# Adding a pause between sentences


*<s>*

This tag is supported by generative, long-form, neural, and standard TTS formats.

To add a pause between lines or sentences in your text, use the `<s>` tag. Using this tag has the same effect as:
+ Ending a sentence with a period (.)
+ Specifying a pause with `<break strength="strong"/>`

Unlike the `<break>` tag, the <s> tag encloses the sentence. This is useful for synthesizing speech that is organized in lines, rather than sentence, such as poetry.

In the following example, the `<s>` tag creates a short pause after both the first and second sentences. The final sentence has no `<s>` tag, but it is also followed by a short pause because it ends with a period.

```
<speak>
     <s>Mary had a little lamb</s> 
     <s>Whose fleece was white as snow</s> 
     And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go.
</speak>
```