Linking Words & Discourse Markers – English Grammar Exercises for B2
An IT specialist is writing a step-by-step document guiding new employees through their cybersecurity setup and corporate email configuration.
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence from the IT manual.
1 “Welcome to the company. ______, we need to ensure your computer is securely connected to the corporate network before doing anything else.”
(A) To begin with
(B) At first
(C) In the beginning
(D) Begin with
2 “______ your initial login credentials, you will find a temporary password printed on the sticker under your laptop.”
(A) Regarding to
(B) Regarding
(C) In regarding
(D) Regard
3 “You have successfully changed your default password. ______, let us configure your Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) app.”
(A) Moving on to
(B) Moving to
(C) Now
(D) Move on
4 “______ corporate mobile access, employees are strictly forbidden from connecting personal phones to the internal servers.”
(A) As of
(B) As to for
(C) As for
(D) For as
5 “Please install the security patch immediately. ______, your device will be vulnerable to malware attacks.”
(A) Therefore
(B) Otherwise
(C) Unless
(D) Other ways
6 “______ the new email policy, please be aware that all external communications are automatically scanned for sensitive data.”
(A) With regard to
(B) With regards to
(C) In regard with
(D) Regarding to
7 “Now that your inbox is fully operational, let’s ______ the VPN configuration for remote working.”
(A) turn our attention to
(B) turning our attention to
(C) turn to our attention
(D) turn our attention at
8 “______ cloud storage is concerned, every employee is allocated 50GB of secure space on the central drive.”
(A) As long as
(B) As far as
(C) As much as
(D) So far as
9 “______ hardware requests, please submit a ticket directly to the IT helpdesk instead of emailing me personally.”
(A) When it comes to
(B) When it comes at
(C) When it comes for
(D) When coming to
10 “Your VPN is now active and running. ______, I will explain how to set up your digital email signature.”
(A) Next
(B) Nowadays
(C) Later on
(D) Following to
11 “______ accessing restricted HR folders, you must obtain written approval from your department head.”
(A) In terms of
(B) On terms of
(C) By terms of
(D) In terms for
12 “We have covered the basic security protocols. ______, let’s discuss how to organize your Outlook calendar.”
(A) Before moving on
(B) Having done that
(C) Have done that
(D) Having do that
13 “______ any issues with your software licenses, contact the vendor support team immediately.”
(A) Concerning
(B) Concerning to
(C) Concerned
(D) In concerning
14 “That ______ the network security section. Please take a five-minute break before we start the email tutorial.”
(A) wraps up
(B) wraps
(C) is wrapping
(D) wrapped up
15 “______ your daily data backups, the system is programmed to run them automatically at 2:00 AM.”
(A) As regards
(B) As regard
(C) As regarding
(D) As regards to
16 “______ software installation, standard users do not have administrator rights to download unapproved applications.”
(A) With respect to
(B) With respect for
(C) In respect to
(D) Respecting to
17 “______ the previous email provider we used last year, this new system offers end-to-end encryption.”
(A) Unlike
(B) Dislike
(C) Unlikely
(D) By contrast
18 “Please review the spam filter settings. ______, let’s move on to setting up your automated out-of-office replies.”
(A) Having said that
(B) Doing that
(C) With that done
(D) With that doing
19 “______ the topic of phishing emails, never click on links from unrecognized senders, even if they look official.”
(A) While on
(B) During
(C) As long as
(D) Whereas
20 “______, please sign the digital acknowledgment form to complete your IT onboarding process.”
(A) At last
(B) Lastly
(C) The last
(D) Lasting
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (A) To begin with
- Why it is correct: A standard discourse marker to introduce the first item in a list of instructions.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Meaning Trap: “At first” is used to show a contrast with the present (e.g., At first it was hard, but now it’s easy), not to list steps. (C) Meaning Trap: Similar to “At first”. (D) Structural Error: Missing the infinitive marker “To”.
2 (B) Regarding
- Why it is correct: A formal preposition used to introduce a new topic in professional documents (meaning “Concerning…”). It is directly followed by a noun phrase.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Adding “to” after “regarding” is a very frequent error. (C) Structural Error: Invalid phrasing. (D) Structural Error: The base verb cannot act as a linking word here.
3 (C) Now
- Why it is correct: “Now” is a highly common and natural transition word used to signal the move from one completed step to the next.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: “Moving on to” must be followed by a noun or gerund, not an independent clause (“let us configure”). (B) Meaning Trap: Refers to physical relocation. (D) Structural Error.
4 (C) As for
- Why it is correct: “As for + Noun” (meaning “Regarding…”) is used to shift focus to a specific new aspect or object not yet discussed.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “As of” is used for points in time (e.g., As of Monday). (B) Structural Error: Unnecessary prepositions. (D) Structural Error.
5 (B) Otherwise
- Why it is correct: Introduces the negative consequence of failing to perform the previous action (installing the security patch).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “Therefore” introduces a logical result, but getting malware is the consequence of not acting. (C) Structural Error: “Unless” is a subordinating conjunction and cannot stand alone at the beginning of an independent clause followed by a comma. (D) Common Mistake: Incorrect idiom.
6 (A) With regard to
- Why it is correct: A highly formal business phrase meaning “Concerning” or “Regarding.”
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Common Mistake: “With regards to” is a very common colloquial error. In formal writing, it must be “With regard to” (no ‘s’) or “As regards” (with ‘s’). (C) Structural Error: Incorrect preposition (“with” instead of “to”). (D) Common Mistake.
7 (A) turn our attention to
- Why it is correct: A classic signposting phrase used to smoothly guide the reader’s focus to a new topic.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error: Must use the base verb “turn” after “let’s”. (C) Structural Error: Incorrect word order. (D) Structural Error: Incorrect preposition (“at” instead of “to”).
8 (B) As far as
- Why it is correct: Pairs perfectly with “is concerned” to form the complete structure “As far as [Topic] is concerned”.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “As long as” sets a condition (meaning “provided that”). (C) Meaning Trap: “As much as” shows concession (meaning “even though”). (D) Meaning Trap: “So far as” is sometimes used, but “As far as” is the standard idiom in this specific structure.
9 (A) When it comes to
- Why it is correct: A very common, slightly less formal phrase meaning “Speaking about…” or “Regarding…”.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error: Incorrect preposition (“at”). (C) Structural Error: Incorrect preposition (“for”). (D) Common Mistake: Incorrect verb form for the idiom.
10 (A) Next
- Why it is correct: The simplest, most direct signposting word to indicate the succeeding step in a sequence.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Meaning Trap: “Nowadays” means “in the present time” (comparing to the past). (C) Meaning Trap: “Later on” implies an undefined time in the future, not the immediate next step. (D) Structural Error.
11 (A) In terms of
- Why it is correct: A signposting phrase meaning “Regarding” or “In relation to,” widely used to introduce a specific subtopic.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error: Incorrect preposition (“On”). (C) Structural Error: Incorrect preposition (“By”). (D) Structural Error: Incorrect preposition (“for”).
12 (B) Having done that
- Why it is correct: Uses a Perfect Participle to link the completion of the previous step (“That”) with the initiation of the next step.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “Before moving on” goes against the logic of the sentence, because “let’s discuss” means they are moving on. (C) Structural Error: Grammatically invalid at the start of a clause. (D) Structural Error: Incorrect verb form (“do”).
13 (A) Concerning
- Why it is correct: A preposition functioning exactly like “Regarding” to introduce a topic.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Common Mistake: Just like with “regarding,” adding “to” after “concerning” is a grammatical error. (C) Structural Error: “Concerned” is an adjective (meaning worried). (D) Structural Error.
14 (A) wraps up
- Why it is correct: The phrasal verb “wrap up” means to conclude or finish. “That wraps up…” is an excellent signposting phrase to explicitly signal the end of a section.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error: Missing the particle “up”. (C) Structural Error: The Present Continuous tense doesn’t fit the definitive conclusion here. (D) Structural Error: Wrong tense.
15 (A) As regards
- Why it is correct: The fixed formal phrase meaning “Regarding.” Note that while “Regarding” has no ‘s’, “As regards” MUST have an ‘s’.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Common Mistake: Missing the ‘s’. (C) Structural Error: Mixing idioms. (D) Common Mistake: Adding an unnecessary “to”.
16 (A) With respect to
- Why it is correct: A highly formal phrase synonymous with “With regard to” or “Concerning.”
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error: Incorrect preposition (“for”). (C) Structural Error: Incorrect preposition (“In”). (D) Structural Error.
17 (A) Unlike
- Why it is correct: A preposition used to draw a direct contrast between the old system and the new one.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error/Meaning Trap: “Dislike” is a verb meaning “to hate.” (C) Meaning Trap: “Unlikely” is an adjective/adverb meaning improbable. (D) Structural Error: “By contrast” is an independent conjunctive adverb and cannot be followed directly by a noun phrase without a comma.
18 (C) With that done
- Why it is correct: A highly effective transition phrase indicating that the previous task has been completed, paving the way for the next one.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “Having said that” is a concession marker (meaning “nevertheless”), not a sequence marker. (B) Structural Error: Missing the object. (D) Structural Error: Incorrect participle form.
19 (A) While on
- Why it is correct: Short for “While we are on the topic of…”. It’s a smooth signpost to delve slightly deeper into the current subject.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error: “During” takes a noun of time or an event, not “the topic”. (C) Meaning Trap: Establishes a condition. (D) Meaning Trap: Shows contrast.
20 (B) Lastly
- Why it is correct: The standard adverb used to signal the final point or step in a sequence.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Meaning Trap: “At last” implies relief that something long-awaited finally happened (e.g., At last, the weekend is here!). It is not used for listing instructions. (C) Structural Error: “The last” requires a noun (e.g., The last step). (D) Structural Error: Means “enduring.”
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
In instructional texts, manuals, or presentations, readers easily get lost if the information is presented as a solid block of text. You must use “Signposting” (traffic signs for readers) to break up ideas. Master these advanced markers:
- To introduce a new topic/sub-section:
- Regarding… / Concerning… / As for… / As regards…
- When it comes to… / In terms of…
- ⚠️ The Classic Grammar Trap: NEVER write “Regarding to” or “Concerning to”. These prepositions do not take “to”.
- To transition between steps:
- Moving on to… -> (Must be followed by a Noun or V-ing).
- Let’s turn our attention to…
- To bridge completed tasks with new ones:
- Having done that, …
- With that done, …
- That wraps up [Topic]… (Signals the definitive end of a section).
- The “Lastly” vs. “At last” Trap:
- When listing steps (First… Next…), always conclude with Lastly or Finally.
- At last is an emotional marker expressing relief (e.g., At last, the project is finished!).