{"id":273,"date":"2016-08-09T14:25:16","date_gmt":"2016-08-09T14:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/englishteacherjames.com\/?p=273"},"modified":"2016-08-21T15:04:43","modified_gmt":"2016-08-21T15:04:43","slug":"how-to-use-pauses-in-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/englishteacherjames.com\/wordpress\/2016\/08\/09\/how-to-use-pauses-in-english\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Pauses in English"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to Use Pauses in English<\/h1>\n

BBC English<\/h2>\n

This is a news story on the BBC published on 8th August 2016 and read by Simon McCoy. The BBC has long been known to broadcast in received pronunciation. Some newsreaders do have slight regional accents but on the whole you will find most still speak in a very standard way. Whatever accent they may have they speak clearly. As newsreaders they also emphasise certain key words and phrases. Of course, they use stress and intonation to add meaning to what they say. However, today we are looking at how to\u00a0use pauses in English and how this can alert the listener to what they are saying.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/a>

BBC News Story About Under-Reporting Calories<\/p><\/div>\n

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Why Do We Pause?<\/h2>\n

Pauses are a common feature of English pronunciation. We find it difficult to take in long streams of information in which the speaker doesn\u2019t rest for a while. Our ears need to get the message to our brains so that it can interpret it the information. It can be exhausting listening to somebody who does not pause because you have to mentally backtrack and try and keep up with them. When you use pauses you also have more time to think and compose yourself before making the next statement. So feel free to use pauses so that you don\u2019t forget what you are saying and just take your time to speak English.<\/p>\n

Below you will see a written transcript of what the newsreader says in his introduction. You will see that there is no punctuation. This is because it is intended as a guide to the words used. Read the text whilst listening to the report and see if you can identify where the newsreader adds pauses. The first one has been done for you. Click the answer box to see where I have added pauses.<\/p>\n

Under-Reporting How Many Calories People Take<\/h2>\n

Official statistics previously showed that calorie consumption in the UK was declining. However, BBC Health Editor Hugh Pym explains the results of new research by the Behavioural Insights Team.<\/p>\n