termed an amen , as is synonym for the shva. Another type of amen is one that is recited prior to the completion of the blessing it is being recited to follow; this comes from the Hebrew word (, "snatched"). The impatient rush to respond amen before the blessing has even been completed is prohibited. If insufficient stress is placed on the nun (, the last letter of amen in Hebrew) and the mem (, the middle letter) drowns it out, this is termed an amen ketufa (, "a cut amen"). One must also not recite amen too quickly; one should allocate enough time for the amen as necessary to say ’El melekh ne’eman. Saying an (, "short amen") recited too quickly shows a lack of patience. Situations in which one may not recite amen Although it is not prohibited to say the word amen in vain, the Talmudic Sages indicated particular circumstances in which it is improper to answer amen. An (אמן יתומה, "orphaned amen") is one such example of an improperly recited amen. There is a dispute among the halachic authorities as to exactly what constitutes an orphaned amen. As amen is recited as an affirmation of what a blessing has just asserted, one who is unaware of which blessing was just recited can certainly not affirm its assertion with true conviction. Therefore, if someone just arrives in a place and hears others reciting amen to an unknown blessing, he or she may not respond amen together with them. The opposing view maintains a much narrower definition of amen . They assert that its application is limited to a situation in which someone is intending to hear another's blessing and respond amen with the intention of fulfilling his or her obligation to recite that blessing. In such a situation, should any member of the listening party miss hearing any of the words of the blessing, it would be equivalent to an omission of the recital of that word (in accordance with the principle of shomea k'oneh), and a response of amen would thus be prohibited, even though the listener knew which blessing was being recited. Another type of is when someone does not respond amen immediately after hearing the conclusion of a blessing, but rather pauses for a few seconds (toch k'dei dibur), thereby causing the amen to lose its connection to the blessing. Responding with such an