{"id":47183,"date":"2021-06-16T15:55:40","date_gmt":"2021-06-16T13:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/?p=47183"},"modified":"2021-06-16T15:55:40","modified_gmt":"2021-06-16T13:55:40","slug":"5-famous-speeches-to-help-you-learn-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/5-famous-speeches-to-help-you-learn-english\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Famous Speeches To Help you Learn English"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Everyone likes listening to inspiring speeches. <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>Gifted<\/strong><\/span><\/em> speakers have a way of making people want to listen and take action to change their lives.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">But speeches aren\u2019t just interesting because of their content. They are also great tools to help you improve your English.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Listening to a speech and taking notes can help you develop your comprehension skills. Repeating the words of the speaker allows you to improve your pronunciation. And writing a summary can help you practise your spelling and grammar.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">To help you get started, we\u2019ve found 5 famous speeches to help you learn English.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"color: #2d346f;\"><strong>1. Steve Jobs: Stanford Commencement Speech<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Steve Jobs was no doubt a great speaker. Millions around the globe were <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>enchanted<\/strong><\/span><\/em> by the presentations that he gave for Apple as the company\u2019s CEO.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">However, he wasn\u2019t just known for speeches related to product <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>launches<\/strong><\/span><\/em>, like the iconic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MnrJzXM7a6o\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">2007 speech where he introduced the iPhone<\/a>. He\u2019s also known for inspirational speeches, like the one he gave in 2005 at a Stanford Commencement ceremony.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">In this speech, he addresses the graduating students of Stanford University. He starts by saying that he never actually graduated from college. This makes for an honest and <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>heart-warming speech<\/strong><\/span><\/em>. For nearly 15 minutes, he talks about his life, telling stories that are funny, relatable, and emotional. He also offers tips for students to apply to their own lives.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #444ea6;\"><strong>Why is it good for learning English?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Jobs uses simple language and speaks in short sentences. He clearly pronounces every word so it\u2019s easy to understand and mimic. Also, this video comes with big subtitles that make the speech even easier to follow.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<div class=\"element_size_\"><iframe title=\"ENGLISH SPEECH | STEVE JOBS: Stanford Speech (English Subtitles)\" width=\"870\" height=\"489\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1i9kcBHX2Nw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"color: #2d346f;\"><strong>2. Greta Thunberg: 2019 UN Climate Action Summit Speech<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">At just 18 years old, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is one of the most well-known speakers of our time. Some of her speeches have even <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>gone viral<\/strong><\/span><\/em> on social media. And her powerful words have been repeated thousands of times on climate strike <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>placards<\/strong><\/span><\/em> around the world.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">In one of her most <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>moving<\/strong><\/span><\/em> speeches, Greta Thunberg addresses world leaders at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit in New York. She challenges them for not taking action to fight global warming and ensure a future for the younger generations.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><em>\u201cHow dare you? You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words,\u201d<\/em> she says.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #444ea6;\"><strong>Why is it good for learning English?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Greta\u2019s speech is a lesson in how to express yourself on a variety of environmental issues like climate change. It\u2019s full of lots of useful vocabulary. Plus, the subtitles will help you to understand any complicated language!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<div class=\"element_size_\"><iframe title=\"Greta Thunberg to world leaders: &#039;How dare you? You have stolen my dreams and my childhood&#039;\" width=\"870\" height=\"489\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TMrtLsQbaok?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"color: #2d346f;\"><strong>3. Will Smith: Speech About Self Discipline<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">You probably know Will Smith as an actor. He\u2019s played a wide variety of characters &#8211; from a police officer in Men in Black to a single father in <em>The Pursuit of Happyness<\/em>. But did you know that he\u2019s also a great motivational speaker?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">A few years ago, a video featuring Will Smith talking about the secret to success went viral on YouTube. In it, he talks about mastering self-discipline as a way to achieve your dreams.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><em>\u201cYou cannot win the war against the world if you can\u2019t win the war against your own mind,\u201d <\/em>he says.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #444ea6;\"><strong>Why is it good for learning English?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">As an actor, Will Smith has a clear and <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>compelling<\/strong><\/span><\/em> voice, which is easy to follow. Some parts of this talk also sound improvised so it\u2019s great for practising natural speech. It\u2019s also excellent listening practice for understanding an American accent. And there\u2019s lots of slang which you\u2019ll have to guess from the context.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<div class=\"element_size_\"><iframe title=\"SELF DISCIPLINE - Best Motivational Speech Video (Featuring Will Smith)\" width=\"870\" height=\"489\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ft_DXwgUXB0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"color: #2d346f;\"><strong>4. Emma Watson: Gender Equality Speech<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">You may associate Emma Watson\u2019s name with Hermione Granger, the <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>quirky<\/strong><\/span><\/em> and smart witch from the Harry Potter movies. When she\u2019s not chasing evil wizards, Emma Watson campaigns for real-world issues such as gender equality.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">In one of her most famous speeches, which she gave at a special event for the UN\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heforshe.org\/en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">HeForShe<\/a> campaign, Emma Watson talks about feminism and fighting for women\u2019s rights. In particular, she explains why neither of these should be confused with \u2018man-hating\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #444ea6;\"><strong>Why is it good for learning English?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">While the actress\u2019s voice is pleasant and calming, the issues she talks about are <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>thought-provoking<\/strong><\/span><\/em> and will leave you thinking long after this short, 4-minute speech.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">This talk is great for helping you get used to a southern English accent. It can also give you some essential vocabulary about a relevant topic. Look out for uses of the passive voice in her speech, and write down those sentences to practise this grammar structure.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<div class=\"element_size_\"><iframe title=\"ENGLISH SPEECH | EMMA WATSON: Gender Equality (English Subtitles)\" width=\"870\" height=\"489\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nIwU-9ZTTJc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"color: #2d346f;\"><strong>5. Benjamin Zander: The Transformative Power of Classical Music<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Benjamin Zander is the musical director of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also a well-known motivational speaker who loves to share his love for music.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">In his 2008 TED talk, he found an engaging way to talk about classical music to people who know nothing about it. As you can see in the video below, he <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>switches<\/strong><\/span><\/em> between speaking and playing the piano. And, he isn\u2019t afraid to tell a joke or two.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #444ea6;\"><strong>Why is it good for learning English?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">This speech is a bit more of a challenge than the ones described above. Benjamin Zander speaks fast and in a conversational style, using many examples and short stories to tell his <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>tale<\/strong><\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">However, the pauses he takes to play the piano give you time to take some notes. Write down any unfamiliar words you heard him say so you can <em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>look them up<\/strong><\/span><\/em> later. If you\u2019re having trouble understanding him, you can always turn on the subtitles.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<div class=\"element_size_\"><iframe title=\"The transformative power of classical music | Benjamin Zander | TED\" width=\"870\" height=\"489\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/r9LCwI5iErE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<div class=\"devider element_size_>\"><div style=\"margin-top:20px;margin-bottom:20px; \" class=\"divider3\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<h2><strong>Glossary for Language Learners<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Gifted (adj):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> talented.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>To enchant (v):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> to captivate.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Launch (n):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> a product release.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Heart-warming (adj):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> emotional.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>To go viral (v):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> something spreads quickly on the internet.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Placards (n):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> cardboard signs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Moving (adj):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> emotional.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Compelling (adj):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> captivating.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Quirky (adj):<\/strong><\/em><\/span> interesting and different.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Thought-provoking (adj):<\/strong><\/em><\/span>  something interesting that makes you think a lot about the topic.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>To switch (v):<\/strong><\/em><\/span>  to change.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>Tale (n):<\/strong><\/em><\/span>  story.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em><strong>To look something up (v):<\/strong><\/em><\/span>  to search for a piece of information in a dictionary or online.<\/p>\n<div class=\"devider element_size_>\"><div style=\"margin-top:20px;margin-bottom:20px; \" class=\"divider1\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\"><strong>Key<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">adj = adjective<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">v = verb<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 15px;\">n = noun<\/p>\n<div class=\"devider element_size_>\"><div style=\"margin-top:20px;margin-bottom:20px; \" class=\"divider1\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #055f65;\"><strong><div class=\"messagebox alert alert-info\" style=\"align:left; background:#ffffff; color:#2D346F; border:1px solid #ffffff\"><h4>Study English at Oxford House Barcelona<\/h4><i class=\"icon-info-sign\"><\/i>Interested in taking an English course at Oxford House Barcelona? Check all the different <a href=\"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/summer-english-courses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">English classes<\/a> we can offer you or <a href=\"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">contact us<\/a> for more information.<\/div><div class=\"clear\"><\/div><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Everyone likes listening to inspiring speeches. Gifted speakers have a way of making people want to listen and take action to change their lives. But speeches aren\u2019t just interesting because of their content. They are also great tools to help you improve your English. Listening to a speech and taking notes can help you develop [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":47184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[]},"categories":[268],"tags":[15721,6938,982,137,983],"yst_prominent_words":[1332,1041,9681,11115,11110,1950,15701,15700,11113,11108,11105,11114,11109,11106,15702,1946,11112,11107,11104,1078],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47183"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47183"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47183\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47189,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47183\/revisions\/47189"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47183"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=47183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}