Speaking 5: Thought Groups
Objectives: TOEFL iBT Speaking Skills: • Learn and practice dividing sentences into natural thought groups and pausing appropriately. • Learn and practice ways to add hesitations in English. • Work on speaking fluency. Introduction In this section, the focus is on a) practicing how to pauses naturally while speaking in English and b) how to use natural “filler words” while thinking of the next word to say. Application Thought Groups and Filling Pauses There are a number of places in English where words go together into natural thought groups, and they are often followed by tiny pauses that help the listener follow your meaning . Some examples are between major ideas, at the end of a sentence, or after clauses or phrases . In writing, we might indicate these with punctuation or formatting . Periods, commas, semicolons, or new paragraphs are examples . Additionally, in spontaneous speech, there may be times when you need to pause for a moment while you think of the right words to say. Rather than remaining silent (which might suggest to the listener that you are finished), you can indicate you’re going to continue by using interjections such as “um“, “uh,” or “hmmm,” or “filler words” (words that fill the silence while you think) such as “well,” “you know,” or “let me see .” It is important not to overuse interjections and filler words, but using them at times is natural and can help you maintain your speaking pace . Activity 5.1 In this activity, you’ll practice pausing and using filler words in English by playing a solo word game. 1 . Start with this sentence: “I went shopping last weekend, and I bought (a/some) ___.” Complete the sentence with something starting with A, like “some a pples” or “an a rrow,” pausing slightly after “weekend” and after each item .
2 . Add to the list, moving through the alphabet . For example: “I went shopping last weekend, and I bought some a pples .” “I went shopping last weekend, and I bought some a pples and a b icycle .” “I went shopping last weekend, and I bought some a pples, a b icycle, and a c ake .”
152
Made with FlippingBook - PDF hosting