📙 Part 2: Describe a speech you gave

This episode's vocabulary

Appalling (adj.) - very bad.

Condescending (adj.) - treating someone as if you are more important or more intelligent than them.

Patronizing (adj.) - speaking or behaving towards someone as if they are stupid or not important.

Distinctly (adverb) - in a clear or noticeable way.

To be cut up (idiom) - to be upset.

Questions and Answers

R: Well, it's a bit embarrassing now I look back on it because my Russian grammar is appalling. And I think to many Western people, it might seem a little bit condescending and patronizing, just the fact that I did this. But I did give a speech once to the women I worked with on Women's Day in Russia in 2021, I think. This is when I worked as the Director of Studies for a company called Simply English in Moscow. And we got on very well with the women who work there. And the men too, but this was Women's Day so the focus was on the women. Every Friday we would get together for drinks after work and this particular Friday just happened to be Women's Day. Traditionally, this is when workplaces and families celebrate the women in their lives with various gifts and speeches. So I decided after one or two drinks, that it would be a wonderful idea to deliver a speech to the ladies at work. The exact details of what I said escape me now, but I remember distinctly thanking them for their amazing work and tolerance when it came to working with the rest of us. And to please never stop. It was very funny, all the more so because like I said, my Russian grammar is awful. It was awful and it still is awful. And the women in the audience kept trying to help out which sort of underlined how much we needed them there to begin with. As for why it had to be me in particular that did that, there was no particular reason behind it. Most of the other men had done similar things throughout the day. And this just happened to be the best time for me to do it. But at least it seemed that way. I was actually quite pleased that I managed so well, to be honest, despite needing help in places. I like to think it made my colleagues feel needed and appreciated. But even if it didn't, at least they had the chance to laugh which is always important. If I hadn't done it, I doubt I'd have been too cut up about the whole thing, but I might have regretted not doing it a little bit. It's good to try these things out from time to time.

M: And would you like to do it again sometime?

R: I would never do it again for the sake of other people if not myself.

M: Thank you, Rory, for your story!

Discussion

M: Rory started it off with it's a bit embarrassing now I look back on it. You see? So sometimes our speeches are embarrassing. Yeah? Like you are not prepared.

R: It is embarrassing.

M: Or you prepare and then you forget what to say. And then like kind of you make a fool of yourself. So it's a bit embarrassing. I look back on it. So I remember it. So it was a while ago, last year or two weeks ago. I look back on it now and I feel kind of uncomfortable. Why? Because Rory did it in Russian. And his Russian grammar is appalling. Appalling is horrible, dreadful, awful.

R: It's not existing.

M: But I did give a speech once to the women I worked with. Aw, so cute. And also Rory bought them expensive champagne and glasses.

R: I think that was for a different day. I don't think that was Women's day necessarily. I think I've just been paid a lot of money and I was like, well, I'm never gonna have this much money again. So I might as well buy a bottle of Dom Perignon to celebrate. That was entertaining.

M: Oh, it's so cute.

R: It was funny, because they were like, oh, we will get some plastic glasses to drink the champagne out off. And I was like, absolutely not. I bought champagne flutes as well. So we don't have to drink this expensive champagne out of these plastic cups.

M: I know, it's crazy. Like you give them one of the most expensive champagne bottles. And they go like, yeah, plastic glasses. So we give a speech, like, I'm gonna tell you about the speech I gave last year. Right? Or I did give a speech to women or to my colleagues or to my friends. What else can we say? I gave a speech, I made a speech?

R: Delivered a speech.

M: I delivered a speech, I made a speech, or I spoke to my colleagues. Because to speak, one of the meaning is to give a speech. So I spoke to my colleagues during a New Year party. Doesn't mean like you chatted with your colleagues, like you gave a speech. So this was the time when Rory worked as a Director of Studies in Moscow. And he got on very well with all the women. So everybody loved him.

R: Well, everybody got on well with the women. They were brilliant.

M: So I got on very well with people, with my colleagues. I had good relationships with my colleagues. Get on a very well with. Every Friday, we would get together for drinks after work. We would get together. Rory talked about past. And he used would because it happened every week, every Friday. So here, because it was a kind of a habit, we can use would for past events.

R: It was a pretty amazing habit, to be honest with you. Every time I explain to people, oh, yes, we would just drink in the workplace. And the people were like, wow, that sounds great. And it was.

M: Or, for example, at school when I was a child, at school, every weekend, we would go to the countryside. So we would go. You can say every weekend we went to the countryside, but we're talking about more advanced grammar, right, dear listener? So every Friday, we would go to the countryside. Yeah? So it happened every Friday in the past. So on Women's Day, at the workplace, Rory decided to give a speech. Okay? So after one or two drinks, so he had some drinks first to be brave, okay, dear listener?

R: No, just because it was a Friday, to be honest with you. It's nothing to do with bravery.

M: He thought that it would be a wonderful idea to deliver a speech to the ladies at work. Yeah. So, if you don't remember exactly what you said, you can say, the exact details of what I said escape me now. So you don't remember what I said. So the details of the speech escape me now. Okay? But I remember distinctly. Distinctly - like very well. I remember distinctly thanking them. So I remember saying a lot of nice words. I remember speaking to them for one hour. Remember doing something because it was in the past. You've done it already. I remember distinctly thanking them for their amazing work and tolerance. So tolerance, they were tolerant to Rory. They accepted Rory as he is with his drinking.

R: It wasn't a problem. It was a fun activity on a Friday. If I was doing it every day, then it would be a problem.

M: Okay.

R: Or rather if I were doing every day it would have been a problem.

M: It was very funny. So the speech was very funny, because Rory's Russian grammar is awful. So the women laughed.

R: No, everybody laughed, not just the women.

M: So for example, like everybody in the audience, or the women in the audience, or people in the audience. In the audience? Like people who were listening to you. So the women in the audience kept trying to help out so they were helping Rory with the language. As for why I did that, so kind of why you delivered a speech, we can start off with as for why I did that, or as for the reason why I did that. Like there was no particular reason behind it. Yeah. I just did it.

R: Just because.

M: Just because. Just why not? And here Rory talked about women versus men because it happened on a Women's Day. Okay? So Women's Day, 8th of March, everybody gives flowers to women. And it just happened to be the best time for me to do it. Yeah? So it was the best time for me to deliver this speech. How did Rory feel? I was quite pleased. Pleased, like glad, happy that I managed so well. Here, the verb is to manage, because it was difficult for Rory. But he was successful at it. So I managed to do this quite well, to be honest, despite some hiccups. Hiccups - like problems. Or despite needing help from other people, despite something or despite doing something. Despite the fact that I talked for an hour and a half, everybody loved it.

R: Does anybody give a speech for an hour and a half and everybody loves it?

M: No.

R: No, I think that's horrific.

M: Just my speeches, surely.

R: Yes.

M: My colleagues made me feel needed and appreciated.

R: Well, I made my colleagues feel needed and appreciated. I don't know how they made me feel. Also very supported, probably.

M: Ah, okay, so my speech made my colleagues feel needed and appreciated. So I spoke about how I need my colleagues how I appreciate them. And then we finish off with our third conditional, dear listener, yeah? The situation was in the past. And let's imagine that something didn't happen. If I hadn't done it, hadn't done it. But Rory did it. It was in the past. Finito, finished, it's over. If I hadn't done it, we wouldn't have had so much fun. But we did have fun. So we wouldn't have had, the third conditional. Here, Rory makes it a bit complicated. And he says, I doubt. So if I hadn't done it, I doubt I'd have been. Oh... I'd have been. Oh, Gosh... I doubt I'd have been too cut up about the whole thing. What did you mean by too cut up?

R: Just disappointed or upset. I doubt I'd have been upset about the whole thing. But I might have regretted not doing it. So you see? Here, I might have regretted not doing it. So if I hadn't done it. I might have regretted in the past that I hadn't done it. Or here, for example, you can say it was horrible, it was, like everybody laughed at me, I felt embarrassed, but I don't regret doing it. Now, I don't regret that I, I've done it. Okay? So regret doing something, or I don't regret doing this. And then Rory finishes off with "It's good to try these things out". So it's good to try out new things, or to try out things you're afraid off. So yeah. What helped you organize this answer?

R: Well, once again, the task is quite useful. So I had to talk about who I gave the speech to, what was it about and why, I explained how I felt. And I think I did all of that within the first couple of sentences. So yes, I did. I said, I gave the speech and it was at this time. And then I explained more about the time what I was doing, and the context, and then moved into the exact details of what I said, because I'm supposed to talk about the speech, but I don't really remember it, to be honest with you, in much detail, because it was years ago, and I've been thinking. And then I went into the why. The reason why. As for why. And then I didn't say explicitly I'm going to talk about my feelings now, but I used words like quite pleased. So that's usually for talking about how you feel about something. And then finishing off it's good old conditional. If I hadn't done it. If this thing hadn't happened, then... And the possible consequence now or in the past.

M: Yeah. Thank you very much for listening! Make sure you have this moment where you gave a speech, make it up, okay? If you don't. And we'll get back to you in our next episode. Bye!

R: Bye!

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