noun · neutral
speech
/spiːtʃ/SPEECH
Band 6-7speakingtask2
the act of speaking or a formal talk; with -less = unable to speak or at a loss for words
Examples
“I was speechless when I heard the news.”
“He gave a powerful speech at the conference.”
“speechless with surprise”
Band 8 sentence
“She was left speechless by the scale of the restoration project, unable to convey her admiration adequately.”
Collocations
- left speechless
- make a speech
Word family
speech nspeechless adjspeechlessness n
Common mistakes
I was speechless for words.→I was at a loss for words.
She is speechlessed by the news.→She was speechless at the news.
Say it for a higher band
5no words→6lost for words→7+speechless
Synonyms
tongue-tied
dumbfounded
Easily confused
tongue-tied
“He was completely tongue-tied in front of the celebrity.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In -ful / -less
Learn it with its set