Fill in the Blanks ESL practice B2Online version fill the gaps with the correct word by Maria Consuelo Garcia Bonilla 1 shift Linguists usage attention Fillers grab speaker's unconscious Filling the Gaps " Umm . . . , " " Actually , . . . , " " OK , . . . " English speakers tend to use a lot of short words and phrases like these in conversation , often without realizing it . refer to them as discourse markers , but they are more commonly known as " fillers " ; that is , they help to fill the silence as you think of what to say . Although of these small words is often on the part of the speaker , they play an important role in helping us communicate . have a variety of functions . Some help us soften a statement : " Well , I'm not sure about that . . . " . Others help us take the lead in a conversation so we can our listener's : " Hey , I have an idea . . . , " " Listen , how about we . . . ? " Meaning can also depending on how a filler is used . " Mmm . . . " for example can indicate someone is interested in what you are saying , but it can also express boredom or disbelief - it all depends on the intonation .
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