Thought Groups

In English speaking, rhythm is impacted by stress and pausing. The speaker uses these features to help the listener understand the meaning. Here is an example of how a pause changes the meaning dramatically. 

A thought group is a group of words or phrases. A thought group can have a pause after it when speaking, but the speaker is not required to pause there. However, a speaker that pauses in the middle of a thought group sounds confused, like they forgot what they were going to say. If you pause at the wrong time, the person listening might interrupt you to try and help you think of a word. Pausing in the incorrect place signals the listener that there is something wrong.

If you think about when you are reading, you have some signals that show you where it would be natural to pause. Commas (,) and periods (.) are often used when you read out loud to pause to take a breath. Again, you do not have to pause at every comma or period.

Some pauses are very short. In fact, fluent speakers do not usually have long pauses in their speaking. If they do pause for a long time, it's usually to give emphasis to what they are saying. However, a long pause usually signals the listener that the speaker's turn is over and the listener can respond.

Now, there are grammar rules for commas and periods, but spoken English is not visual in the same way as reading and writing. To help you know when to pause, you need to think about what words work together to create one idea. Those words that express one idea are a thought group. Thought groups are usually:

• Noun phrases: A noun phrase is a noun that has extra information, for example: the well-respected manager.
• Verb phrases: A verb phrase is a verb that has additional information, usually an adverb. For example: spoke kindly.
• Prepositional phrases: Prepositions can also include extra information like in the phrase about his staff.
• Clauses: A clause means there is a subject and a verb together. There are many different types of clauses, but they all work as a thought group. An example of a clause is if you do your job well.

Here is a video that explains this information and gives some examples: 

Exercise 2: Listen for Pausing

Watch this video. Focus on the pausing of the speaker. You are listening for rhythm like it's a song rather than the meaning of what she is actually saying. 

After you listen for the rhythm in general, you can try listening again with the subtitles on. Notice how she pauses at the end of thought groups.

Speaking Practice

• Describe a river, lake, or ocean near your home. What does it look like? Do people use it for recreation or as a resource?
• Think about a time you visited a river, lake, or ocean. Narrate the experience of that day in as much detail as you can remember.
• Water is an important resource for life and civilization. However, it can also be destructive in a natural disaster. Have you ever experienced a water-related natural disaster (such as a flood or hurricane)? Narrate and describe that experience.

Exercise 3: Find the Thought Groups 

Read this passage and think about where you can break the sentences into thought groups:

The majority of us can remember what we were doing last Saturday at 4:00 p.m. If we think for a minute, we can probably recall the Saturday before that. In contrast, go back a few months, and most of us will have trouble remembering. We usually can’t remember what we were doing at a specific time on a specific day. Those of us with average memories simply forget these details.

After you identify possible pausing places, listen to this example recording. Listen carefully to see if the speaker paused in the possible places you identified.