Chapter 12 Using Language

Marcee will be speaking about a trip she took to Africa to help build wells in villages with limited access to clean water. Marcee wants to use vivid language in order to move her audience emotionally. Which of the following is her best option?

Detailed descriptions of how the villagers reacted to the new wells

Thomas is giving a keynote speech at a formal convention of highly respected medical researchers. Which of the following greetings would be the most appropriate to the occasion?

Distingushied guests

Which of the following are strategies for improving the clarity of a speech?

Eliminate verbal clutter. Use familiar words.

To make your speech clear and understandable, use words with which the audience will be

Familiar

Which aspect of United States society does inclusive speech reflect?

Growing respect for diversity

True or false: Audiences expect speakers to use inclusive language

True

Which guideline did Henry violate when he chose to make several off-color jokes during his speech welcoming new employees to the company?

Use language appropriate to the occasion.

A speech that places the audience in the middle of an experience and stirs up an emotional response can be described as

Vivid

Which of the following is likely to engage the audience's five senses?

Vivid Imagery

Which of the following questions would be the most likely to improve the accuracy of the language used in a speech?

What exactly do I mean? What am I really trying to say?

Which of the following is a good rule of thumb to follow when considering whether language is appropriate to an audience?

When in doubt-dont

Imagery makes speech language vivid because it

creates word pictures that let you experience concepts and ideas by appealing to the five senses.

To avoid clutter, speakers should eliminate

redundant adjectives and adverbs

Maria is giving a speech on inexpensive vacationing to a group of seniors and says the following: "A rad place to find cheap flights is on Web sites like Kayak or Orbitz. There y'all can easily compare different flights from different carriers. Be sure to look out for deals on first class, too. They're still loads more expensive than coach, but YOLO, right?" Which of the following did Maria do in her speech?

She failed to use appropriate language

During his speech, Ari quoted article 1, section 9, of the U.S. Constitution to his class without further explanation: "The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it. No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed." In what ways did Ari not follow rules of good language?

He did not use language clearly. He did not use words likely to be familiar to the audience.

When instructing her local Girl Scout Brownie troop, which consisted of seven- and eight-year-olds, Sadie discussed balancing the group's bank account and making sure their acquisitions were all clearly indicated. What language guideline did she violate?

Language must be appropriate to the auidence

Which of the following best describes inclusive language?

Language that does not stereotype or demean people on the basis of gender, age, race, and other factors

Joyce, a college student, used the words "dudes" and "you guys" when addressing her school's faculty about her concerns. Which are true of these word choices?

She did not use language that was appropriate to the occasion. She did not use language appropriate to the audience

Hiro gave a speech on the plight of an endangered bird species. After the speech, an audience member thanked him and explained that, despite having never heard of the bird prior to the speech, she now had a very clear mental picture of the bird's habits and could "almost hear the bird calling to its mate." Given this response, Hiro's speech most likely included

vivid imagery

Which of the following is true of the connotative meaning of a word?

It will be different for different people

Which of the following statements are true concerning the use of rhythm in a speech?

Rhythm can enhance the impact of the speaker's words. There are four basic stylistic devices that speakers use to improve their rhythm

Which of the following statements about the relationship between rhythm and meaning is true?

Rhythm enhances the meaning of language

Gary is assigned to speak at his school about the 1986 disaster in which the Challenger space shuttle exploded, so he watches the speech President Reagan gave after the tragedy. What are the best ways for Gary to use that speech to ensure his own language will be appropriate to the speaker?

Study President Reagan's techniques for achieving vividness. Try to adapt President Reagan's clarity, blending it with his own style.

Ben is giving a speech in his chemistry class in which he describes a recent experiment he conducted. Which of the following language should he use in his speech?

Technical Language

Which of the following is the most likely to weaken the credibility of a speaker?

Using language inaccurately

True or false: It is safe to assume that if the meaning of a word is clear to you, it will be clear to your audience

False

To ensure that your speech uses language appropriately, you should make sure it is appropriate to which of the following?

Occasion. topic.audience and speaker

The best time to search for and eliminate clutter from a speech is

While you are writing your outline

Stacy uses slang and abstract words during her everyday speech, but during her speech on a recent change to her state's tax laws, she uses her own developed style that avoids both of these things. By using her own developed style, Stacy is using language that is

Appropriate for the speaker

At a retirement party for a colleague, Eric used plain, unemotional language to describe his colleague's time with the company. Afterward, a coworker mentioned that the speech did not pay proper tribute to how much the departing colleague meant to the company. Which rule of using language appropriately did Eric violate

Appropriateness to the topic

At a retirement party for a colleague, Eric used plain, unemotional language to describe his colleague's time with the company. Afterward, a coworker mentioned that the speech did not pay proper tribute to how much the departing colleague meant to the company. Which rule of using language appropriately did Eric violate?

Appropriateness to the topic

Which of the following should be avoided in an inclusive speech?

Assumptions based on common stereotypes Jokes making fun of someone's gender

Why is it important for speakers to use clear language?

Because audiences must be able to understand ideas immediately. Because you can't assume that a word familiar to the speaker is familiar to the audience. Because audiences can't take the time to look up an unfamiliar word

Which of the following are used to create rhythm in a speech?

Choice of words Arrangement of words

For which of the following topics would a speaker be most likely to emphasize poetic language to evoke emotion rather than simple, straightforward language?

Giving a toast at a Friends wedding

In his speech on concerts, Dan referred to the overture (which comes at the beginning of a performance) as being at the end of the performance. What mistake did he make?

He did not use language accurately

Words that refer to which of the following are considered concrete words?

People, Place and things

Which of the following is a method for reducing verbal clutter in a speech?

Record the speech and listen to it for wasted or distracting words that can be removed

Consider the vague statement, "The guy said your vehicle would be ready in a while after a small problem is fixed." Which of the following revisions puts this sentence in the most concrete terms?

"Pete said your truck will be ready at 3 p.m. He needs to replace a cracked hose in the cooling system."

Cambrianne tells Juan about her new dog, a canine named Skippy. Discussing her new pet, Cambrianne is using the ______ meaning of the word dog.

Denotative

How does rhythm help create more vivid speeches?

It reinforces and enhances the impact of the speaker's words

Which of the following should be avoided in order to improve the clarity of a speech?

Obscure technical terms

Jess is the coach of a youth basketball team, and she gave several speeches to her team during a recent game. When she described how to run a certain play, she used plain and direct language. When she wanted to motivate her team to play to the best of their abilities, she used elevated language filled with metaphors and alliteration. In this example, Jess was using language that is appropriate to the

Topic

Sara has prepared a speech to give at her best friend's wedding about the history of their friendship. Although she was acquainted with everyone in in the audience, she chose to avoid using slang and overly familiar language out of respect for the ceremony. In this instance, Sara used language that was appropriate to the

occasion