1. Know your material. Pick a topic you’re interested in.

Know more about it than you include in your speech.

Use humor, personal stories, and conversational language—that way, you won’t easily forget what to say.
2. Practice, practice, practice! Rehearse out loud with all the equipment you plan on using. Revise as necessary.
Work to control filler words; practice, pause, and breathe. Practice with a timer and allow time for the
unexpected.
3. Know the audience. Greet some of the audience members as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of
friends than it is to speak to strangers.
4. Know the room. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area, and practice using the microphone and any
visual aids.
5. Relax. Begin by addressing the audience. It buys you time and calms your nerves. Pause, smile, and count to
three before saying anything. (One one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand. Pause. Begin.)
Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm.
6. Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear, and confident.
Visualize the audience clapping—it will boost your confidence.
7. Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative, and
entertaining. They’re rooting for you.
8. Don’t apologize for any nervousness or problem—the audience probably never noticed it.
9. Concentrate on the message, not the medium. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties and
concentrate on your message and your audience.
* Get a massage. Getting a massage (especially with lavender essential oil)can help improve your focus and
reduce anxiety.
* Practice savasana (corpse pose). Lie flat on your back, extend your arms away from your body with your
palms facing upward, and separate and extend your legs. Breathe. Stay in this position for at least five to ten
minutes.
* Meditate. Sit in a quiet place and focus only on your breath. Practicing meditation will reduce anxiety and
give you the ability to think more clearly and articulate your thoughts better
Organize your speech. Jot down the 3 or 4 main points you want your audience to remember. Summarize
each idea in a single clear sentence. Then group pertinent information, around each idea. Facts may be
important to your topic, but stories involving real people will usually have a greater impact on your audience.
Rehearse your speech. Time the delivery to match the minutes allotted.
Write your speech. Use words and sentences that are short and clear. Don't clutter it with professional or
technical jargon.
Crack a joke, if appropriate. This will lighten the mood and pull the audience in. Don't make too many,
though, because they might think that you are unprofessional.
Write down your main points on 3x5 note cards.
Look up! While taking a breath, while stuttering by accident, just look up at the audience and let them
recognize that you know they're there.
Deliver your speech to your audience. Speak slowly and loudly. Stand in a relaxed manner with your feet
slightly apart. Your hands should be at your side.

Verbs - Transitive and

Intransitive
Verbs can be classified as transitive or intransitive.
A transitive verb always has a direct object – a noun or pronoun that receives the action of the
verb. The object shows who or what completes the action expressed in the verb.
 e.g., James hit the ball.
Hit is a transitive verb. The direct object is
ball.
Ball tells you what James hit.

Roger eats a big breakfast every morning.

Eats is a transitive verb.
The direct object of eats is breakfast. Breakfast tells
you what Roger eats.

An intransitive verb does not have an object. It does not need an object to complete the
action expressed in the verb.

e.g., The little girl sat quietly in the chair.

Margaret walked slowly down the street.
Sat and walked are intransitive verbs. They do not have a direct object
to complete or receive the action.

Some verbs can be either transitive or intransitive, depending on how they are used in the
sentence.

e.g., We read the news with great care.

In this example read is transitive and has the direct object news.

e.g., We read until late at night.

In this example read is intransitive. There is no object to receive

or complete the action.

In the following exercises underline the verbs and tell whether they are transitive or
intransitive. Circle the direct objects.

e.g., The customers formed long lines outside the shop. transitive
("lines" would be circled)

The happy villagers danced in the streets. intransitive

1. Mr. Jenkin’s cat watched the birds in the trees.

2. We will not buy a new car until next summer.
3. The small boat moved slowly through the grey sea.
4. Diane tripped on the top step and fell downstairs.
5. Please order a hamburger and a milkshake for me.
6. Have you ever explored a cave?
7. Many years ago, a young boy discovered a huge cave in Kentucky.
8. The cave contained strange, twisted formations of stone and crystal.
9. Your friend Tom has a very intriguing job.
10. We arrived at the stadium ten minutes before the game started.
11. Do you play tennis every day?
12. After the election, the Prime Minister assembled his cabinet.
13. At our last meeting we discussed the problem of leaking pipes.
14. Mr. Clark spoke for more than an hour about the deficit in our finances.
15. The old cabin was surrounded by many tall trees.

1. The house on the hill belongs to the Millers.

2. Mrs. Russell has three children in elementary school.

3. You should not walk in the rain without your boots.

4. The failure of the experiment discouraged Charles.

5. The man showed us a picture of his entire family.

6. He has perfected several new techniques for medical

7. research.
Why did you take my umbrella?
8. Beethoven composed many great pieces of music.

9. How many famous paintings does he possess?

10. Tom likes neither coffee nor tea.

11. My uncle has lived in Paris for many years.

12. Many of the buildings in Paris are very old and beautiful.

13. Did you speak to the counselor about your problem?

14. John’s plans for the new house were incomplete.

15. Mr. Gibbs stopped at the filling station for some gas.

1. I must buy new skis and boots this year.

2. I have seen many different styles of boots and skis in the
shops.
5. Quickly and skillfully he cut the dead branches from the tree.
3. The train to Vancouver was delayed by bad weather.
5. Quickly and skillfully he cut the dead branches from the tree.
6. The flagship of Napolean’s fleet was called the Inconstant.
4.6. Many strange of
The flagship creatures live in
Napolean’s thewas
fleet oceans of the Inconstant.
called world.
7. The ship held the Emperor, his staff, and forty grenadiers.
7. The ship held the Emperor, his staff, and forty grenadiers.
8. How many apples did you use for the pie?
8. How many apples did you use for the pie?
1.9. I must buy new
Our camp skistold
leader andusboots
ghostthis year.around the fire.
stories
9. Our camp leader told us ghost stories around the fire.
2. I have
10. seen
I should many
have different
gone to the styles
concertofwith
boots and
you skis in the
yesterday.
shops.
11.
11. Did
Did you
you take
take Helen
Helen to
to the
the concert
concert instead?
instead?
3. The train to Vancouver was delayed by bad weather.
12. Inside the museum there is a great display of unusual rock
12. Inside the museum there is a great display of unusual rock
formations.
4. Many strange creatures live in the oceans of the world.
formations.
13. Filters improve the clarity of a photograph by reducing the
13. Filters improve the clarity of a photograph by reducing the
amount of light.
amount of light.
14. Every inch of ground beneath the huge pines is covered with a
wet quilt of golden needles.
Answer Key (words you were asked to circle are shown in italics)

Exercise A Exercise B

1. watched, birds, transitive 1. belongs, intransitive

2. will buy, car, transitive 2. has, children, transitive
3. moved, intransitive 3. should walk, intransitive
4. tripped, fell, intransitive 4. discouraged, Charles, transitive
5. order, hamburger, milkshake, 5. showed, picture, transitive
transitive 6. has perfected, techniques,
6. have explored, cave, transitive transitive
7. discovered, cave, transitive 7. did take, umbrella, transitive
8. contained, formations, transitive 8. composed, pieces, transitive
9. has, job, transitive 9. does possess, paintings, transitive
10. arrived, started, intransitive 10. likes, coffee, tea, transitive
11. do play, tennis, transitive 11. has lived, intransitive
12. assembled, cabinet, transitive 12. are, intransitive
13. discussed, problem, transitive 13. did speak, intransitive
14. spoke, intransitive 14. were, intransitive
15. was surrounded, intransitive 15. stopped, intransitive

Exercise C

1. must buy, skis, boots, transitive

2. have seen, styles, transitive
3. was delayed, intransitive
4. live, intransitive
5. cut, branches, transitive
6. was called, intransitive
7. held, Emperor, staff, grenadiers,
transitive
8. did use, apples, transitive
9. told, stories, transitive
10. should have gone, intransitive
11. did take, Helen, transitive
12. is, intransitive
13. improve, clarity, transitive
14. is covered, intransitive