British English · C1 · Unit 11
Speeches
Speeches
By the end you can
- Give a short speech that moves people
- Analyse what makes a speech persuasive
- Understand a well-known speech
Words and phrases
| British English | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| for those of you who don't know me | a common way to begin a speech | For those of you who don't know me, I'm Sam's oldest friend. |
| it gives me great pleasure to | I'm very happy to (formal) | It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all. |
| raise your glasses | lift your drinks for a toast | Please raise your glasses to Tom and Priya. |
| the best man | the groom's friend who gives a speech at a wedding | As the best man, it's my job to embarrass him. |
| strike a chord | make people feel something deeply | His story about their first date seemed to strike a chord. |
| a moving speech | a speech that touches your emotions | Her dad gave a moving speech. |
| a rhetorical question | a question that doesn't need an answer | He opened with a rhetorical question. |
| hold the audience's attention | keep people listening | A good story will hold the audience's attention. |
| repetition | saying something again for effect | Churchill used repetition brilliantly. |
| the power of three | listing things in groups of three for effect | Speechwriters love the power of three. |
| last but not least | the last, but just as important | And last but not least, thanks to the caterers. |
| without further ado | now, without waiting any longer | So without further ado, here's the happy couple! |
Then talk it through
Giving a speech at a friend's wedding. In the app you have this conversation out loud or typed, with the unit's goals to tick off and corrections at the end.