speech

speech — 名詞

1. the natural human capacity to produce words with the mouth and communicate thoug

1.名詞A1
釋義

說話；言語

用口語表達思想的能力或行為

the natural human capacity to produce words with the mouth and communicate thoughts and feelings, or a single act of saying something

例句

Wren lost her speech for a few days after the surgery on her throat.

Wren 接受喉部手術後，有幾天無法說話。

uncountable: lost her speech (faculty)

Hiro's first speech as a baby was the word 'book'.

Hiro 出生後說出的第一個詞是「書」。

countable: first speech (an utterance)

同義詞
  • talk

    less formal and often shorter than a planned speech

  • utterance

    more technical; refers to any single spoken word or phrase

  • verbal communication

    broader; includes listening as well as speaking

反義詞
  • silence

    the absence of speech

  • writing

    communicating through written symbols rather than spoken words

文法句型

uncountable for faculty/activity

countable for an utterance

用法筆記

Uncountable when referring to the general ability or activity ('speech is a complex skill'). Countable when referring to a single spoken remark or short utterance ('his parting speech was barely a whisper').

常見錯誤

❌The teacher gave a speech to the class about homework' (when meaning a short comment).
✅The teacher gave a talk to the class about homework.
💡'speech' as a countable utterance is usually very short and unplanned; a teaching talk is better called 'a talk'.

2. a prepared talk delivered to a group of listeners, often on an important or spec

2.名詞A2
釋義

演講

在公開場合對聽眾發表的正式談話

a prepared talk delivered to a group of listeners, often on an important or special occasion such as a wedding, ceremony, conference, or political rally

例句

The bride's father gave a moving speech at the wedding reception.

新娘的父親在婚宴上發表了一場感人的演講。

collocation: give a speech

The president's speech about climate change lasted nearly forty minutes.

總統關於氣候變遷的演講持續了近四十分鐘。

同義詞
  • talk

    less formal; may be shorter and more interactive

  • lecture

    educational or academic; aims to teach

  • address

    more formal; used for important public occasions

  • presentation

    often includes visual aids like slides

文法句型

give/deliver/make a speech

speech about/on [topic]

用法筆記

Common verbs: give a speech (most neutral), deliver a speech (more formal), make a speech (common in British English). The topic is introduced by 'about' or 'on' (a speech about education / a speech on the economy).

常見錯誤

❌I have to do a speech tomorrow.
✅I have to give a speech tomorrow.
💡'do a speech' is not natural; use 'give', 'deliver', or 'make'.

3. the particular sound, speed, choice of words, and patterns that a person uses wh

3.名詞B1
釋義

說話方式

個人說話的習慣與風格

the particular sound, speed, choice of words, and patterns that a person uses when talking, which often reveals their background, mood, or personality

例句

Shanti's speech is very slow and careful because she thinks a lot before she speaks.

Shanti 說話很慢、很謹慎，因為她總是想很久才開口。

possessive + speech (individual manner)

The old professor had a formal speech that made every sentence sound like a lecture.

那位老教授說話方式很正式，每句話聽起來都像在講課。

同義詞
  • manner of speaking

    more explicit and slightly more formal

  • diction

    focuses on clarity of pronunciation and word choice

  • delivery

    focuses on the way something is spoken in a performance or presentation

文法句型

usually with possessive or modifier

用法筆記

This sense is nearly always used with a possessive or modifying adjective (his speech, her rapid speech, the child's speech). Without a modifier, 'speech' defaults to sense 1 (the faculty).

常見錯誤

❌I like his speech' (without context).
✅I like his way of speaking
💡it is very clear.' — 'his speech' as manner is fine in context ('His speech was slow and thoughtful'), but bare 'I like his speech' can sound odd because it may be read as sense 1 (the faculty) or sense 5 (a formal talk).

4. the type of language that people use when speaking out loud, which is often less

4.名詞B2
釋義

口語

口頭使用的語言，與書面語相對

the type of language that people use when speaking out loud, which is often less formal and more flexible than the language used in writing

例句

Soraya's English is excellent but her speech still sounds a bit too much like formal writing.

Soraya 的英文很好，但她說的口語還有點太像正式的書面語。

speech contrasted with writing

In everyday speech, people often say 'gonna' instead of 'going to'.

在日常口語中，人們常說 gonna 而不是 going to。

同義詞
  • spoken language

    more technical and explicit; the full term

  • oral language

    used in linguistics and education contexts

  • talk

    informal; overlaps but is less precise about the spoken-vs-written contrast

反義詞

文法句型

usually uncountable

用法筆記

Often contrasted explicitly with 'writing'. Common in academic contexts (spoken vs written discourse). Uncountable only — you do not say 'a speech' for this sense.

常見錯誤

❌She has beautiful speeches' (meaning spoken language).
✅Her speech is beautiful' or 'She speaks beautifully.
💡'speech' for spoken language is uncountable and has no plural.

5. the words that a character speaks during a play, film, or television show as par

5.名詞B2
釋義

台詞

劇中角色所說的對白

the words that a character speaks during a play, film, or television show as part of the story's dialogue

例句

The actor forgot his speech during the second act and had to be helped by another cast member.

那位演員在第二幕忘了台詞，只好靠同台演員幫忙。

Jessica had only one short speech in the whole play, but she delivered it perfectly.

Jessica 在整齣劇中只有一小段台詞，但她表現得非常出色。

countable: one speech (a set of lines)

同義詞
  • lines

    more common in everyday theatre talk; 'speech' is slightly more formal

  • monologue

    a long speech by one character, often alone on stage

  • dialogue

    the full exchange between characters, not one person's lines

文法句型

countable for a specific set of lines

uncountable as a category

用法筆記

This is a countable sense — actors have 'a speech' or 'speeches'. It is specific to performance contexts. Do not confuse with a 'speech' as a formal talk (sense 5); an actor's speech is dialogue written by a playwright, not the actor's own words.

常見錯誤

❌The actor gave a speech at the awards ceremony' (when meaning a formal talk).
✅The actor gave a speech at the awards ceremony
💡actually this is sense 5. For sense 4, use: 'The actor performed his speech from the third act.' — the distinction is between the actor's own words (sense 5) and the character's words (sense 4).