speech meaning in english

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Meaning of speech in English

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speech noun ( SAY WORDS )

• She suffers from a speech defect .
• From her slow , deliberate speech I guessed she must be drunk .
• Freedom of speech and freedom of thought were both denied under the dictatorship .
• As a child , she had some speech problems .
• We use these aids to develop speech in small children .
• a problem shared is a problem halved idiom
• banteringly
• bull session
• chew the fat idiom
• conversation
• conversational
• put the world to rights idiom
• take/lead someone on/to one side idiom
• tête-à-tête

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

speech noun ( FORMAL TALK )

• talk She will give a talk on keeping kids safe on the internet.
• lecture The lecture is entitled "War and the Modern American Presidency".
• presentation We were given a presentation of progress made to date.
• speech You might have to make a speech when you accept the award.
• address He took the oath of office then delivered his inaugural address.
• oration It was to become one of the most famous orations in American history.
• Her speech was received with cheers and a standing ovation .
• She closed the meeting with a short speech.
• The vicar's forgetting his lines in the middle of the speech provided some good comedy .
• Her speech caused outrage among the gay community .
• She concluded the speech by reminding us of our responsibility .
• call for papers
• deliver a speech
• maiden speech
• presentation
• public speaking
• talk at someone

speech | American Dictionary

Speech noun ( talking ), examples of speech, collocations with speech.

These are words often used in combination with speech .

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

Translations of speech

Get a quick, free translation!

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to build a nest, or live in a nest

Worse than or worst of all? How to use the words ‘worse’ and ‘worst’

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Losing her speech made her feel isolated from humanity.

Synonyms: communication , conversation , parley , parlance

He expresses himself better in speech than in writing.

We waited for some speech that would indicate her true feelings.

Synonyms: talk , mention , comment , asseveration , assertion , observation

a fiery speech.

Synonyms: discourse , talk

• any single utterance of an actor in the course of a play, motion picture, etc.

Synonyms: patois , tongue

Your slovenly speech is holding back your career.

• a field of study devoted to the theory and practice of oral communication.
• Archaic. rumor .

to have speech with somebody

speech therapy

• that which is spoken; utterance
• a talk or address delivered to an audience
• a person's characteristic manner of speaking
• a national or regional language or dialect
• linguistics another word for parole

Discover More

Other words from.

• self-speech noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of speech 1

Synonym Study

Example sentences.

Kids are interacting with Alexas that can record their voice data and influence their speech and social development.

The attorney general delivered a controversial speech Wednesday.

For example, my company, Teknicks, is working with an online K-12 speech and occupational therapy provider.

Instead, it would give tech companies a powerful incentive to limit Brazilians’ freedom of speech at a time of political unrest.

However, the president did give a speech in Suresnes, France, the next day during a ceremony hosted by the American Battle Monuments Commission.

Those are troubling numbers, for unfettered speech is not incidental to a flourishing society.

There is no such thing as speech so hateful or offensive it somehow “justifies” or “legitimizes” the use of violence.

We need to recover and grow the idea that the proper answer to bad speech is more and better speech.

Tend to your own garden, to quote the great sage of free speech, Voltaire, and invite people to follow your example.

The simple, awful truth is that free speech has never been particularly popular in America.

Alessandro turned a grateful look on Ramona as he translated this speech, so in unison with Indian modes of thought and feeling.

And so this is why the clever performer cannot reproduce the effect of a speech of Demosthenes or Daniel Webster.

He said no more in words, but his little blue eyes had an eloquence that left nothing to mere speech.

After pondering over Mr. Blackbird's speech for a few moments he raised his head.

Albinia, I have refrained from speech as long as possible; but this is really too much!

Related Words

More about speech, what is speech .

Speech is the ability to express thoughts and emotions through vocal sounds and gestures. The act of doing this is also known as speech .

Speech is something only humans are capable of doing and this ability has contributed greatly to humanity’s ability to develop civilization. Speech allows humans to communicate much more complex information than animals are able to.

Almost all animals make sounds or noises with the intent to communicate with each other, such as mating calls and yelps of danger. However, animals aren’t actually talking to each other. That is, they aren’t forming sentences or sharing complicated information. Instead, they are making simple noises that trigger another animal’s natural instincts.

While speech does involve making noises, there is a lot more going on than simple grunts and growls. First, humans’ vocal machinery, such as our lungs, throat, vocal chords, and tongue, allows for a wide range of intricate sounds. Second, the human brain is incredibly complex, allowing humans to process vocal sounds and understand combinations of them as words and oral communication. The human brain is essential for speech . While chimpanzees and other apes have vocal organs similar to humans’, their brains are much less advanced and they are unable to learn speech .

Why is speech important?

The first records of the word speech come from before the year 900. It ultimately comes from the Old English word sprecan , meaning “to speak.” Scientists debate on the exact date that humanity first learned to speak, with estimates ranging from 50,000 to 2 million years ago.

Related to the concept of speech is the idea of language . A language is the collection of symbols, sounds, gestures, and anything else that a group of people use to communicate with each other, such as English, Swahili, and American Sign Language . Speech is actually using those things to orally communicate with someone else.

Did you know … ?

But what about birds that “talk”? Parrots in particular are famous for their ability to say human words and sentences. Birds are incapable of speech . What they are actually doing is learning common sounds that humans make and mimicking them. They don’t actually understand what anything they are repeating actually means.

What are real-life examples of speech ?

Speech is essential to human communication.

Dutch is just enough like German that I can read text on signs and screens, but not enough that I can understand speech. — Clark Smith Cox III (@clarkcox) September 8, 2009

I can make squirrels so excited, I could almost swear they understand human speech! — Neil Oliver (@thecoastguy) July 20, 2020

What other words are related to speech ?

• communication
• information

Quiz yourself!

True or False?

Humans are the only animals capable of speech .

Look up a word, learn it forever.

Other forms: speeches

When you say something out loud, that's speech . When you give a speech , you say a lot of things in front of a group. Maybe you should open with a joke?

The ability to produce and understand speech in complex ways has long been considered part of what separates humans from other animals. "Freedom of speech " is the right to express your thoughts and opinions publicly. Adjectives, nouns and verbs are "parts of speech ." By the way: speech is a noun.

• noun (language) communication by word of mouth “his speech was garbled” synonyms: language , oral communication , speech communication , spoken communication , spoken language , voice communication see more see less types: show 63 types... hide 63 types... words the words that are spoken orthoepy , pronunciation the way a word or a language is customarily spoken conversation the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc. discussion , give-and-take , word an exchange of views on some topic expression , locution , saying a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations non-standard speech speech that differs from the usual accepted, easily recognizable speech of native adult members of a speech community idiolect the language or speech of one individual at a particular period in life monologue a long utterance by one person (especially one that prevents others from participating in the conversation) charm , magic spell , magical spell , spell a verbal formula believed to have magical force dictation speech intended for reproduction in writing monologue , soliloquy speech you make to yourself Beatitude one of the eight sayings of Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount; in Latin each saying begins with `beatus' (blessed) logion a saying of Jesus that is regarded as authentic although it is not recorded in the Gospels calque , calque formation , loan translation an expression introduced into one language by translating it from another language advice and consent a legal expression in the United States Constitution that allows the Senate to constrain the President's powers of appointment and treaty-making ambiguity an expression whose meaning cannot be determined from its context euphemism an inoffensive or indirect expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive or too harsh dysphemism an offensive or disparaging expression that is substituted for an inoffensive one shucks an expression of disappointment or irritation Received Pronunciation the approved pronunciation of British English; originally based on the King's English as spoken at public schools and at Oxford and Cambridge Universities (and widely accepted elsewhere in Britain); until recently it was the pronunciation of English used in British broadcasting tongue twister an expression that is difficult to articulate clearly crossfire a lively or heated interchange of ideas and opinions phatic communication , phatic speech conversational speech used to communicate sociability more than information exchange a mutual expression of views (especially an unpleasant one) chat , confab , confabulation , schmoose , schmooze an informal conversation gossiping , gossipmongering a conversation that spreads personal information about other people talk , talking an exchange of ideas via conversation nothings inconsequential conversation commerce social exchange, especially of opinions, attitudes, etc. colloquy formal conversation argument , argumentation , debate a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal rap voluble conversation rap session conversation in a situation where feelings can be expressed and criticized or supported second-hand speech overheard conversation (especially overheard cellphone conversation) table talk conversation during a meal telephone conversation a conversation over the telephone tete-a-tete a private conversation between two people deliberation (usually plural) discussion of all sides of a question conference , group discussion a discussion among participants who have an agreed (serious) topic panel discussion discussion of a subject of public interest by a group of persons forming a panel usually before an audience post-mortem , postmortem discussion of an event after it has occurred public discussion , ventilation free and open discussion of (or debate on) some question of public interest dialogue , negotiation , talks a discussion intended to produce an agreement anatomical , anatomical reference an expression that relates to anatomy southernism a locution or pronunciation peculiar to the southern United States catchword , motto , shibboleth , slogan a favorite saying of a sect or political group axiom , maxim a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits epigram , quip a witty saying adage , byword , proverb , saw a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people idiom , idiomatic expression , phrasal idiom , phrase , set phrase an expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it up agrapha sayings of Jesus not recorded in the canonical Gospels sumpsimus a correct expression that takes the place of a popular but incorrect expression baby talk , babytalk the developing speech of a young child baby talk , babytalk , motherese an adult's imitation of the speech of a young child accent , dialect , idiom the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people localism a phrase or pronunciation that is peculiar to a particular locality regionalism a feature (as a pronunciation or expression or custom) that is characteristic of a particular region telegraphese language characterized by terseness and ellipsis as in telegrams vernacular the everyday speech of the people (as distinguished from literary language) argot , cant , jargon , lingo , patois , slang , vernacular a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves) slang , slang expression , slang term informal language consisting of words and expressions that are not considered appropriate for formal occasions; often vituperative or vulgar conjuration , incantation a ritual recitation of words or sounds believed to have a magical effect curse , hex , jinx , whammy an evil spell type of: auditory communication communication that relies on hearing
• noun the exchange of spoken words “they were perfectly comfortable together without speech ” see more see less type of: speaking , speech production the utterance of intelligible speech
• noun a lengthy rebuke synonyms: lecture , talking to see more see less types: preaching , sermon a moralistic rebuke curtain lecture a private lecture to a husband by his wife type of: rebuke , reprehension , reprimand , reproof , reproval an act or expression of criticism and censure
• noun something spoken “he could hear them uttering merry speeches ” see more see less type of: utterance , vocalization the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication
• noun the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience synonyms: address see more see less examples: Gettysburg Address a three-minute address by Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War at the dedication of a national cemetery on the site of the Battle of Gettysburg (November 19, 1863) types: show 24 types... hide 24 types... allocution (rhetoric) a formal or authoritative address that advises or exhorts colloquium an address to an academic meeting or seminar dithyramb a wildly enthusiastic speech or piece of writing impromptu an extemporaneous speech or remark inaugural , inaugural address an address delivered at an inaugural ceremony (especially by a United States president) lecture , public lecture , talk a speech that is open to the public litany any long and tedious address or recital oratory addressing an audience formally (usually a long and rhetorical address and often pompous) oral presentation , public speaking , speaking , speechmaking delivering an address to a public audience discourse , preaching , sermon an address of a religious nature (usually delivered during a church service) reading , recital , recitation a public instance of reciting or repeating (from memory) something prepared in advance keynote address , keynote speech a speech setting forth the keynote nominating address , nominating speech , nomination an address (usually at a political convention) proposing the name of a candidate to run for election oration an instance of oratory debate , disputation , public debate the formal presentation of a stated proposition and the opposition to it (usually followed by a vote) declamation vehement oratory epideictic oratory a type of oratory used to eulogize or condemn a person or group of people stump speech political oratory salutatory , salutatory address , salutatory oration an opening or welcoming statement (especially one delivered at graduation exercises) valediction , valedictory , valedictory address , valedictory oration a farewell oration (especially one delivered during graduation exercises by an outstanding member of a graduating class) baccalaureate a farewell sermon to a graduating class at their commencement ceremonies kerugma , kerygma preaching the gospel of Christ in the manner of the early church evangelism zealous preaching and advocacy of the gospel homily , preachment a sermon on a moral or religious topic type of: speech act the use of language to perform some act
• noun words making up the dialogue of a play “the actor forgot his speech ” synonyms: actor's line , words see more see less types: show 6 types... hide 6 types... aside a line spoken by an actor to the audience but not intended for others on the stage cue an actor's line that immediately precedes and serves as a reminder for some action or speech monologue a (usually long) dramatic speech by a single actor soliloquy a (usually long) dramatic speech intended to give the illusion of unspoken reflections throwaway words spoken in a casual way with conscious under-emphasis prompt , prompting a cue given to a performer (usually the beginning of the next line to be spoken) type of: line text consisting of a row of words written across a page or computer screen
• noun your characteristic style or manner of expressing yourself orally “her speech was barren of southernisms” “I detected a slight accent in his speech ” synonyms: delivery , manner of speaking see more see less types: show 17 types... hide 17 types... address the manner of speaking to another individual catch a break or check in the voice (usually a sign of strong emotion) tongue a manner of speaking shibboleth a manner of speaking that is distinctive of a particular group of people tone , tone of voice the quality of a person's voice elocution an expert manner of speaking involving control of voice and gesture inflection , prosody the patterns of stress and intonation in a language inflection , modulation a manner of speaking in which the loudness or pitch or tone of the voice is modified sharp tongue a bitter or critical manner of speaking note a tone of voice that shows what the speaker is feeling rotundity , roundness the fullness of a tone of voice undertone a quiet or hushed tone of voice cadence , intonation , modulation , pitch contour rise and fall of the voice pitch caesura a break or pause (usually for sense) in the middle of a verse line enjambement , enjambment the continuation of a syntactic unit from one line of verse into the next line without a pause accent , emphasis , stress the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch) rhythm , speech rhythm the arrangement of spoken words alternating stressed and unstressed elements type of: expressive style , style a way of expressing something (in language or art or music etc.) that is characteristic of a particular person or group of people or period
• noun the mental faculty or power of vocal communication synonyms: language see more see less type of: faculty , mental faculty , module one of the inherent cognitive or perceptual powers of the mind

Vocabulary lists containing speech

The Academy Awards have been presented every year since 1929. Although some changes have occurred since then – the venue and award categories – the art deco Oscar statue has remained virtually the same. Celebrate this collection of essential terms necessary for any viewer to enjoy the famous ceremony. Here are links to our lists in the collection: List 1 , List 2 , List 3 , List 4 , List 5 , List 6

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Definition of speech noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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• 3 [ uncountable ] the way in which a particular person speaks Her speech was slurred—she was clearly drunk.
• 4 [ uncountable ] the language used when speaking This expression is used mainly in speech, not in writing. speech sounds
• 5 [ countable ] a group of lines that an actor speaks in a play in the theater She has the longest speech in the play. see figure of speech
• speech a formal talk given to an audience: Several people made speeches at the wedding.
• lecture a talk given to a group of people to tell them about a particular subject, often as part of a university or college course: a lecture on the Roman army a course/series of lectures
• address a formal speech given to an audience: a televised presidential address
• A speech can be given on a public or private occasion; an address is always public: He gave an address at the wedding.
• talk a fairly informal session in which someone tells a group of people about a subject: She gave an interesting talk on her visit to China.
• sermon a talk on a moral or religious subject, usually given by a religious leader during a service: to preach a sermon
• a long/short speech/lecture/address/talk/sermon
• a keynote speech/lecture/address
• to prepare/give/deliver/hear a(n) speech/lecture/address/talk/sermon
• to write a speech/sermon
• to attend/go to a lecture/talk

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More results

• direct speech
• speech marks
• indirect speech
• reported speech
• speech therapy
• figure of speech

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• speech (noun)
• speech day (noun)
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• part of speech (noun)
• stump speech (noun)
• She has to make/give/deliver a speech at the convention.
• a graduation speech about/on embracing future challenges
• He kept revising his speech [=the words that he had written for his speech] right up until the last minute.
• She thanked us in her acceptance speech . [=a speech given by someone receiving an award or prize]
• I was so flustered that I momentarily lost the power of speech .
• She has a mild speech impediment . [=a condition that makes it difficult to speak normally]
• They fought for freedom of speech . = They fought for the right to/of free speech . [=they fought for the legal right to express their opinions freely]
• Slang is used mostly in informal/casual speech .
• Many words are more common in speech than in writing.
• His speech was slurred.
• local/regional speech patterns
• I get to perform one of the best speeches in the play.

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If you make a speech or give a talk, you speak for a period of time to an audience, usually saying things which you have prepared in advance.

A speech is made on a formal occasion, for example at a dinner, wedding, or public meeting.

A talk is more informal, and is intended to give information.

• actor's line
• articulation
• articulator
• auditory communication
• Broca's area
• caregiver speech
• child-directed speech
• spectrum analysis
• spectrum line
• spectrum management
• Specular iron
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• speculation
• speculatist
• speculative
• speculative fiction
• Speculative theology
• speculatively
• speculativeness
• speculativism
• Speculatorial
• speculatory
• speculatrice
• speculum metal
• speech balloon
• speech bubble
• speech communication
• speech community
• speech defect
• speech disorder
• speech from the throne
• speech impediment
• speech intelligibility
• speech organ
• speech pathology
• speech pattern
• Speech Patterns
• speech perception
• speech production
• speech recognition
• speech rhythm
• speech sound
• speech spectrum
• speech therapist
• speech therapy
• speech training
• speechcraft
• sped you up
• Spedition-Transport-Logistik Center
• Spedizione in Abbonamento
• Spedus Corp
• Spee embryo
• Spee, Ferdinand Graf von
• Spee, Maximilian Von
• Spee, Maximilian, Graf von
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• 1.1 Alternative forms
• 1.2 Etymology
• 1.3 Pronunciation
• 1.4.1 Hyponyms
• 1.4.2 Derived terms
• 1.4.3 Related terms
• 1.4.4 Translations
• 1.5.1 Derived terms
• 1.6 Anagrams
• 2.1 Etymology
• 2.2 Pronunciation
• 2.3.1 Derived terms
• 2.4 Anagrams
• 3.1 Pronunciation
• 3.3 Further reading
• 4.1 Etymology
• 4.2.1 Declension

Alternative forms

• speach ( obsolete )

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 .

Pronunciation

• IPA ( key ) : /ˈspiːt͡ʃ/

• Rhymes: -iːtʃ

speech ( countable and uncountable , plural speeches )

• 1918 , W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell , chapter XII, in The Mirror and the Lamp , Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company , →OCLC : All this was extraordinarily distasteful to Churchill. It was ugly, gross. Never before had he felt such repulsion when the vicar displayed his characteristic bluntness or coarseness of speech . In the present connexion   [ … ] such talk had been distressingly out of place.
• 1960 , P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse , “XV AND XVIII”, in Jeeves in the Offing , London: Herbert Jenkins , →OCLC : I was at liberty to attend to Wilbert, who I could see desired speech with me. [ … ] As far as Bobbie and I were concerned, silence reigned, this novel twist in the scenario having wiped speech from our lips, as the expression is, but Phyllis continued vocal. [ … ] For perhaps a quarter of a minute after he had passed from the scene the aged relative stood struggling for utterance. At the end of this period she found speech . “Of all the damn silly fatheaded things!”
• 2014 April 21, “ Subtle effects ”, in The Economist , volume 411 , number 8884 : Manganism has been known about since the 19th century, when miners exposed to ores containing manganese, a silvery metal, began to totter, slur their speech and behave like someone inebriated.
• 1720 , Jonathan Swift , A Letter to a Young Clergyman : The constant design of both these orators, in all their speeches , was to drive some one particular point.
• 1960 , P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse , “I AND XII”, in Jeeves in the Offing , London: Herbert Jenkins , →OCLC : He's going to present the prizes at Market Snodsbury Grammar School. We've been caught short as usual, and somebody has got to make a speech on ideals and the great world outside to those blasted boys, so he fits in nicely. I believe he's a very fine speaker. His only trouble is that he's stymied unless he has his speech with him and can read it. Calls it referring to his notes. [ … ] “So that's why he's been going about looking like a dead fish. I suppose Roberta broke the engagement?” “In a speech lasting five minutes without a pause for breath.”
• 1611 , The Holy Bible,   [ … ] ( King James Version ), London: [ … ] Robert Barker ,   [ … ] , →OCLC , Ezekiel 3:6 : For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech , and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel.
• 1542 , Andrew Boorde , The Fyrst Boke of the Introduction of Knowledge : The speche of Englande is a base speche to other noble speches , as Italion, Castylion, and Frenche; howbeit the speche of Englande of late dayes is amended.
• ( uncountable ) Language used orally , rather than in writing. This word is mostly used in speech .
• ( grammar ) An utterance that is quoted ; see direct speech , reported speech
• 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare , [ John Fletcher ], “ The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies   [ … ] ( First Folio ), London: [ … ] Isaac Iaggard , and Ed [ ward ] Blount , published 1623 , →OCLC , [ Act I, scene iii ] : The duke [ … ] did of me demand / What was the speech among the Londoners / Concerning the French journey.
• after-dinner speech
• pressured speech

Derived terms

• acceptance speech
• articulatory speech recognition
• audio-visual speech recognition
• avoidance speech
• caretaker speech
• counterspeech
• cyberspeech
• deep learning speech synthesis
• figure of speech
• free as in speech
• freedom of speech
• free indirect speech
• free speech
• free speech zone
• hate speech
• hate-speech
• helium speech
• impulsive speech
• indirect speech
• keynote speech
• King's speech
• liberty of speech
• maiden speech
• oblique speech
• opening speech
• part of speech
• plain speech
• pressure of speech
• protospeech
• Queen's speech
• running speech
• second-hand speech
• speech balloon
• speech bubble
• speech community
• speechcraft
• speech-crier
• speech disfluency
• speech disorder
• speechfright
• speech fright
• speech from the throne
• speechification
• speech impediment
• speechmaker
• speechmaking
• speech mark
• speech path
• speech pathologist
• speechreading
• speech recognition
• speech therapist
• speech therapy
• speech time
• speechworthy
• speechwright
• speechwriter
• speechwriting
• stump speech
• symbolic speech
• text-to-speech
• throne speech
• time-assignment speech interpolation
• twin speech
• Visible Speech

Related terms

Translations.

speech ( third-person singular simple present speeches , present participle speeching , simple past and past participle speeched )

• 1711 , Jonathan Swift , An Excellent New Song : I'll speech against peace while Dismal's my name, / And be a true whig, while I'm Not-in-game.
• 1731 , The Statesman: A New Court Ballad , page 7 : So to Speeching he did go, / And like a Man of Senſe, / He certainly ſaid Ay or No,
• 1965 June, “Wales, Land of Bards”, in National Geographic , volume 127 , number 6: "He wasn't one to make himself big," said Mr. Jones. "But he had something that drew the people when he was speeching ... When he came down we all used to shout 'Lloyd George am byth!' You know, 'Lloyd George forever!' That was just how we felt."

Borrowed from English speech .

• IPA ( key ) : /spitʃ/

speech   m ( plural speechen or speeches , diminutive speechje   n )

• speech , oration ( oral monologic address of some length ) redevoering ( “ toespraak ” )
• donderspeech
• speechschrijver

speech   m ( plural speechs )

• an informal speech Synonym: allocution

Further reading

• “ speech ”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [ Digitized Treasury of the French Language ] , 2012 .

Unadapted borrowing from English speech .

speech   n ( plural speech-uri )

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What Is a Speech?

Speech generator.

Most people find it difficult to write a speech for themselves. This is because sometimes, whatever is written on print might sound different when said aloud. There’s always the struggle of proper pronunciation and diction, not to mention the fact that delivering a speech can be a a very nerve-racking experience for anyone.

There’s no denying that it’s probably not for everybody. But most of the time, we’re forced to make it anyway. In order for an individual to give an effective speech , one must construct it well and deliver it with confidence.

A speech is a form of verbal or nonverbal communication that is delivered for a given purpose. Good speech communication serves as an important aspect for many professions in terms of promoting proper communication between individuals.

Some speech examples are given during special occasions, such as a wedding speech and a valedictorian speech , while others are made for formal business gatherings.

How to Start a Speech with Power and Confidence

The common misconception about giving a good keynote speech is that it’s a skill that you’re supposedly born with. Obviously, this is not always the case. It’s a skill that you develop overtime through constant practice.

It’s natural to get nervous, everyone does, although it’s not always obvious. This is because it’s all in the mind, if you have a positive mindset then you’re sure to develop the confidence you need. It’s all about believing in yourself, despite all the uncertainties.

Stand straight. Chin up. And look straight at your audience.

This will give you a sense of dominance. Not only that, you would also need to have a certain tone in your voice. When you speak with power, people will want to listen to what you have to say. Whether it’s a motivational speech or a leadership speech , establish your credibility by giving a speech with power and confidence.

Tips for Giving a Killer Speech

• Picture everyone in their underwear. Metaphorically speaking, picturing your audience in their underwear would mean to strip them away from how you perceive them, which could probably be a group of monsters who are watching your every move.
• Interact with your audience. There’s nothing more interesting than watching a speaker engage the audience into being a part of the conversation.
• Observe proper posture. Body language is everything. This will allow you to deliver your speech in word with a high level of confidence.
• Avoid dead air. People who are nervous tend to forget the words to say. If this happens, skip this point and come back to it when you remember.

Importance of Speech

A  speech examples comes in various forms, all having a specific purpose. The best part about a speech is that it demands to be heard. Whatever a speaker has to say plays a significant purpose for the audience.

It allows the speaker to deliver a message, while the audience listens attentively. Speech in pdf also contributes to human development. It is a continuous learning process that helps develop an individual’s communication skills.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Tips for writing a Speech on the value of teamwork

How to create a Speech for advocating for climate change action

Synonyms of speech

• as in language
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Thesaurus Definition of speech

Synonyms & Similar Words

• presentation
• declamation
• keynote speech
• keynote address
• mother tongue
• terminology
• colloquialism
• regionalism
• vernacularism
• provincialism

Phrases Containing speech

• figure of speech

Thesaurus Entries Near speech

Cite this entry.

“Speech.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speech. Accessed 11 Jun. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on speech

Nglish: Translation of speech for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of speech for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about speech

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10 famous speeches in English and what you can learn from them

Speech is an essential element of language, one that we all employ in our daily lives. What about a speech ?

A speech is a formal address, delivered to an audience, that seeks to convince, persuade, inspire or inform. From historic moments to the present day, the English language has given us some extraordinary examples of the spoken word. A powerful tool in the right – or wrong – hands, spoken English can, and has, changed the world.

We’ve chosen ten of the most famous speeches in English. They range from celebrated, world-changing pieces of rhetoric to our personal favourites, but most importantly they still rouse our emotions when we hear them today. We’ve examined each for the tricks of the oratory trade. After each speech you’ll find some bullet points outlining its most distinctive rhetorical features, and why a speech writer would include them.

Remember these celebrated rhetoricians the next time you have to give a speech in public – be this at a wedding, award ceremony or business conference.

Scroll down to the end of this post for our essential tips on crafting speeches.

1. Martin Luther King I Have a Dream 1963

We couldn’t have an article about speeches without mentioning this one. Incredibly famous and iconic, Martin Luther King changed the character of speech making.

I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification – one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

What makes this a great speech?

– Abstract nouns like “ dream ” are incredibly emotional. Our dreams are an intimate part of our subconscious and express our strongest desires. Dreams belong to the realm of fantasy; of unworldly, soaring experiences. King’s repetition of the simple sentence “I have a dream” evokes a picture in our minds of a world where complete equality and freedom exist.

– It fuses simplicity of language with sincerity : something that all persuasive speeches seek to do!

– Use of tenses: King uses the future tense (“will be able”, “shall be”, “will be made””), which gives his a dream certainty and makes it seem immediate and real.

– Thanks to its highly biblical rhetoric , King’s speech reads like a sermon. The last paragraph we’ve quoted here is packed with biblical language and imagery .

2. King George VI Radio Address 1939

This speech was brought back to life recently thanks to the film, The King’s Speech (2010). While George VI will never go down in history as one of the world’s gifted orators, his speech will certainly be remembered.

In this grave hour, perhaps the most fateful in history, I send to every household of my peoples, both at home and overseas, this message, spoken with the same depth of feeling for each one of you as if I were able to cross your threshold and speak to you myself. For the second time in the lives of most of us, we are at war. Over and over again, we have tried to find a peaceful way out of the differences between ourselves and those who are now our enemies, but it has been in vain.  

– At only 404 words long, the speech is impressively economical with language. Its short length means that every word is significant, and commands its audiences’ attention.

– This is a great example of how speechwriters use superlatives . George VI says that this moment is “the most fateful in history”. Nothing gets peoples’ attention like saying this is the “most important” or “best”.

– “ We ”, “ us ” and “ I ”: This is an extremely personal speech. George VI is using the first person, “I”, to reach out to each person listening to the speech. He also talks in the third person: “we are at war”, to unite British people against the common enemy: “them”, or Germany.

3. Winston Churchill We shall fight on the beaches 1940

Churchill is an icon of great speech making. All his life Churchill struggled with a stutter that caused him difficulty pronouncing the letter “s”. Nevertheless, with pronunciation and rehearsal he became one of the most famous orators in history.

…we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.

What makes it a powerful speech?

– Structural repetition of the simple phrase “we shall…”

– Active verbs like “defend” and “fight” are extremely motivational, rousing Churchill’s audience’s spirits.

– Very long sentences build the tension of the speech up to its climax “the rescue and the liberation of the old”, sweeping listeners along. A similar thing happens in musical pieces: the composition weaves a crescendo, which often induces emotion in its audience.

4. Elizabeth I Speech to the Troops 1588

The “Virgin Queen”, Elizabeth I, made this speech at a pivotal moment in English history. It is a remarkable speech in extraordinary circumstances: made by a woman, it deals with issues of gender, sovereignty and nationality.

I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust. I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field.

– Elizabeth puts aside differences in social status and says she will “live and die amongst (her troops)”. This gives her speech a very inclusive message .

– She uses antithesis , or contrasting ideas. To offset the problem of her femininity – of being a “weak and feeble woman” – she swiftly emphasises her masculine qualities: that she has the “heart and stomach of a king”.

– Elizabeth takes on the role of a protector : there is much repetition of the pronoun “I”, and “I myself” to show how active she will be during the battle.

5. Chief Joseph Surrender Speech 1877

We’ve included this speech because there is something extremely raw and humbling about Chief Joseph’s surrender. Combining vulnerability with pride, this is an unusual speech and deserves attention.

Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our Chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Ta Hool Hool Shute is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are – perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my Chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.

What makes this a good speech?

– This speech is a perfect example of a how a non-native speaker can make the English language their own. Chief Joesph’s rhetoric retains the feels and culture of a Native American Indian speaker, and is all the more moving for this.

– Simple, short sentences.

– Declarative sentences such as “I know his heart” and “It is cold” present a listener with hard facts that are difficult to argue against.

6.  Emmeline Pankhurst Freedom or Death 1913

Traditionally silent, women tend to have been left out of rhetoric. All that changed, however, with the advent of feminism. In her struggle for the vote, Pankhurst and her fellow protesters were compelled to find a voice.

You have left it to women in your land, the men of all civilised countries have left it to women, to work out their own salvation. That is the way in which we women of England are doing. Human life for us is sacred, but we say if any life is to be sacrificed it shall be ours; we won’t do it ourselves, but we will put the enemy in the position where they will have to choose between giving us freedom or giving us death.

– Direct acknowledgement of her audience through use of the pronoun you .

– Pankhurst uses stark, irreconcilable contrasts to emphasise the suffragettes’ seriousness. Binary concepts like men/women, salvation/damnation, freedom/imprisonment and life/death play an important role in her speech.

7. John F. Kennedy The Decision to go the Moon 19 61

Great moments require great speeches. The simplicity of Kennedy’s rhetoric preserves a sense of wonder at going beyond human capabilities, at this great event for science and technology.

We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

– Simple sentence structures: “We choose to go to the moon” = Subject + Verb + Complement. The grammatical simplicity of the sentence allows an audience to reflect on important concepts, i.e. choice. Repetition emphasises this.

– Kennedy uses demonstrative (or pointing) pronouns e.g. “ this decade”, “ that goal” to create a sense of urgency; to convey how close to success the US is.

8. Shakespeare The Tempest  Act 3 Scene 2 c.1610

Of course, any list of great speeches would be incomplete without a mention of the master of rhetoric, the Bard himself.  If you caught the London Olympic Opening Ceremony you would have noticed that Kenneth Branagh delivered Caliban’s speech, from The Tempest .

Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises, Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not. Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices That, if I then had waked after long sleep, Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming, The clouds methought would open and show riches Ready to drop upon me that, when I waked, I cried to dream again.

– It expresses a wonder and uncertainty of the world, and an inability to comprehend its mystery.

– It is highly alliterative , a rhetorical trick that makes speech memorable and powerful.

– Shakespeare uses onomatopoeia (e.g. “twangling”, “hum”: words whose sound is like they are describing) to make Caliban’s speech evocative.

9.  Shakespeare  Henry V  Act 3 Scene 1, 1598

One of rhetoric’s most primal functions is to transform terrified men into bloodthirsty soldiers. “Once more unto the breach” is a speech that does just that. It is a perfect example of how poetry is an inextricable element of rhetoric.

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead. In peace there’s nothing so becomes a man As modest stillness and humility: But when the blast of war blows in our ears, Then imitate the action of the tiger; Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, Disguise fair nature with hard-favour’d rage

What makes this such a great rousing battle speech?

-Shakespeare uses some fantastic imagery in King Henry’s speech. His “dear friends”, or soldiers, are tigers, commanded to block their enemies’ way with their dead comrades. This appeals to ideals of masculinity that men should be fierce and strong.

– Orders and imperative verbs give the speaker authority.

– Repetition of key phrases and units of sound: the vowel sounds in the repeated phrase “once more” are echoed by the words “or” and “our”. This makes it an extraordinarily powerful piece of rhetoric to hear spoken.

10. William Lyon Phelps The Pleasure of Books 1933

This speech was read a year before Nazis began their systematic destruction of books that didn’t match Nazi ideals. As major advocates of books at English Trackers, we’re naturally inclined to love speeches about their importance.

A borrowed book is like a guest in the house; it must be treated with punctiliousness, with a certain considerate formality. You must see that it sustains no damage; it must not suffer while under your roof. You cannot leave it carelessly, you cannot mark it, you cannot turn down the pages, you cannot use it familiarly. And then, some day, although this is seldom done, you really ought to return it.

– Phelps personifies books in this speech; that is, he gives books human characteristics – like the capacity to “suffer”. Comparing a book to a guest creates novelty , which engages and holds the interest of a listener.

– This speech uses both modal verbs (“must”, “ought”) and prohibitions (“you cannot”) to demonstrate both proper and improper behaviour.

Some tips to bear in mind when writing a speech

– KISS : the golden rule of Keep It Short and Simple really does apply. Keep your sentences short, your grammar simple. Not only is this more powerful than long rambling prose, but you’re more likely hold your audience’s attention – and be able to actually remember what you’re trying to say!

– Rule of 3 : another golden rule. The human brain responds magically to things that come in threes. Whether it’s a list of adjectives, a joke, or your main points, it’s most effective if you keep it to this structure.

– Imagery : Metaphors, similes and description will help an audience to understand you, and keep them entertained.

– Pronouns : Use “we” to create a sense of unity, “them” for a common enemy, “you” if you’re reaching out to your audience, and “I” / “me” if you want to take control.

– Poetry : Repetition, rhyme and alliteration are sound effects, used by poets and orators alike. They make a speech much more memorable. Remember to also structure pauses and parentheses into a speech. This will vary the flow of sound, helping you to hold your audience’s attention.

– Jokes : Humour is powerful. Use it to perk up a sleepy audience, as well as a rhetorical tool. Laughter is based on people having common, shared assumptions – and can therefore be used to persuade.

– Key words : “Every”, “improved”, “natural”, “pure”, “tested’ and “recommended” will, according to some surveys, press the right buttons and get a positive response from your listeners.

About the Author: This post comes to you from guest blogger, Natalie. Currently blogging, editing and based in London, Natalie previously worked with the English Trackers team.

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The 9 Parts of Speech: Definitions and Examples

• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

A part of speech is a term used in traditional grammar for one of the nine main categories into which words are classified according to their functions in sentences, such as nouns or verbs. Also known as word classes, these are the building blocks of grammar.

Every sentence you write or speak in English includes words that fall into some of the nine parts of speech. These include nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, articles/determiners, and interjections. (Some sources include only eight parts of speech and leave interjections in their own category.)

Parts of Speech

• Word types can be divided into nine parts of speech:
• prepositions
• conjunctions
• articles/determiners
• interjections
• Some words can be considered more than one part of speech, depending on context and usage.
• Interjections can form complete sentences on their own.

Learning the names of the parts of speech probably won't make you witty, healthy, wealthy, or wise. In fact, learning just the names of the parts of speech won't even make you a better writer. However, you will gain a basic understanding of sentence structure  and the  English language by familiarizing yourself with these labels.

Open and Closed Word Classes

The parts of speech are commonly divided into  open classes  (nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs) and  closed classes  (pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, articles/determiners, and interjections). Open classes can be altered and added to as language develops, and closed classes are pretty much set in stone. For example, new nouns are created every day, but conjunctions never change.

In contemporary linguistics , parts of speech are generally referred to as word classes or syntactic categories. The main difference is that word classes are classified according to more strict linguistic criteria. Within word classes, there is the lexical, or open class, and the function, or closed class.

The 9 Parts of Speech

Read about each part of speech below, and practice identifying each.

Nouns are a person, place, thing, or idea. They can take on a myriad of roles in a sentence, from the subject of it all to the object of an action. They are capitalized when they're the official name of something or someone, and they're called proper nouns in these cases. Examples: pirate, Caribbean, ship, freedom, Captain Jack Sparrow.

Pronouns stand in for nouns in a sentence . They are more generic versions of nouns that refer only to people. Examples:​  I, you, he, she, it, ours, them, who, which, anybody, ourselves.

Verbs are action words that tell what happens in a sentence. They can also show a sentence subject's state of being ( is , was ). Verbs change form based on tense (present, past) and count distinction (singular or plural). Examples:  sing, dance, believes, seemed, finish, eat, drink, be, became.

Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns. They specify which one, how much, what kind, and more. Adjectives allow readers and listeners to use their senses to imagine something more clearly. Examples:  hot, lazy, funny, unique, bright, beautiful, poor, smooth.

Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and even other adverbs. They specify when, where, how, and why something happened and to what extent or how often. Many adjectives can be turned into adjectives by adding the suffix - ly . Examples:  softly, quickly, lazily, often, only, hopefully, sometimes.

Preposition

Prepositions  show spatial, temporal, and role relations between a noun or pronoun and the other words in a sentence. They come at the start of a prepositional phrase , which contains a preposition and its object. Examples:  up, over, against, by, for, into, close to, out of, apart from.

Conjunction

Conjunctions join words, phrases, and clauses in a sentence. There are coordinating, subordinating, and correlative conjunctions. Examples:  and, but, or, so, yet.

Articles and Determiners

Articles and determiners function like adjectives by modifying nouns, but they are different than adjectives in that they are necessary for a sentence to have proper syntax. Articles and determiners specify and identify nouns, and there are indefinite and definite articles. Examples of articles:  a, an, the ; examples of determiners:  these, that, those, enough, much, few, which, what.

Some traditional grammars have treated articles  as a distinct part of speech. Modern grammars, however, more often include articles in the category of determiners , which identify or quantify a noun. Even though they modify nouns like adjectives, articles are different in that they are essential to the proper syntax of a sentence, just as determiners are necessary to convey the meaning of a sentence, while adjectives are optional.

Interjection

Interjections are expressions that can stand on their own or be contained within sentences. These words and phrases often carry strong emotions and convey reactions. Examples:  ah, whoops, ouch, yabba dabba do!

How to Determine the Part of Speech

Only interjections ( Hooray! ) have a habit of standing alone; every other part of speech must be contained within a sentence and some are even required in sentences (nouns and verbs). Other parts of speech come in many varieties and may appear just about anywhere in a sentence.

To know for sure what part of speech a word falls into, look not only at the word itself but also at its meaning, position, and use in a sentence.

For example, in the first sentence below,  work  functions as a noun; in the second sentence, a verb; and in the third sentence, an adjective:

• Bosco showed up for  work  two hours late.
• The noun  work  is the thing Bosco shows up for.
• He will have to  work  until midnight.
• The verb  work  is the action he must perform.
• His  work  permit expires next month.
• The  attributive noun  (or converted adjective) work  modifies the noun  permit .

Learning the names and uses of the basic parts of speech is just one way to understand how sentences are constructed.

Dissecting Basic Sentences

To form a basic complete sentence, you only need two elements: a noun (or pronoun standing in for a noun) and a verb. The noun acts as a subject, and the verb, by telling what action the subject is taking, acts as the predicate. 

In the short sentence above,  birds  is the noun and  fly  is the verb. The sentence makes sense and gets the point across.

You can have a sentence with just one word without breaking any sentence formation rules. The short sentence below is complete because it's a verb command with an understood "you" noun.

Here, the pronoun, standing in for a noun, is implied and acts as the subject. The sentence is really saying, "(You) go!"

Constructing More Complex Sentences

Use more parts of speech to add additional information about what's happening in a sentence to make it more complex. Take the first sentence from above, for example, and incorporate more information about how and why birds fly.

• Birds fly when migrating before winter.

Birds and fly remain the noun and the verb, but now there is more description. 

When  is an adverb that modifies the verb fly.  The word before  is a little tricky because it can be either a conjunction, preposition, or adverb depending on the context. In this case, it's a preposition because it's followed by a noun. This preposition begins an adverbial phrase of time ( before winter ) that answers the question of when the birds migrate . Before is not a conjunction because it does not connect two clauses.

• A List of Exclamations and Interjections in English
• Sentence Parts and Sentence Structures
• 100 Key Terms Used in the Study of Grammar
• Closed Class Words
• Word Class in English Grammar
• Prepositional Phrases in English Grammar
• Foundations of Grammar in Italian
• The Top 25 Grammatical Terms
• Open Class Words in English Grammar
• Telegraphic Speech
• What Is an Adverb in English Grammar?
• Pronoun Definition and Examples
• What Are the Parts of a Prepositional Phrase?
• Parts of Speech Printable Worksheets
• Definition and Examples of Function Words in English
• Lesson Plan: Label Sentences with Parts of Speech

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• Knowledge Base
• Parts of speech

The 8 Parts of Speech | Chart, Definition & Examples

A part of speech (also called a word class ) is a category that describes the role a word plays in a sentence. Understanding the different parts of speech can help you analyze how words function in a sentence and improve your writing.

The parts of speech are classified differently in different grammars, but most traditional grammars list eight parts of speech in English: nouns , pronouns , verbs , adjectives , adverbs , prepositions , conjunctions , and interjections . Some modern grammars add others, such as determiners and articles .

Many words can function as different parts of speech depending on how they are used. For example, “laugh” can be a noun (e.g., “I like your laugh”) or a verb (e.g., “don’t laugh”).

Table of contents

• Prepositions
• Conjunctions
• Interjections

Other parts of speech

Interesting language articles, frequently asked questions.

A noun is a word that refers to a person, concept, place, or thing. Nouns can act as the subject of a sentence (i.e., the person or thing performing the action) or as the object of a verb (i.e., the person or thing affected by the action).

There are numerous types of nouns, including common nouns (used to refer to nonspecific people, concepts, places, or things), proper nouns (used to refer to specific people, concepts, places, or things), and collective nouns (used to refer to a group of people or things).

Ella lives in France .

Other types of nouns include countable and uncountable nouns , concrete nouns , abstract nouns , and gerunds .

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A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. Pronouns typically refer back to an antecedent (a previously mentioned noun) and must demonstrate correct pronoun-antecedent agreement . Like nouns, pronouns can refer to people, places, concepts, and things.

There are numerous types of pronouns, including personal pronouns (used in place of the proper name of a person), demonstrative pronouns (used to refer to specific things and indicate their relative position), and interrogative pronouns (used to introduce questions about things, people, and ownership).

That is a horrible painting!

A verb is a word that describes an action (e.g., “jump”), occurrence (e.g., “become”), or state of being (e.g., “exist”). Verbs indicate what the subject of a sentence is doing. Every complete sentence must contain at least one verb.

Verbs can change form depending on subject (e.g., first person singular), tense (e.g., simple past), mood (e.g., interrogative), and voice (e.g., passive voice ).

Regular verbs are verbs whose simple past and past participle are formed by adding“-ed” to the end of the word (or “-d” if the word already ends in “e”). Irregular verbs are verbs whose simple past and past participles are formed in some other way.

“I’ve already checked twice.”

“I heard that you used to sing .”

Other types of verbs include auxiliary verbs , linking verbs , modal verbs , and phrasal verbs .

An adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun. Adjectives can be attributive , appearing before a noun (e.g., “a red hat”), or predicative , appearing after a noun with the use of a linking verb like “to be” (e.g., “the hat is red ”).

Adjectives can also have a comparative function. Comparative adjectives compare two or more things. Superlative adjectives describe something as having the most or least of a specific characteristic.

Other types of adjectives include coordinate adjectives , participial adjectives , and denominal adjectives .

An adverb is a word that can modify a verb, adjective, adverb, or sentence. Adverbs are often formed by adding “-ly” to the end of an adjective (e.g., “slow” becomes “slowly”), although not all adverbs have this ending, and not all words with this ending are adverbs.

There are numerous types of adverbs, including adverbs of manner (used to describe how something occurs), adverbs of degree (used to indicate extent or degree), and adverbs of place (used to describe the location of an action or event).

Talia writes quite quickly.

Other types of adverbs include adverbs of frequency , adverbs of purpose , focusing adverbs , and adverbial phrases .

A preposition is a word (e.g., “at”) or phrase (e.g., “on top of”) used to show the relationship between the different parts of a sentence. Prepositions can be used to indicate aspects such as time , place , and direction .

I left the cup on the kitchen counter.

A conjunction is a word used to connect different parts of a sentence (e.g., words, phrases, or clauses).

The main types of conjunctions are coordinating conjunctions (used to connect items that are grammatically equal), subordinating conjunctions (used to introduce a dependent clause), and correlative conjunctions (used in pairs to join grammatically equal parts of a sentence).

You can choose what movie we watch because I chose the last time.

An interjection is a word or phrase used to express a feeling, give a command, or greet someone. Interjections are a grammatically independent part of speech, so they can often be excluded from a sentence without affecting the meaning.

Types of interjections include volitive interjections (used to make a demand or request), emotive interjections (used to express a feeling or reaction), cognitive interjections (used to indicate thoughts), and greetings and parting words (used at the beginning and end of a conversation).

Ouch ! I hurt my arm.

I’m, um , not sure.

The traditional classification of English words into eight parts of speech is by no means the only one or the objective truth. Grammarians have often divided them into more or fewer classes. Other commonly mentioned parts of speech include determiners and articles.

• Determiners

A determiner is a word that describes a noun by indicating quantity, possession, or relative position.

Common types of determiners include demonstrative determiners (used to indicate the relative position of a noun), possessive determiners (used to describe ownership), and quantifiers (used to indicate the quantity of a noun).

My brother is selling his old car.

Other types of determiners include distributive determiners , determiners of difference , and numbers .

An article is a word that modifies a noun by indicating whether it is specific or general.

• The definite article the is used to refer to a specific version of a noun. The can be used with all countable and uncountable nouns (e.g., “the door,” “the energy,” “the mountains”).
• The indefinite articles a and an refer to general or unspecific nouns. The indefinite articles can only be used with singular countable nouns (e.g., “a poster,” “an engine”).

There’s a concert this weekend.

If you want to know more about nouns , pronouns , verbs , and other parts of speech, make sure to check out some of our language articles with explanations and examples.

Nouns & pronouns

• Common nouns
• Proper nouns
• Collective nouns
• Personal pronouns
• Uncountable and countable nouns
• Verb tenses
• Phrasal verbs
• Types of verbs
• Active vs passive voice
• Subject-verb agreement

A is an indefinite article (along with an ). While articles can be classed as their own part of speech, they’re also considered a type of determiner .

The indefinite articles are used to introduce nonspecific countable nouns (e.g., “a dog,” “an island”).

In is primarily classed as a preposition, but it can be classed as various other parts of speech, depending on how it is used:

• Preposition (e.g., “ in the field”)
• Noun (e.g., “I have an in with that company”)
• Adjective (e.g., “Tim is part of the in crowd”)
• Adverb (e.g., “Will you be in this evening?”)

As a part of speech, and is classed as a conjunction . Specifically, it’s a coordinating conjunction .

And can be used to connect grammatically equal parts of a sentence, such as two nouns (e.g., “a cup and plate”), or two adjectives (e.g., “strong and smart”). And can also be used to connect phrases and clauses.

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Free English Lessons

Parts of speech in english – video.

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In this lesson, you can learn about parts of speech in English.

How many parts of speech are there in english can you name them, and explain what they do, understanding parts of speech —nouns, verbs, adjectives, and so on—can help you to understand english sentence structure and how english grammar works., in this class, you’ll learn the basic information about parts of speech, you’ll see some ways that parts of speech can be more complicated than you might expect, and you’ll have several chances to practice, quiz: parts of speech in english.

Now test your understanding of the different parts of speech by trying this quiz. There are 20 questions, which get harder as you go through it!

When you have finished, click ‘View Questions’ to see all the correct answers and read the explanations. There are links to further study resources in the explanations.

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1 . Question

For the first five questions, answer true or false.

True or false: a word can be different parts of speech depending on its function and meaning in the sentence.

Review part three of the lesson if you need help with this one.

2 . Question

True or false: a noun can be a word or a phrase.

3 . Question

True or false: if a word can be a noun, it can only be a noun.

4 . Question

True or false: when analysing parts of speech, you don’t need to think about what the sentence means.

5 . Question

True or false: articles (‘the’, ‘a’), demonstratives (‘this’, ‘that’), quantifiers (‘some’, ‘few’) and possessive adjectives (‘your’, ‘their’) are all determiners.

Remember that determiners specify the noun you’re referring to. Do all these words do this?

6 . Question

For the next five questions, choose the part of speech described.

What part of speech can be an action or a state?

• Interjections
• Conjunctions

‘Run’ is an action and ‘understand’ is a state.

7 . Question

What part of speech can describe verbs, adjectives, adverbs or whole sentences?

• Prepositions

8 . Question

What part of speech represents or replaces nouns?

9 . Question

What part of speech expresses an emotion or can be used to react to something?

10 . Question

Which part of speech doesn’t indicate something about a noun?

• Determiners

11 . Question

For the next five questions, match the words in the sentence with the parts of speech.

“He slept badly.”

Sort elements

12 . Question

Match the words in the sentence with the parts of speech.

“She has bought a second-hand car.”

• noun phrase

This time, you’re not analysing each word but the function of word groups and phrases in the sentence.

13 . Question

“Um, can you stop making so much noise, please?”

• ‘um’ and ‘please’
• 'can' and 'stop'
• 'you'
• 'making so much noise'

14 . Question

“Is this your bag or mine?”

• conjunction
• (possessive) pronoun

15 . Question

“Hey! Give his new watch back to him.”

• interjection
• preposition

16 . Question

For the last five questions, tick all the words that are correct.

Which words can be nouns?

You need to choose three answers.

17 . Question

Which words can be adverbs?

Only one word here is not an adverb.

18 . Question

Which words can be determiners?

This time there are two correct answers.

19 . Question

Which words can be more than one part of speech?

Two answers are correct; one of the others doesn’t even exist!

20 . Question

Which words are conjunctions?

• nevertheless

This is a deliberately difficult question to end with! A conjunction must be followed by a noun (or noun phrase) and then a verb, with no commas.

So, first question: how many parts of speech are there?

Well, we did a Google search, and many of the top results said ‘eight’. So there must be eight parts of speech in English.

Wrong! There are nine.

So, what are they?

1. Guide to Parts of Speech in English

Number one: nouns. Nouns can be things, animals, or people, like doctor, pencil, tree or cat.

Nouns can also be ideas or abstract things, like idea, happiness, time or money.

Number two: verbs. Verbs can be actions, like do, run, fly or win.

Verbs can also describe states, like be, love, believe or understand.

Number three: adjectives. Adjectives describe nouns. For example: red, big, metal, or beautiful.

Number four: adverbs . Adverbs can describe verbs, meaning they describe how someone does something. For example, quickly, loudly, angrily or well.

Adverbs can also describe adjectives, other adverbs, or even whole sentences. For example, very is an adverb which can describe an adjective— very slow —or another adverb— very slowly.

Unfortunately or sometimes are adverbs which can be used to add information to a whole sentence.

For example:

• Unfortunately, they missed the train and were late to their own wedding!
• Sometimes, I wish I’d made different choices in life.

So, adverbs are a little more complicated. Here’s a good way to remember it: adjectives and adverbs both describe other words. They are both used to add information to something else.

Adjectives describe nouns, and adverbs describe everything else: verbs, adjectives, adverbs and whole sentences.

Number five: pronouns.

Pronouns replace or represent nouns. For example, I, you, she or they are pronouns which represent different people.

You use pronouns to avoid repeating the same word, or to refer to something when it’s obvious what you mean.

• How was the weather there?

There is a pronoun which refers to a place. If you’ve already mentioned the place you’re talking about, you don’t need to say it again.

Another example:

• Give me two, please.

Two is a pronoun which refers to a quantity of something which has already been mentioned. The person you’re talking to already knows what you’re talking about.

Number six: prepositions.

Prepositions usually go before a noun or noun phrase. What’s their job?

Prepositions can do two basic things: first, they can add an idea of time, place, or movement to a noun. For example:

• on Wednesday
• in the corner
• towards the door

Secondly, prepositions can connect other words to a noun, or a pronoun.

For example, think about the verb depend on. The preposition on connects the verb depend to the object of the verb. For example:

• It depends on the cost.

Usually, the noun or noun phrase goes after the preposition.

However, sometimes the preposition can link to a noun (or pronoun) earlier in the sentence. For example:

• What does it depend on?

Here, on links to the pronoun what.

Number seven: conjunctions.

Conjunctions connect two things. A conjunction can connect two words:

• I like cake and ice-cream.

A conjunction can connect two phrases:

• Do you want to go now or wait till this afternoon?

You can also use a conjunction to connect two clauses:

• Although I’ve been trying to learn for years, I’m still really bad at drawing.

Number eight: determiners

Determiners go before a noun. They include words like a, the, this or that, which help to specify which noun you’re talking about.

Words like my, your, his, her, etc. are also determiners. They specify which noun you’re talking about by saying who something belongs to.

Determiners can also tell you how many of something there are. Look at three examples:

• ten bananas
• some people
• both of my brothers

The words ten, some and both are determiners.

Number nine: interjections

Interjections are different, because they aren’t normally part of a sentence.

Interjections are words or phrases which show how you feel. For example:

So, now you know about the nine parts of speech in English.

2. Practice with Parts of Speech in English

Let’s practice! Look at three sentences. Each sentence has five words.

• They told me about it.
• Look in the big cupboard.
• Put it there, but carefully.

Can you identify which part of speech each word is? Pause the video and think about your answers.

How did you do? Could you identify the parts of speech correctly?

Let’s look at one more.

• I’m staying in this evening.

What part of speech are these words? Think about it.

So, I is a pronoun, am is a verb, and staying is also a verb.

What about in? Did you say it’s a preposition?

It’s not a preposition; it’s an adverb.

How does this work? We had the word in in one of the sentences you saw before, and it was a preposition.

So, what’s going on?

3. The Same Word Can be More than One Part of Speech

Some words can only be one thing.

For example, the words independence or hair can only be nouns.

Believe and destroy can only be verbs.

However, many words can be more than one part of speech.

There are two things happening here.

First, a word can be two different things, which have the same written form and the same pronunciation.

Think about the word win. Is it a noun or a verb?

It can be both.

• I’m sure they’ll win the game this weekend.
• We’ll be hoping for a win in the big game this weekend.

Many words are like this. Another example: red can be an adjective or a noun.

• What do you think about this red for the kitchen?
• I like that red top she was wearing.

This is very common: very often, a word with one written form can be two (or more) different parts of speech.

We told you there are two things happening here; what’s the other?

Sometimes, a word can be different parts of speech depending on its function in the sentence.

Look at two sentences:

• I have a few photos of my grandparents.
• Sure, you can have a few.

Here’s a question: what part of speech is few in these sentences?

In the first sentence, few is a determiner; in the second, it’s a pronoun.

Can you explain why this is?

Think about what few does in these two sentences.

In the first sentence, few adds a quantity to the noun photos. It tells us how many photos you have. This makes it a determiner.

In the second sentence, few replaces a noun. You don’t know which noun it replaces, but in context, you would understand what the person meant.

Maybe it was ‘a few biscuits’, or ‘a few pieces of paper.’

We don’t know! But, you do know that few replaces a noun, which makes it a pronoun.

Another example is the sentence we saw before:

Prepositions go with nouns, and connect nouns to other words in the sentence. In here doesn’t go with a noun, so it can’t be a preposition.

Learn more with this Oxford Online English lesson on adverbs – to, in, at .

In here means ‘at home’, and it adds information to the verb stay. What kind of words add information to verbs?

Adverbs! So, in is an adverb.

Wait a minute, did we ever finish explaining what parts of speech are in this sentence?

You’re right! We didn’t. Let’s do it now. You need to say what parts of speech the words this evening are.

Can you do it?

Maybe you said that this is a determiner, and evening is a noun. That’s technically correct, but it’s not the best answer.

The best answer is that this evening is an adverb.

How do you explain that?

4. Compound Parts of Speech in English

Until now, you’ve seen single words, and how single words can be nouns, verbs, etc.

However, when you’re thinking about parts of speech, you can’t just think about single words. Phrases can also be nouns, verbs, adjectives, and so on.

Let’s do an example:

• Add a small spoonful of brown sugar, then turn the heat down and stir the mixture gently.

Think about the first part of this sentence: add a small spoonful of brown sugar.

What parts of speech do we have here?

Of course, you can go through it word by word. You can say, add is a verb, a is a determiner, small is an adjective and so on.

But, is that the most useful way of looking at it?

It makes more sense to see this as a verb— add —and a noun— a small spoonful of brown sugar.

The noun is made up of several parts of speech: determiners, adjectives, prepositions and nouns, but together they have one meaning. These words refer to one thing.

You can analyse a sentence in several different layers. So, you can see a small spoonful of brown sugar as six individual words, or one noun phrase.

You could also see it as three parts: a determiner— a small spoonful —a preposition— of —and a noun— brown sugar.

Confused? We understand! You want to know the answer. You want to know which way is ‘correct’.

There isn’t one ‘correct’ way to see this. There are different perspectives.

A better question is: which perspective makes more sense?

In this sentence, a small spoonful of brown sugar refers to one thing in the world. So it makes sense to think of it as one part of speech in the sentence.

What about the second part of the sentence? How would you analyse the parts of speech?

As you saw before, there isn’t one right answer, but here’s a suggestion.

The sentence contains a conjunction— then —and then two verb phrases linked with the conjunction and.

This makes sense because the sentence is telling you to do two things: turn the heat down and stir the mixture gently.

So, it makes sense to see turn the heat down as one part of speech, because it’s telling you do to one thing.

Let’s put these ideas together.

First, when you think about parts of speech, you can’t just memorise information. You have to look at each sentence individually, and think about what each word is doing.

Secondly, always think about what the sentence means in the real world. Sentences aren’t abstract things; they refer to real people, real things and real actions.

There is always more than one way to analyse the parts of speech in a sentence: choose the way that makes sense based on what the sentence is telling you about real life!

Let’s do a more challenging practice exercise so you can see these ideas in action.

5. More Challenging Practice with English Parts of Speech

Look at three sentences:

• Amazing! It’s way better than I ever thought it would be.
• She was an amazing clinician , who came up with many innovative ways to treat patients.
• I don’t believe it!

How would you analyse the parts of speech in these sentences? Think about the ideas we talked about in the last section. Does it make sense to break the sentences into individual words, or is it better to group words into phrases?

Pause the video and think about your ideas.

You can pause the video again to look at these in more detail.

Notice how the same word can be different parts of speech in different sentences. For example, amazing is an interjection in one sentence, and an adjective in another.

Notice also the different layers of analysis. For example, look at the phrase many innovative ways. You can see this as one noun phrase, or as a determiner plus a noun phrase, or as three individual parts: a determiner, an adjective and a noun.

Which is correct? They all are! Choose the perspective which makes more sense to you.

Thanks for watching!

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What Is an Adjective? Explanation, Usage, and Examples

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An adjective describes or modifies a noun, which is a person, place, thing, or idea. Without adjectives, there’s not much difference between a serene vacation and a disastrous vacation. But using adjectives is a little more complicated than adding pretty words into your sentence.

What Is an Adjective?

As one of the eight parts of speech , adjectives provide further information about a noun. Specifically, they explain more about a noun’s size, shape, age, color, origin, or material. 

Examples of adjectives modifying the same noun ( table ) include:

• It's a lovely table . (expresses opinion)
• It's a big table . (shows size)
• It's a round table . (shows shape)
• It's an old table . (shows age)
• It's a brown table . (shows color)
• It's an English table . (shows origin)
• It's a wooden table . (shows material)
• It's a broken table . (make an observation)
• It's a coffee table . (expresses purpose)

The Correct Order for Using Multiple Adjectives

And you’re not limited to just one adjective per noun. When using cumulative adjectives that describe different parts of a noun, you can use any combination of adjectives (just make sure you’re putting them in the correct order).

• It’s an old coffee table .
• It’s a brown English table .
• It’s a lovely wooden coffee table .
• It’s a big round English coffee table .

What Do Adjectives Do?

It’s easy to say that adjectives’ main job is to make your writing more engaging, because it’s true. But they’re not just sentence decoration — each type of adjective is an important part of speech.

Adjectives Modify Nouns and Pronouns

Adjectives modify, or further describe, nouns. For example:

• Marcy chose the chocolate cake . (The adjective chocolate modifies the noun cake )
• The antique clock ticks all night. (The adjective antique modifies the noun clock )

But adjectives can also modify pronouns .

• He is so funny . (The adjective funny modifies the pronoun he )
• It smells really bad . (The adjective bad modifies the pronoun it )

Adjectives Act as Complements

When an adjective comes after a noun and a linking verb , such as is, becomes, or seems, it’s a  complement . Not every complement is an adjective, but some adjectives can be complements. 

Subject complements modify the subject of a sentence .

• Mike seems hungry . (The adjective hungry modifies the subject Mike )
• My neighbor is kind . (The adjective kind modifies the subject my neighbor )

Object complements modify the object of a sentence .

• You make me happy . (The adjective happy modifies the object me )
• Ken found the meal delicious . (The adjective delicious modifies the object the meal )

Adjectives Answer Questions

Adjectives answer questions such as "Which one?" "How many?" and "What kind?" to help describe a noun. For example:

• Which cat did you see? It was the gray cat .
• What kind of potatoes did you buy? I bought red potatoes .
• How many cars were in the parking lot? There were few cars .
• How many people like ice cream? Most people like ice cream.
• Which spoon did you use to stir the soup? I used the wooden spoon .
• What kind of coffee do you like? I like black coffee .

Adjectives Compare Nouns

Sometimes, adjectives can both describe and compare two different nouns. Comparative adjectives (adjective + -er , or sometimes the word more ) compare the qualities of two nouns.

• Granite is harder than marble .
• The action movie looks more interesting than the romance .

When there’s no comparison because a noun is the highest degree of an adjective, use a superlative adjective (adjective + -est , or sometimes the word most ).

• Diamond is the hardest material on Earth.
• That’s the most interesting movie I’ve ever seen.

How To Identify Adjectives in a Sentence

You know what adjectives do — but how can you spot one? There are a few tricks to finding adjectives in a sentence.

Look for Common Adjective Suffixes

Many English adjectives are actually different parts of speech with certain suffixes added to them (such as adore into adorable ). 

These suffixes usually mean “having the quality of,” and they include:

• -ible - invisible, responsible
• -al - educational, gradual, illegal, nocturnal, viral
• -an - American, Mexican, urban
• -ar - cellular, popular, spectacular, vulgar
• -ent - intelligent, potent, silent, violent
• -ful - harmful, powerful, tasteful, thoughtful
• -ic - athletic, energetic, scientific
• -ine - bovine, canine, equine, feminine, masculine
• -ile - agile, docile, fertile, virile
• -ive - informative, native, talkative
• -less - careless, endless, homeless, timeless
• -ous - cautious, dangerous, enormous, malodorous
• -some - awesome, handsome, lonesome, wholesome

Look at Adjective Placement in a Sentence

Although adjectives typically come before a noun, there are lots of places to find them.

Adjectives can be:

• before a noun ( blue plate)
• between an article and a noun (the blue plate)
• between a possessive adjective and a noun (Carol’s blue plate)
• between a demonstrative adjective and a noun (that blue plate)
• between another determiner and a noun (several blue plates)
• after a noun and a linking verb (the plate is blue )

More Adjective Examples and Ways To Practice Using Them

There's a lot to learn about adjectives. Explore all the different types of adjectives, then use activities and worksheets to put all that knowledge to use.

• Learn how to use an adjective clause and an adjective phrase .
• Try some adjective games to help you learn this part of speech in fun ways.
• Check out some adjective lesson plans or a cool adjective quiz to help students learn how to use adjectives.