Chapter 8
Sense Groups and Pausing
When we talk，we don’t talk in single words but in groups of words spoken continuously．These groups of words which are closely connected in meaning and in grammar are called sense groups．A sense group is a tone-group (语调群) in intonation．A long sentence can be cut up into two or more tone-groups．We may make a short pause after each group，but not during the group．Such pauses help to make reading or speaking easier and to convey one’s ideas more clearly．
1) In cutting speech up into small groups，speed at which you are speaking is one of the factors．The following sentence may be read in either way．
a) `All of the `students in `this class `study `English．
b) `All of the `students in `this class ︱`study English．
You may be reading the second sentence more slowly than the first．Besides，you may want to give some emphasis to the idea “all of the students in this class” ．
2) The following sentences get progressively longer and it would be convenient to cut up the longer ones into small groups according to their grammatical structure．
Note: the single bar (/) is used to mark pause．
(1) `All of them `study `English．
(2)All of the students in this department study English and other subjects.
(3) All of the students in this department study English and other subjects for a course of four years
3) Short pauses may be made between tone-groups within a sentence , but they are not always necessary .
Here are more examples:
If he comes, I tell him to do it
On the table , I there were no books .
I go to bed early, I as a general rule.
Usually I He takes the bus to work .
Last Wednesday I I wanted to get to London early .I So I caught a train I a bout an hour before my usual one I and I got to work I about half past eight.
