Gift of the Word for Speaking in English: 15 Memorable Speeches to Practice Speaking and Listening

The lions roar, The birds chirp. and humans speak. It is the natural way we communicate. So why are so many people afraid of public speaking ? Well, giving a speech in front of a crowded room can be a bit creepy. Especially if you have to give a speech in English and you are not a native speaker .

But you can learn from the best. You can watch videos of famous and effective speeches in English to learn how to do it properly . And in doing so, you will learn many important things about the English language and culture ! In this article we will look at 15 amazing speeches in English that you can take as a tool to become a more confident and influential speaker .

Speech on the Kindness of a 10-year-old girl

Should we be nice to each other? This speaker does believe it. And yes, he will know how to convince you that you are. This speech is an informative speech perfect for beginning English learners . The speaker is a girl who speaks fluently and with simple words . In addition, he is very gestural and his facial expressions communicate his emotions to the audience.

It is a perfect speech to practice listening. Anyway, keep in mind that their breaks are not perfect. The best thing you can do is focus on his words and the content of the speech rather than his intonation or his rhythm.

Georgia Haukom's "The Effects of Lying"

Although the person speaking is a girl in her fourth grade, her speech is one of the most interactive I have ever seen. Start with a game and establish your main idea through the game itself. Any English learner will enjoy his speech because his vocabulary is simple and easy to learn. But it's not that it feels like a beginner wrote it because he uses words so well.

If you want to learn the art of making basic arguments when speaking , this speech is for you. You can convince your audience because you can connect with them through games and stories. In addition, it uses scientific studies to support its main ideas.

Short and simple speech about why everyone should be able to access education. Since the speaker is a girl, the speech does not have complicated words or sentences.

This is another classic example of an informational speech. The speaker presents her main argument and facts simply and clearly . It also provides the basic definitions of important terms in one's speech.

It is a perfect speech to practice listening and speaking because it is very short and full of useful information. Plus, it's a good example of a standard American accent .

Speech in favor of gender equality by Emma Watson

Emma Watson is a famous English actress known for having played Hermione in the "Harry Potter" movie series . In addition, she is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations .

In this speech she tries to inform and convince the audience why men should support feminism. Feminism is a movement that calls for equal opportunities and rights for women. To do this, combine a formal tone with personal stories . The speech is also a good example of British English .

"Rocky Balboa Speech" by Sylvester Stallone

This speech is taken from the movie "Rocky Balboa . " In this scene, Rocky, played by Sylvester Stallone, speaks to his son. Your speech is a classic example of a motivational speech . This kind of speech involves a person trying to inspire another (s), especially when the listener feels hopeless or ashamed.

The basic message of the speech is that no matter how strong a person is, he or she will always face difficulties. And while the message may not sound positive, Stallone's way of speaking makes it inspiring. Stallone manages to communicate his message with affection even though he is criticizing his son and telling him that he has to face the difficulties that the world imposes on him. In English, this is often known as "tough love".

Listeners should pay attention to the gestures with which you support your message . Compare this speech with those of Oprah Winfrey and Martin Luther King that you will find later. They all inspire their audience but with very different tones. Stallone's speech is the most informal and personal, while Martin Luther King's is more formal and was written for a larger audience. They all respond to American English.

Ellen DeGeneres Tulane University Commencement Speech

A graduation speech is a speech addressed to students who have completed their university studies and are about to receive their diplomas. This commencement speech was given by Ellen DeGeneres, a comedian and host of an American talk show (variety show). In his speech he uses humor to send a message about believing in oneself and choosing our own path.

With this speech, a student can learn to use humor when speaking in English . Also, they can compare the kind of American humor with the humor of their home countries.

DeGeneres uses a lot of sarcasm in his speech. Sarcasm is a technique of saying something but meaning the opposite and is used to make fun of something or someone. For example, when at the end of her speech she speaks positively about the job market, the economy and the planet, she is being sarcastic. At the time he gave this speech, the global economy was going very badly and people were not accessing many job opportunities.

At the beginning of the speech, DeGeneres also uses puns to make the audience laugh. A word game is achieved through the many meanings that a word can have and use them in a funny way. When you split the word "commencement" into "common" and "cement", you are playing with the word.

Students should compare this speech with the speeches by JK Rowling and David Foster Wallace that they will find later and compare how a similar type of speech is given in different tones.

Barack Obama was the first African-American elected to be President of the United States. He gave this speech after winning the elections. English learners can discover many things in this speech. Obama talks about the main problems that Americans were facing at the time and that are still important to the country. He uses a very easy-to-understand type of American English and the speech is mainly about the values ​​that represent the country and its citizens .

Obama's accent is a mixture of standard American English and the common speech of African American communities. He is adept at using pauses that get the audience to understand all of his ideas and words without breaking the beat. Since the speech is longer than most of the others on the list, you may want to listen to it in parts rather than from beginning to end.

David Foster Wallace's “This Is Water” Speech

This speech is a perfect example of mixing casual and formal English . David Foster Wallace was an award-winning writer who devoted himself to the culture of the United States.

In his speech he talks about the value of arts education (general academic subjects, as opposed to technical / professional training). Believe that this type of education teaches you to think and think of others.

It is a good example of American English. Note that, in some parts of the speech, he also says “bad words” (rude / offensive) to create an emotional impact on the audience. This is how people talk in everyday life. It is, therefore, an ideal speech for learning casual English (regardless of being a speech that was given at a university).

JK Rowling is the writer of the "Harry Potter" book series . In this speech he talks about failure and imagination. He talks about his personal life and how he overcame all his difficulties. Also, mention education and choosing a career that was not your parents' choice.

And she also talks about the friendships she made and that supported her all her life. English learners will be able to listen to the use of simple English in a formal setting . She uses humor at the beginning to get the audience's attention, and since she's from the UK, her accent is a good example of British English .

Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" Speech

Charlie Chaplin is known for his gestures and facial expressions. In this movie, he proves that he can also use speech to inspire and entertain his viewers.

The movie "The Great Dictator" is a satire on the rise of authoritarian governments in Europe. The word "authoritarian" refers to a person or government that believes in population control and does not respect freedom.

In this speech Charlie Chaplin imitates Adolf Hitler but his message is exactly the opposite of Hitler's ideas. The most interesting thing about the speech is how Chaplin uses short sentences to achieve greater impact . Also, there is a lot of repetition , which makes it easy to follow.

For example: “… machine men with machine minds and machine hearts” (“… machine men with machine minds and machine hearts”). This part is an example of how repetition can be used to convey the main message and make it memorable.

Instead of using a variety of words, Chaplin manages the tone, rhythm, and accent of his voice to make it interesting. Chaplin's speech can fall into the category of inspirational or motivational. It does not use formal words but it is neither casual nor informal.

Oprah Winfrey is an American actress and talk show host known throughout the world for her legendary interviews. At the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, he was given the Cecil B. deMille Award . His acceptance speech addresses various issues related to American society. She is the first African-American woman to receive the award . In it, he talks about how seeing another African-American celebrity receive an award a few years ago changed his life.

It also deals with issues such as sexual abuse, harassment and the search for justice by society. The main topic of the speech is the MeToo movement . Although her speech responds to formal English , Oprah turns it into an emotional and personal speech . Students should pay attention to how you group the words by taking short pauses between each group of words. Your intonation and rhythm when speaking also help.

Do you want to learn more about English with this speech? It's available on FluentU , which transforms authentic English videos into personalized language classes . For example, they have interactive captions ! You can click on any word and you will get a definition instantly.

FluentU also has flashcards and fun quizzes included in every video to make sure you remember everything you've learned. And it's not just for advanced learners - there are thousands of videos for beginners, intermediate, and advanced, including inspiring talks, movie clips, moving walk and news reports. You can explore the entire video library with all its learning tools from your computer or with the FluentU apps for iOS or Android .

Speech “I have a dream” by Martin Luther King Jr.

This speech is one of the best known of the last century. Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader of the civil rights movement in the United States. The movement demanded the inclusion and equal treatment of people of all races. The speech summarizes the main idea of ​​the movement through the use of metaphors and repetition.

The speech begins by referring to the "Emancipation Proclamation . " The proclamation (official announcement) was an order given by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 that freed countless numbers of slaves in the United States. Martin Luther King mentions it because most of the slaves were African-American and it was his first step towards freedom.

With this speech, advanced students will be able to learn about the history and cultural conflicts of the United States. Also, it is a perfect example of using formal English to convince others . Some of the speech words are no longer used in American English. The word “black” today is an insult and we should use the word “African American”.

"The Gettysburg Address" by Abraham Lincoln

This speech, given by the 16th President of the United States Abraham Lincoln (mentioned in the previous speech) is considered one of the best speeches in English. Lincoln delivered this address in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where many soldiers had died during a civil war. The war was between Americans who wanted to ban slavery and others who did not want to. Lincoln went to dedicate a cemetery to the soldiers.

In his speech, Lincoln reminds people of the importance of this war. Mention that the United States was founded on the values ​​of freedom and equality. And that this civil war was a test of their a nation based on those values ​​may or may not last.

Honor soldiers by saying they had already “consecrated” the land for the people of the United States (“consecrate” means to make something holy). It reminds the audience that they have to ensure that the idea that America is the land of the free continues so that the efforts of the soldiers have not been in vain.

It is a very short speech . Any student will be able to hear it multiple times but only advanced students will be able to understand it because it includes difficult words. For example, "score" is a deprecated term representing the number 20. And when you mention the word "fathers" in the first line, you are referring to the founding fathers of the United States, known as its "founding fathers."

Although Shashi Tharoor is not a native English speaker, her English is so fluent that it sounds like she is. Students from India will recognize him instantly because he is well known there for his English skills. In this video he is seen giving a speech inserted in a debate at the University of Oxford. He lists arguments that support the idea that the UK should indemnify its colonies. An indemnity ( reparation ) is a payment to a country or community for damage suffered. A colony is a region or a country that is controlled by another country by force.

The United Kingdom had a large number of colonies in the world between the 16th and 20th centuries. In his speech, Tharoor tries to convince the audience that the UK should give something for the damage it did in countries it colonized. This is one of the best examples of a formal speech in English today. Students who want to see something more academic can learn to organize their arguments with evidence .

It is also an ideal speech to practice vocabulary . Also, Thaaror knows a lot about the history of the United Kingdom and the colonial history of India. His way of speaking is impressive and similar to that of formal British English.

This speech is part of the play "Julius Caesar" written by William Shakespeare. The play is based on the life and crime of Caesar, leader of the Roman Empire. The speech is considered one of the best pieces of English literature. It is also one of the best examples of the use of rhetoric (the art of speech and persuasion).

Mark Antony delivers the speech after Caesar's death by other leaders of the Roman Empire. Antony was a close friend of Caesar and tries to remind the people of Rome that Caesar was, in fact, a good man. He has to convince people that his killers, like Brutus, are criminals. But you have to do it without blaming them directly. Advanced students should know this speech for its cultural value. Many of the words of the speech have been replaced by others of the current English. "Hath" is the ancient form of "has" or "had." "Thou" was also replaced by "you".

So instead of memorizing vocabulary, students should focus on Damian Lewis' way of delivering the speech. Its intonation, tone, and rhythm are similar to formal English today. Also, it is good at conveying your emotions with pauses and expressions. The best way to learn the art of speech is to copy the greats. Try to speak the same way in a style that is natural and comfortable for you. These English speech examples are the perfect material to do so!