Before you start the main part of a conversation on the phone, you may tell your name to the listener, "This is A speaking, but...." Before you ask a stranger for a direction on the street, you may say "Excuse me, but...."
"This is A speaking.," "Excuse me.," "etc. will be called introductory remarks. They are necessary to make a conversation go smoothly. Japanese tend to use introductory remarks fairly often.
Examples
1. Sumimasen ga.
"Excuse me, but...."
2. Chotto ukagaimasu ga.
"Excuse me, but may l ask a question?"
3. Moshimoshi. Kochira wa Ruin desu ga.
"Hello. This is Lwin speaking, but...."
As you have already noticed, all sentences above are followed by ga. Ga is added to the end of an introductory remark and the main part of a coversation follows it.
The function of ga can be said to combine an introductory remark and the main part. The particles which have a similar function as ga will be called Group 4 particles. The basic function of Group 4 particles is to combine two sentences.
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