speech
- 01 A2 Elementary
the power or ability to speak and use words to communicate.
the human faculty of uttering articulate sounds and vocalizations for communication. Uncountable in this sense.
Simple“The doctor checked the patient's speech after the accident to see if he could talk clearly.”
In context“The development of speech in early childhood is a complex process involving both neurological maturation and social interaction.”
SynonymsAntonymssilencemuteness - 02 A2 Elementary
a formal talk that a person gives to a group of people.
a formal public address or oral message delivered to an audience. Countable in this sense.
Simple“The principal gave a short speech to welcome the new students.”
In context“The prime minister delivered a televised speech to the nation, outlining the government's new economic strategy for the coming year.”
PitfallHe made a speech about the environment. He gave a speech on the environment.While 'make a speech' is correct, we usually use 'give' or 'deliver' a speech, and 'on' or 'about' for the topic.
Synonyms - 03 B1 Intermediate
language that is spoken rather than written.
the oral medium of language as opposed to the written medium. Uncountable in this sense.
Simple“In everyday speech, people often use shorter words and slang.”
In context“Linguists often distinguish between the formal structures of written prose and the more fluid, repetitive nature of spontaneous speech.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
the particular way that someone speaks.
an individual's characteristic manner or style of oral expression.
Simple“His slow, careful speech made it easy for the students to understand him.”
In context“The actor spent months working with a coach to perfect the distinctive speech patterns of the historical figure he was portraying.”
Synonyms - 05 B1 Intermediate
words that someone has said, often used when talking about grammar.
reported or quoted utterances, often categorised as direct or indirect in grammatical analysis.
Simple“In the story, the character's direct speech is written inside quotation marks.”
In context“The student struggled with the tense shifts required when converting direct speech into reported speech in her essay.”
UsageOften used in the phrases 'direct speech' or 'reported speech'.
Usage speech last
From Middle English speche, from Old English spǣċ, sprǣċ (“speech, discourse, language”), from Proto-West Germanic sprāku (“speech, language”), from Proto-Indo-European spereg-, *spreg- (“to make a sound”). Cognate with Dutch spraak (“speech”), German Sprache (“language, speech”). More at speak.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.