This is an All Ears English podcast episode 2445.
Why slow down in English?
Part 1, pause for punctuation.
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the IELTS whiz, and Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, coming to you from Arizona and Colorado USA.
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Hello, Aubrey. How are you today?
I'm great, Lindsay.
How are you? Good, good.
What are we getting into today?
I have a question for you.
Okay. Are you a fast talker?
You know, I noticed that yes, I can talk fast when I'm nervous sometimes, times um or sometimes when i'm speaking spanish i can talk fast because i want to sound like a better speaker than i am maybe that's my own i absolutely do that too i try to speak french and spanish fast um hoping that my pronunciation or grammar errors won't be noticed if i'm speaking quickly yeah or you just kind of want to get to the point right you want to get to connection which is a very human thing you want to get to what you're saying so this topic is is coming into our podcast today from one of our students in our
courses i love this when we get real scenarios to talk through absolutely right it's such a great question about how fast you should speak in english what it might help and when you should slow down why you should slow down so let's read this question it's such a good one okay so this is our student cena and he says hi lindsay hope everything is going well following up from our chat at conversation club on thursday i wanted to explain why i currently speak slowly and why i'm trying to speak faster uh oh or was it speak yeah no it's interesting keep going this is good when i speak more quickly
quickly my mind doesn't over analyze each word this helps me avoid mentally translating from my native language into english or getting stuck trying to correct grammar in real time speaking faster encourages more spontaneous and natural sentence formation aubry you want to take the next piece yeah he says it it helps keep my audience more engaged.
I've noticed that speaking slowly can sometimes cause confusion or boredom, mostly because I tend to pause frequently while searching for the right word or trying to fix my sentence grammatically, especially when speaking to native English speakers.
Speaking with more energy and quicker helps me create a better connection and keeps the conversation flowing more naturally, which also helps avoid disappointing my listeners.
It also helps. Oh, sorry.
I was going to chime in.
It also helps me mask minor grammar or pronunciation mistakes.
Interestingly, when I make a small mistake like using have instead of has, my listener often doesn't notice or even unintentionally mirrors the error.
So speaking more fluidly makes me feel more confident.
Go ahead, Aubrey. By the way, thank you for your support and for creating such a helpful podcast. On a side note, after learning about the Flowbee through your podcast, I started using it to cut my own hair.
I've always disliked going to the barbershop.
So this has been a great discovery, Yet another benefit I've gained from your work.
I love this so much. I remember when we mentioned the floby that my husband uses to cut his hair.
And I love that Sina found this hack, especially if you hate going to the barbershop.
Yes. So first of all, huge shout out to Sina for sharing this scenario.
I had a chance to meet Sina in one of our hot seat opportunities, which is where during our open conversation club or fluency party, a few students are randomly selected to speak directly with me or Aubrey in a one -on -one conversation, right?
This is where we get to know you all.
We get to ask you what your challenges are.
And I found this to be a really interesting situation for Sina and so human, so normal.
So I just want to start by normalizing this.
This is very human, the way this is happening.
Yes. And definitely shared by all language learners.
We are there. We have been there.
There are definitely a few great advantages to speaking quickly, especially in a second language.
This will be different for everyone, one, but I love some of the ones that he mentioned, right?
It helps you translate less from your first language.
You don't have the time to think about, you know, how would I say this in my first language and now I'm going to say it in English.
You're having to go straight from your thoughts to bring it out in English.
That's a great benefit.
Yeah, that is really interesting.
And then the other piece, you know, the errors are less obvious.
You're right. So I love the level of self -awareness that Sina has, completely clear of what is being done here, trying to make it to kind of mask errors, which again, so human, so normal.
I get it. I totally get it.
We've all been there.
And Sina's correct that we don't really want to pause, have those long pauses or speak really slowly to give us time to think of vocabulary or draw out our message, because it can potentially cause boredom.
It can potentially lose our audience, our listener.
right? But, yes. Yeah, I was going to say, which severs connection, right?
So I think Sina is looking for connection as we all are, so it makes sense why you would do this.
Boredom, monotone, we want to avoid these things and connect with the person in front of us, right?
Yes, but often it's interesting that it is vital to slow down in a second language, but for specific reasons, right?
We're not slowing down just to draw out our message, or we don't want to take that time to translate, but there are There are specific reasons that we will intentionally slow down.
Yeah. So in this episode for Sina and for our listeners who might also be doing this, it's also possible that some of our listeners are doing this, but maybe not realizing it.
So this will be a chance to ask yourself, everyone, are you actually doing this?
And we're going to give you three things you can do.
So I think we're not necessarily going to say here that we have to slow down, except for in our third tip.
But there are ways you can continue to speak at a similar pace, but use strategic pauses and space and emphasis.
Right, Aubrey? Exactly.
It's usually not about slowing down the entire cadence of your speech. It's very specific slowing and pausing in order to add interest to what you're saying.
Yes. And then it will.
Yeah. So we're not telling you you have to slow down.
It's being strategic.
So let's go into tip one, strategy one for our listeners here.
What would be the first thing that Sina could do?
Yeah, so the first thing is to pause for punctuation.
So it's easier if you're reading something written because you're seeing those commas and periods.
If you're speaking, you have to sort of understand where there would be punctuation if it were written.
So we're going to give you a sentence with the pauses that would come with punctuation and we'll describe why we would make those pauses because this is something you have to be very intentional about.
Yes, exactly. Exactly.
So, should I go ahead and speak the whole sentence with the pauses operating?
Yeah, give us the sentence.
Yes. Okay. After the meeting, we'll review the results, and if everything checks out, we'll move forward. All right.
So, we don't, those chunks between punctuation don't have to be slowed down, right?
You don't want to just draw what you're saying, but you are pausing when there would be punctuation for specific reasons.
So, first of all, There would be a comma after meeting we have this introductory phrase and pausing there Separates this introductory phrase.
This makes your message easier to understand Yeah, this is really all about making sure that person gets what you're saying, right?
Oh, this is how to do it and then a comma after results, right?
So this separates the items in a compound sentence, right?
We've got a compound sentence here which at your level cena is at a high level of English He is using complex compound sentences Okay.
Exactly. And if we just say them all run together with no pauses, the message becomes unclear because we have lots of different clauses, several meanings in one sentence, and the way we make sure that we're understood is by emphasizing certain words and pausing in certain places.
It also just kind of makes speaking the sentence more fun in a way.
Absolutely. Just makes it more fun.
What would be the next pause?
Yeah. Yeah. And then there's a comma after checks out, if everything checks out.
And this one gives the listener time to process before the conclusion of your sentence.
You have set it up by saying, if everything checks out, you give a little pause there, almost for dramatic effect.
What will happen if everything checks out?
If everything checks out and it's kind of a special intonation that I added there.
So questioning, right?
We're wondering a little mystery there.
So again, more fun.
I think what would be helpful if we set it two more times, once with the pauses and one without it could you do that for us absolutely with pauses first yep okay so with pause it let's do without first yeah without first what would this sound like if we didn't have those pauses after the meeting we'll review the results and if everything checks out we'll move forward yeah it's almost hard to not use the pausing right right it's hard to follow what you're you are saying as you say it let alone your speaker yeah but when i heard you say that it felt very jumbled it felt like it didn't feel like
you were speaking to me right right it feels like I'm either reading quickly or right that I'm not thinking about what I'm saying exactly and we can command a sense of we can build our sense of confidence by saying I'm worth it to pause like these people can wait for me to really say this sentence correctly like maybe it might be a little bit of maybe potentially a lack of confidence of feeling we have to jam the message in quickly because people don't want to listen or something that could be something else that's going on here.
That's a good point.
It adds import when we're taking the time to pause.
It gives what we are saying more importance and gives people the idea that they, the impression that they need to listen.
They need to prioritize it where if you start speaking and running everything together, brains turn off, right?
No one will be listening.
And I think I shared a few weeks ago, I was on a panel at my meditation center and I think that's what I did.
I think I I did. I think I didn't even have a closing between the pronunciation between the commas because I was nervous, right?
I had great content, great things to say about the topic, but it was like one run on sentence and I hardly breathed because I almost, I felt nervous in front of the group.
I don't normally speak in front of that group, right?
Yeah. And we think about how, if we are thinking, you know, is what I'm saying important enough?
Am I wasting their time?
Then we just start running it all together.
Yes. That's a key part of this lesson today of this episode that I want to make sure doesn't get jumbled, it's confidence.
But once you start hearing yourself doing this, pausing in the right moment, you'll say, yeah, they're listening to me.
They're sticking with me.
I can do this in different scenarios.
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Absolutely. Let's give another example here.
Same thing, pausing for punctuation.
We'll share why, right?
So you might say, I was walking through the forest, enjoying the quiet, when suddenly I heard a noise.
So let's go through these pauses and why we're making them.
All right. So we have a pause, a comma, after forest, which ends the first idea.
Again, complex sentences, right?
Complex ideas, because because we're adults.
We have complex things to say.
Right. We have those introductory phrases, initial ideas that are setting up something future.
We pause for dramatic effect.
Exactly. So that's the first one.
And then after the word quiet, we have another comma that separates a descriptive clause.
What is the descriptive clause?
Yeah. So we often have this when you're writing, you have to offset them with commas.
We have a clause that's describing something else, right?
So you're talking about this walk in the forest you're sharing why you were doing it or what you were doing so walk through the forest enjoying the quiet when suddenly right so it's extra information we add commas and we pause when we're speaking which again adds color to our story adds context lets us envision you in the forest right what are you doing that kind of thing so good and then after the words suddenly we build dramatic effect by adding another comma when suddenly I heard a noise right I imagine what a wasted opportunity if you just say when suddenly I heard a note noise you don't give
anyone that chance to to build the dramatic effect and wonder what happened suddenly that's a good point sometimes I wonder with comedians they always have the right timing do you know how they always drop a joke and then the audience will laugh and they'll say something like but and they kind of like speak under their breath a bit to wait for the other it's a cadence they're waiting for the audience to be ready for the next So blind.
It's like an art and that's what we can do in English.
So good. Absolutely, right?
If we're just speaking very quickly, we lose these opportunities to make what we're saying not only an art, but understood well so that our meaning is clear.
Okay, so let me try my hand at this one just without the pauses just so we know and then we'll do it.
I'm going to try. It's hard because I can see the comments on the page.
I was walking through the forest enjoying the quiet when suddenly I heard a noise.
Ugh! how did you feel about connecting with me, Aubrey?
No, terrible. And it's so interesting how without those pauses, you also end up using a monotone because you don't have the time.
The can't vary your tone.
Yes. And can you give us how, again, one more time, how it looks with the pauses?
Yes. I was walking through the forest, enjoying the quiet when suddenly I heard a noise.
I love it and you know just as a practice opportunity a side point you guys can use our transcripts to model what we do in this show because the reason you're not bored on this show is because we do use a lot of this pausing a lot of this kind of dramatic effect maybe a little more than we do in our daily lives I would say for me maybe a little more but you can model you can use our audios and model how we speak with our pauses okay absolutely that mimicking or foreshadowing is really the best way to improve your pronunciation, varying your tone, speaking at a speed where you're able to use all
of this dramatic effect, right?
You need to know when to pause in order to have interesting intonation.
Oh my gosh, Aubrey, this episode might have to move into a part two.
I feel like we have so many good things to say.
We haven't even gotten to the second tip.
What do you think about continuing this one another day?
This is going to be a series.
I love that idea. Yes, guys, hit follow because we have two more options.
It's true, it's taking a little time here and we want to make sure that you get all of these details.
Yeah. So we've just spontaneously changed the plan, but I love it because I think we have a solid takeaway for our listeners in the one strategy that we taught you today, which is look at where the commas are and pause between each one for different reasons.
Right, right, Aubrey?
Absolutely. Right. We definitely understand why Sina and a lot of you out there, me, when I'm speaking French and Spanish, why we want to speed up.
And sometimes we do need to.
Sometimes there are benefits that we want to take advantage of.
But often in order to vary your tone and add interest, you need to pause when there would be punctuation in a sentence.
Yeah. And today we just talked about commas, but obviously periods are a little more obvious, but also semicolons, right?
Pausing there. Yes, right.
Any punctuation at the end of a sentence, that's a hard stop and even bigger pause, right?
Semicolon, very similar to a comma.
We're needing those pauses because they always end an introductory phrase or end a relative clause, right?
There's always a reason for that pause.
Right. Or quotation marks when we're quoting someone.
Like often when we read the student question, I will change my voice a little bit it as I read the student question, parentheses, things like that, we're changing the tone.
We're pausing. Exactly right.
If we run straight from what we were saying into a quote, then it's difficult to understand what was said by whom.
We use our intonation to make that clear.
So again, today's takeaway strategy one, pause for punctuation.
We'll be back in the second part of this series, Aubrey, for strategy two and three.
Awesome. Yes, we'll see you guys there.
All right. right. Take care.
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