Model Speeches for Practise

Grenville KleiserProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.5

Word count: 171K words
Chapters: 18

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Model Speeches for Practise by Grenville KleiserAuthor: Kleiser, Grenville, 1868-1953,Language: English, Class: PN: Language and Literatures: Literature: General, Criticism, Collections, Release Date: May 6, 2006

Editor's review

This book is a collection of model speeches selected and edited by Grenville Kleiser, offering a range of English speech texts for imitation and practice, with the clear purpose of training oral expression. Kleiser long devoted himself to elocution and expression education, and his editorial approach is practical: he provides clear-structured, formally styled models so that learners can master the opening, development, and conclusion of a speech, along with tone control and audience awareness, through repeated reading aloud, memorization, and imitation. Unlike theoretical speech textbooks, the value of this book lies in its hands-on practice: readers can take a model speech, mark pauses and stresses, and gradually internalize their own rhythm of expression. The public-domain electronic text from Project Gutenberg is convenient for printing and annotation, suitable for classroom training, reading groups, or self-study. It should be noted that the speeches carry the stylistic features of their era, and some rhetoric and topics are distant from contemporary contexts; readers should focus on learning structure and expressive techniques rather than copying the content.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Learners who need English speech models for reading aloud and memorization practice
Teachers looking for practice materials in speaking or public expression courses
Professionals who wish to improve the structure of their English expression on formal occasions
Self-learners interested in early twentieth-century English speech styles

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking contemporary speechwriting techniques and up-to-date examples
Academic readers who want a systematic study of communication or rhetorical theory
Beginners with weak English who cannot yet read formal speeches independently

Reading tips

Choose only one model speech at a time: first read silently and mark the function of each paragraph, then read aloud and record yourself for review.
Use a pencil to mark pauses, stresses, and pace changes on the text, creating your own speech cue sheet.
After reading, imitate a passage by writing an opening or closing of the same structure, transferring the model's techniques to your own expression.
You may organize two or three people to take turns practicing the same model speech and compare the effects of different approaches.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for complete beginners in English?

Not very suitable for complete beginners. The speeches are formally styled with fairly complete syntax, requiring some English reading and oral skills before practice can begin. If your foundation is weak, start with shorter everyday spoken materials, and once you can read a full paragraph fairly fluently, use this book for formal speech training.

Can the speech content in this book be used directly today?

Copying the content directly is not recommended. These model speeches carry the stylistic features and topical background of their era, and some expressions sound dated today. A better approach is to treat them as structural models, learn how openings, argument development, and closings are organized, and then write your own speeches on contemporary topics.

How can I use this book effectively for daily practice?

You can follow four steps—read, mark, record, revise: first read a model speech through and mark pauses and stresses; then read aloud and record yourself; on playback, compare with the text to identify problems in tone and rhythm; finally imitate a short passage and practice again. Complete one speech per week, focusing on repeated practice rather than quantity.

Comments

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About the author

Grenville Kleiser Author · Canadian-American · 1868–1953

Grenville Kleiser (1868–1953) was a Canadian-born American author and elocution teacher who taught public speaking at Yale Divinity School. Public information about his life is limited, and many biographical details remain unknown, yet he wrote prolifically, producing more than thirty books on public speaking, rhetoric, and self-improvement. Five of his works are included here: Fifteen Thousand Useful Phrases, The Training of a Public Speaker, Talks on Talking, Model Speeches for Practise, and Successful Methods of Public Speaking. These are largely practical guides built around lists, examples, and exercises, written in plain and workmanlike prose and focused on usability for ordinary readers seeking to improve their spoken and written expression; they circulated widely in twentieth-century English-language speech education.