S.3 English Functional Writing Notes Caltec S.3

1 FUNCTIONAL WRIT ING NOTES () WRITING A GOOD SPEECH What is a speech? A speech is a talk given during a public occasion to a gathering of people who have interest in the topic or issues being talked about. The person who gives the speech is referred to as the speaker and the people listening to him or her are referred t o as the audience . (Try to make a list of occasions or functions during whi ch people are required to make speech es.) What are the qualities of a good speech? • It should be relevant to the occasion and meet the interests and expectations of the audience. • The language or choice of words should be fitting the leve l of the audience and the topic of the speech. The vocabulary should be fairly ordinary and not too difficult. • It is good if the speaker identifies wit h the audience and involve s them in the speech where need be. Phrases like “fellow citizens”, “my dear friends”, “we”, “brothers and sisters”, “comrades”, “colleagues”, “fellow mourners”, and other brotherly words go a long way in pulling the listeners closer to the speaker. The speaker can even ask a few general questions which require chorus “Yes” or “No” answers from the audience. • The repetition of some words or statements at some point in the speech can be very useful for emphasis and driv ing the point home. However this should not be overdone. • If the speech is on a happy occasion, it is good for the speaker to use a sense of humour by cr acking some light jokes, making fun and giving some interesting stories and examples. The use of prover bs, wise sayings and idioms does a lot to endear the speaker …