English Course · Level 5 (B2) · Week 11 of 12

Public Speaking

Grammar: Hedging and softening · tend to · seem to · it could be argued that · to some extent

This week's plan

Day	Learn	Listen / Watch	Practise
Day 1	Words: Presentations · Sentences 1–2	BBC 6 Minute English: “Scared to speak English?” (podcast)	Exercise 1
Day 2	Words: Speaking skills · Sentences 3–4	TED: Julian Treasure, “How to speak so that people want to listen” (video)	Exercise 2
Day 3	Words: Nerves and confidence · Sentences 5–6	British Council B2: “A business interview” (listening)	Exercise 3
Day 4	Words: Hedging verbs · Sentences 7–8	TED-Ed: “How to use rhetoric to get what you want” (Camille A. Langston, animation) (video) + BBC The English We Speak: “Think on your feet” (podcast)	Exercise 4
Day 5	Words: Hedging phrases · Sentences 9–10	TED: Chris Anderson, “TED's secret to great public speaking” (video)	Write & Speak
Day 6	Review all 30 words + 10 sentences	BBC 6 Minute English: “Body language online” (podcast)	Redo mistakes
Day 7	Free day ☺	TED: Simon Sinek, “How great leaders inspire action” (video)	Tick your tracker

30 minutes a day: review, learn, listen, practise, speak. Day 7 is a free day. Tap a resource to find it.

30 words to learn

Set 1 · Presentations

deliver a speechيُلقي كلمة
rehearseيتدرّب / يعمل بروفة
a keynote speechكلمة رئيسية
visual aidsوسائل إيضاح بصرية
a handoutورقة مطبوعة تُوزَّع
a Q&A sessionجلسة أسئلة وأجوبة

Set 2 · Speaking skills

eye contactالتواصل البصري
body languageلغة الجسد
paceسرعة الإلقاء / الإيقاع
a pauseوقفة / توقّف قصير
tone of voiceنبرة الصوت
articulateفصيح / يعبّر بوضوح

Set 3 · Nerves and confidence

stage frightرهبة المسرح
butterflies in your stomachتوتّر قبل موقف مهم / قلبه بيدقّ
your mind goes blankيفرغ عقله فجأة / ينسى كل حاجة
self-consciousمحرَج / شديد الوعي بنفسه
composedهادئ / متماسك
win over (an audience)يكسب الجمهور / يستميله

Set 4 · Hedging verbs

tend toيميل إلى / عادةً ما
seem toيبدو أنه
appear toيبدو أنه (أكثر رسمية)
suggestيشير إلى
indicateيدلّ على
assumeيفترض

Set 5 · Hedging phrases

it could be argued thatيمكن القول إن
to some extentإلى حدٍّ ما
arguablyيمكن القول / ربما
in most casesفي معظم الحالات
as far as I knowعلى حدّ علمي
it is fair to sayمن الإنصاف القول

10 sentences to memorise

1People tend to speak too fast when they are nervous.يميل الناس إلى التحدّث بسرعة كبيرة عندما يكونون متوتّرين.
2It could be argued that confidence matters more than content.يمكن القول إن الثقة أهم من المحتوى.
3The audience seemed to enjoy the jokes at the beginning.بدا أن الجمهور استمتع بالنكات في البداية.
4I always get butterflies in my stomach before I deliver a speech.دائمًا ما أشعر بالتوتّر قبل أن أُلقي كلمة.
5My mind went blank, so I took a deep breath and looked at my notes.فرغ عقلي فجأة، فأخذت نفسًا عميقًا ونظرت إلى ملاحظاتي.
6The results appear to show that practice reduces stage fright.يبدو أن النتائج تُظهر أن التدريب يقلّل رهبة المسرح.
7Good speakers make eye contact and use pauses for effect.المتحدّثون الجيّدون يتواصلون بصريًا ويستخدمون الوقفات لإحداث تأثير.
8To some extent, everyone feels self-conscious in front of a large audience.إلى حدٍّ ما، يشعر الجميع بالإحراج أمام جمهور كبير.
9This is arguably the most important skill for any job.يمكن القول إن هذه أهم مهارة لأي وظيفة.
10If I've understood you correctly, you're suggesting that we cut the presentation to ten minutes.إذا كنت قد فهمتك بشكل صحيح، فأنت تقترح أن نختصر العرض إلى عشر دقائق.

Grammar: Hedging and softening · tend to · seem to · it could be argued that · to some extent

Hedging makes statements less direct and more careful. It is essential in presentations, academic writing and polite disagreement. Tools: verbs (tend to, seem to, appear to, suggest) · modals (may, might, could) · adverbs (arguably, possibly, generally) · phrases (it could be argued that, to some extent, in most cases).

يميل المتعلم العربي إلى التعميم القاطع: All young people are lazy · Social media destroys families. في الكتابة الأكاديمية والعروض يبدو هذا متسرّعًا وغير دقيق، فخفّف حكمك: Young people tend to… · Social media may damage some relationships. وانتبه للتركيب: seem / appear / tend + to + المصدر (He seems to be tired، وليس He seems that he tired ✗)، وللماضي نستخدم seem to have + التصريف الثالث: She seems to have forgotten.

Direct (too strong)	Hedged (softer)
Young people don't read books.	Young people tend not to read as many books as they used to.
This method is the best.	This method is arguably the most effective.
The plan will fail.	The plan may not be as successful as we hope.
You are wrong.	I'm not sure I completely agree with that.
The results prove that exercise cures stress.	The results seem to suggest that exercise can reduce stress.
Everyone feels nervous.	Most people feel nervous to some extent.

seem / appear + to be + adjective (He seems to be calm) or + to have + V3 (They appear to have left) · It seems that + clause.

Softening in speech: I'm afraid… · I was wondering if… · Perhaps we could… · Wouldn't it be better to…?

Don't hedge everything: make your main point clearly, then hedge the details and the evidence.

Exercises

Exercise 1 · Make the statements less direct, using the words in brackets.

1) Students forget most of a lecture within a week. (tend)
2) The speaker is nervous. (seem)
3) Social media causes loneliness. (may)
4) The new system has failed. (appear)
5) Online learning is better than classroom learning. (could be argued)
6) Practice is the key to good public speaking. (arguably)

Show the answers

1) Students tend to forget most of a lecture within a week. 2) The speaker seems (to be) nervous. 3) Social media may / might cause loneliness. 4) The new system appears to have failed. 5) It could be argued that online learning is better than classroom learning. 6) Practice is arguably the key to good public speaking.

Exercise 2 · Choose the correct option.

1) He seems (knowing / to know) a lot about the topic.
2) The study (suggests / suggests to) that people are reading less.
3) They appear (to leave / to have left) early yesterday.
4) People (tend / are tending) to remember stories better than facts.
5) I agree with you (in some extent / to some extent).
6) It (could argue / could be argued) that exams are unfair.

Show the answers

1) to know 2) suggests 3) to have left 4) tend 5) to some extent 6) could be argued

Exercise 3 · Correct the mistake.

1) She seems that she is tired.
2) People tend forgetting names.
3) It could argued that the speech was too long.
4) He appears to forget his notes yesterday.
5) To some extend, I agree with you.

Show the answers

1) She seems to be tired. / It seems that she is tired. 2) People tend to forget names. 3) It could be argued that the speech was too long. 4) He appears to have forgotten his notes yesterday. 5) To some extent, I agree with you.

Exercise 4 · Translate into English.

1) يبدو أن الجمهور كان مهتمًا جدًا.
2) يميل الطلاب إلى نسيان المعلومات بسرعة.
3) يمكن القول إن مهارات العرض أهم من الشهادات.
4) أوافقك الرأي إلى حدٍّ ما.

Show the answers

1) The audience seemed to be very interested. / The audience seems to have been very interested. / It seems (that) the audience was very interested. 2) Students tend to forget information quickly. 3) It could be argued that presentation skills are more important than qualifications. 4) I agree with you to some extent. / To some extent, I agree with you.

Do each exercise in pencil first, then open the answers to check.

Write & Speak

Write & Speak — Write the script for a 2-minute presentation (200–250 words): “Why every student should learn public speaking”. Include an opening that grabs attention, three points with evidence and a strong ending. Use at least five hedging expressions. Then deliver it standing up, with eye contact, and record yourself.

Example: Good morning, everyone. Let me start with a question: how many of you felt your heart beating faster the last time you had to stand up and speak in class? If so, you are not alone. Surveys regularly suggest that public speaking is one of the most common fears in the world. Today I'd like to argue that every student should learn public speaking, and I'm going to give you three reasons. First, it seems to improve confidence in general. Students who practise speaking in front of others tend to participate more in class and appear to be less anxious in job interviews. Of course, it doesn't remove nerves completely, but it teaches us to control them. Second, it could be argued that communication is now as important as technical knowledge. Employers in Egypt and abroad often say that graduates have good qualifications but struggle to present their ideas clearly. A brilliant idea is arguably worth very little if you can't explain it. Third, public speaking helps us to think. When you prepare a talk, you have to organise your ideas, choose your evidence and predict the audience's questions. To some extent, it trains the same skills as essay writing, but in real time. So, what can schools do? Perhaps the simplest solution is to give every student the chance to present at least once a month, with friendly feedback. Thank you for listening. I'd be happy to take your questions now, and I promise my mind won't go blank!