wrong noun here.
16 (A) Incidentally
- Why it is correct: “Incidentally” is a synonym for “by the way.” It is slightly more sophisticated but very common in B2/C1 spoken English.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Common Mistake: “Accidentally” means doing something by mistake. (C) Meaning Trap: “Coincidentally” means by chance, it is not a topic-shifting marker. (D) Structural Error: Incorrect spelling.
17 (B) At any rate
- Why it is correct: Similar to “anyway,” it is used to dismiss the interruption (the fire alarm) and get back to the main point.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: Incorrect preposition (“In”). (C) Common Mistake: Incorrect preposition (“By”). (D) Meaning Trap: Used to show a consequence.
18 (C) Changing the subject completely
- Why it is correct: A direct, explicit meta-comment announcing to the listener that the topic is about to take a sharp turn.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: “Object” is the wrong word; we change “subjects” or “topics”. (B) Common Mistake: Incorrect grammar format. (D) Meaning Trap: Used for related topics, but groceries and a breakup are unrelated.
19 (D) Which reminds me
- Why it is correct: The mention of “gym” triggers the memory of seeing the sister at the gym. “Which reminds me” perfectly links the thought.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: Must be “Which” or “That”. (B) Common Mistake: “Remember” vs. “Remind” confusion. (C) Meaning Trap: Refers to a period of time between two events.
20 (A) That reminds me
- Why it is correct: Hearing about Japan triggers the speaker’s own thought about Japanese lessons.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error: “Recalls” is not used this way. (C) Common Mistake: Direct translation error from other languages. (D) Meaning Trap: Used to give an example, not to shift the topic.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
To sound natural and fluent (like a true B2/C1 speaker) when chatting with friends, you must master the art of “Discourse Markers”. Here is your cheat sheet:
- To introduce random, unrelated news:
- Use: By the way / Incidentally
- Function: Drops a new topic into the conversation without needing a connection.
- To link a new topic to a word just spoken:
- Use: Speaking of which / Speaking of [Noun]
- Function: Makes the transition feel incredibly smooth. (e.g., You mention food -> “Speaking of food, let’s get pizza.”)
- To jump back to the main story after an interruption:
- Use: As I was saying / Anyway, where was I?
- Function: Politely refocuses the listener’s attention after a distraction.
- To dismiss a boring or negative topic:
- Use: Anyway / At any rate
- Function: Signals to the listener: “Let’s stop talking about this and move on.”
- To announce a sharp turn in the conversation:
- Use: On another note / Not to change the subject, but…
- Function: Prepares the listener for a complete change in context so they aren’t confused by your sudden question.