2.4 Speeches
In work or studies (including in a Functional Skills English Level 1 assessment), you may be required to write a speech, that is, the written version of something that someone would present. Because a speech is written for someone to speak, you have to take account of the fact that it will be spoken, so it can be a little less formal than a report or article.
When a speech is written down, it can look similar to an article. For example, they both need a title, but rather than having the author’s name at the beginning or the end, in a speech the presenter introduces him- or herself at the start. For example:
’Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Sara and I am here today to talk to you about business loans.’
At the end of the speech there will be some form of ending. Again, the speaker mentions the audience in some way:
’Thanks to you all for listening today. If you have any further questions I will be here for a little while when we finish, or feel free to contact me by email.’
Activity 13 Check what you’ve learnt: what you write
Allow about 5 minutes
1. What type of text is most likely to have a headline?
2. If a letter ends, ‘Yours sincerely’, is it likely to be formal or informal?
3. Which is likely to be more formal: a speech or a report?
4. Name one place articles are published.
Answer
Newspapers or magazines, printed or online.
5. In what type of text are you most likely to use the sign-off ‘Kind regards’?
6. Readers read articles, but audiences ______ to speeches.
Answer
Listen.
OpenLearn - Everyday English 1
Except for third party materials and otherwise, this content is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence, full copyright detail can be found in the acknowledgements section. Please see full copyright statement for details.