How well do you understand a speech held by Michelle Obama? Let’s find out 😉
To get the most out of today’s lesson, please follow each of these steps:
- Listen to the speech and try to understand as much as possible.
- Take the multiple-choice test I have prepared for you.
- Listen to the speech again, but this time with subtitles. They will help you understand more of what’s been said.
- Read the full transcript of the speech. By doing so, you will again understand a lot more as you can take your time reading it.
- Finally, learn all the vocabulary and phrases used by Michelle Obama in her speech. You will not only learn the meaning of the words but also example sentences that give you an idea of how and when to use the words in conversation.
Have fun!
Step 1: Listen to the Speech
Step 2: Take the Test
Step 3: Listen to the Speech again (with subtitles)
Step 4: Read the Transcript
I had to answer some basic questions for myself: Who am I? No really: Who am I? What do I care about? And the answers to those questions have resulted in the woman who stands before you today.
A woman who is first and foremost a mom. Look, I love our daughters more than anything in the world, more than life itself. And while that may not be the first thing that some folks wanna hear from an Ivy League educated lawyer, it is truly who I am.
So for me, being mom-in-chief is and always will be job number one. Next, I´ve always felt a deep sense of obligation to make the biggest impact possible with this incredible platform. So I took on issues that were personal to me. Issues like helping families raise healthier kids. Honoring the incredible military families that I´ve met out on the campaign trail. Inspiring our young people to value their education and finish college.
Now, some folks criticized my choices for not being bold enough. But these were my choices, my issues. And I decided to tackle them in a way that felt most authentic to me, in a way that was both substantive and strategic, but also fun and hopefully inspiring. So I immersed myself in the policy details. I worked with congress on legislation, gave speeches to CEOs, military generals, Hollywood executives. But I also worked to ensure that my efforts would resonate with kids and families.
And that meant doing things in a creative and unconventional way. So yeah: I planted a garden and hula hooped on the White House lawn with kids. I did some mom dancing on TV.
I celebrated military kids with Kermit the Frog. I asked folks across the country to wear their alma mater t-shirts for college signing day.
And at the end of the day by staying true to the Me I´ve always known, I found that this journey has been incredibly freeing. Because no matter what happened, I had the peace of mind of knowing that all of the chatter, the name-calling, the doubting, all of it was just noise.
It did not define me. It didn´t change who I was. And most importantly, it couldn´t hold me back. I´ve learned that as long as I hold fast to my beliefs and values and follow my own moral compass, then the only expectations I need to live up to, are my own.
So graduates, that´s what I want for all of you. I want you all to stay true to the most real, most sincere, most authentic parts of yourselves. I want you to ask those basic questions.
Who do you wanna be? What inspires you? How do you wanna give back? And then, I want you to take a deep breath and trust yourselves to chart your own course and make your mark on the world.
Maybe it feels like you are supposed to go to law school, but what you really wanna do is teach little kids. Maybe your parents are expecting you to come back home after you graduate, but you´re feeling a pull to travel the world.
I want you to listen to those thoughts. I want you to act with both your mind, but also your heart. And no matter what path you choose, I want you to make sure it´s you choosing it, and not someone else.
Step 5: Details on Vocabulary and Expressions used
Important Vocabulary:
folks
“And while that may not be the first thing that some folks wanna hear from an Ivy Leage educated lawyer, it is truly who I am.”
folks = people, especially those of a particular group or type
Example: “Some folks have been waiting over an hour to buy tickets.”
Example: “Well, folks, thanks for watching Channel 4 news – that´s about it for this evening.”
wanna
“And while that may not be the first thing that some folks wanna hear from an Ivy League educated lawyer, it is truly who I am.”
wanna = want to / … that some folks want to hear from an Ivy Leage educated lawyer
gonna = going to
Example: “What are you gonna do about it?”
Ivy League
“And while that may not be the first thing that some folks wanna hear from an Ivy League educated lawyer, it is truly who I am.”
Ivy League = a group of colleges and universities in the US that have a very good reputation
Example: “Yale and Harvard are Ivy League schools.”
CEO
“I worked with congress on legislation, gave speeches to CEOs, military generals and Hollywood executives.”
CEO = chief executive officer
CEO = The person with the highest rank in the company
The chief executive officer (CEO) oversees the entire operation of a company.
mom-in-chief
“So for me, being mom-in-chief is and always will be job number one.”
mom-in-chief = It is very important to be a good mother. And being a mom and taking care of your children is an important job.
honoring
“So I took on issues that were personal to me. Issues like honoring the incredible military families I´ve met out on the campaign trail.”
honor = to show great respect for someone
Example: „We are honored that you have come to speak to our students.”
campaign trail
“So I took on issues that were personal to me. Issues like honoring the incredible military families I´ve met out on the campaign trail.”
campaign trail = a series of planned events in different places given by a politician who is trying to be elected
Example: “She went on the campaign trail around the Southern states.”
bold
“Some folks criticized my choices for not being bold enough.”
bold = brave | If you are bold, you are not frightened of danger.
Example: “She was a bold and fearless climber.”
Example: “Back then this was a bold move.”
tackle
“I decided to tackle these issues in a way that felt most authentic to me.”
tackle = try to deal with something or someone
Example: “There are many ways of tackling this problem.”
Example: “The president is clearly in a dilemma about how to tackle the crisis.”
substantive
“I decided to tackle these issues in a way that felt most authentic to me, in a way that was both substantive and strategic.”
substantive = important | something has real importance or value
Example: “They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.”
immerse
“So I immersed myself in the policy details.”
immerse = you become completely involved in it
Example: “Since then I´ve lived alone and immersed myself in my career.”
Example: “He´s really becoming immersed in his work.”
legislation
“I worked with congress on legislation.”
legislation = a law or set of laws suggested by the government
Example: “The government has promised to introduce legislation to limit fuel emissions from cars.”
Example: “The effects of this legislation will extend further than the government intends.”
resonate
“I also worked to ensure that my efforts would resonate with kids and families.”
resonate = when it has a special meaning or when it is particularly important to someone
Example: “I´m sure that it will resonate with voters.”
hula hoop
“I planted a garden and hula hooped on the White House lawn with kids.”
Hula-Hoop = Children play with it by putting it around their waist and moving their body so that it spins.
Kermit the Frog
“I celebrated military kids with Kermit the Frog.”
Kermit the Frog = a character from the Muppet Show
alma mater
“I asked folks across the country to wear their alma mater t-shirts for college signing day.”
alma mater = the college or university where you studied
Example: “Former students were asked to donate money to their alma mater.”
chatter
“I had the peace of mind of knowing that all of the chatter, the name-calling, the doubting, all of it was just noise.”
chatter = it refers to a conversation about things that are not important
Example: “I can´t concentrate with her constant chatter.”
sincere
“I want you all to stay true to the most real, most sincere, most authentic parts of yourselves.”
sincere = honest | You are not pretending or lying.
Example: “He seems so sincere.”
Example: “There was a sincere expression of friendliness on both their faces.”
Important Expressions:
first and foremost
“… the woman who stands before you today. A woman who is first and foremost a mom.”
… more than anything else
Example: “In spite of being elected to office, she remains first and foremost a writer.”
Example: “I see myself, first and foremost, as a working artist.”
to feel a sense of obligation
“I´ve felt a deep sense of obligation to make the biggest impact possible with this incredible platform.”
… a feeling that something is the right thing to do
Example: “We visited them out of a sense of obligation.”
to take on something
“I took on issues that were personal to me.”
… you begin to have, use, or do something.
Example: “Her voice took on a troubled tone.”
at the end of the day
“At the end of the day by staying true to the Me I´ve always known, I found that this journey has been incredibly freeing.”
You say “at the end of the day” before you give the most important fact.
Example: “At the end of the day it´s up to you to decide.”
to stay true to yourself
“At the end of the day by staying true to the Me I´ve always known, I found that this journey has been incredibly freeing.”
… you behave according to your beliefs and you do what you think is right
Example: “Are you having problems writing a catchy profile while staying true to yourself?”
to have the peace of mind
“I had the peace of mind of knowing that all of the chatter, the name-calling, the doubting, all of it was just noise.”
… you feel calm and you are not worried about something.
Example: “Patients can have the peace of mind that quality and safety standards are achieved and continuously monitored.”
to hold fast to something
“I´ve learned that as long as I hold fast to my beliefs, then the only expectations I need to live up to, are my own.”
… you keep the same opinion
Example: “He held fast to his principles.”
to live up to something
“I´ve learned that as long as I hold fast to my beliefs, then the only expectations I need to live up to, are my own.”
… to be as good as something.
Example: “David´s cooking was brilliant – we´ll never live up to that.”
Example: “I feel it´s impossible to live up to his mother.”
to follow your own moral compass
“I´ve learned that as long as I hold fast to my beliefs and values and follow my own moral compass, then the only expectations I need to live up to, are my own.”
… you have a natural feeling that makes you know what is right and wrong and you follow that feeling.
Example: “Some people believe that the increase in crime shows that society is losing its moral compass.”
to chart a course
“I want you to take a deep breath and trust yourselves to chart your own course and make your mark on the world.”
… you choose an independent path, or way of doing something.
Example: “We are charting a course to a more sustainable future.”
to make your mark
“I want you to take a deep breath and trust yourselves to chart your own course and make your mark on the world.”
… you become noticed or famous by doing something impressive or unusual.
Example: “She made her mark in the film industry in the 1960s.”
to be supposed to do something
“Maybe it feels like you are supposed to go to law school, but what you really wanna do is teach little kids.”
… it is planned or expected.
Example: “Public spending is supposed to fall, not rise, in the next few years.”
to feel a pull
“Maybe you´re feeling a pull to travel the world.”
… you want to travel the world.
… you feel a desire to do something.
Please note:
The video we share here is part of a speech that was published on YouTube. You can access the full video here: Tuskegee University Commencement Address
Some explanations and example sentences were taken from the Cambridge Dictionary, the Collins Dictionary, and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
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