PRODUCING ORAL COMMENTARIES

There are few aspects that need to be prepared for oral commentary which is about 5 to 7
minutes presentation

Content

Time
Delivery
5 - 7 min
Oral
Commentary

Language
Visual
Aids

1. CONTENT / ABOUT THE SHOW

(a) State the title of the English movie/film/television programme.

(b) Describe the setting (when and where the movie takes place, year, etc.) For
examples
(i) New York; in a small town; isolated island; dark forest and etc.
(ii) Production details such as year of release, company name, producer and
duration of film.

(c) State the genre (refer Figure 1 and Figure 2).

(d) Give an overview of the plot

(i) The sequence of events: beginning, conflict, climax, resolving conflict and
ending.

(e) Describe the main character or characters. Explain why these characters are
important in the development of the plot. For example, who is the hero, heroin,
villain, criminal, alien, monster, detective, talk show host, etc.

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 (f) Describe a memorable scene. What are the quotes or film techniques or events
that made it most memorable to you?

(g) State your overall opinion of the movie/film/television programme and give your
reasons to support your opinion.
(i) Do you like it?
(ii) Would you recommend it to your friends?
(iii) What are the values or lessons for life that are derived from the film or
television programme?

(h) Bonus! Students are encouraged to add other relevant details in their presentation
such as
(i) critique: the strengths or weakness of the film and how it can be improved
(ii) awards and accolades
(iii) overall impact: positive or negative impact and repercussion on the public.

2. DELIVERY
The four criteria which determine good delivery are:
(i) Not calling attention to itself
(ii) Conveying the speaker’s idea clearly
(iii) Speaking intelligibly
(iv) Establishing eye contact with listeners
(v) Had appropriate non-verbal communication (body language)

3. USED OF VISUAL AIDS

 Appropriate and interesting visual aids
 Satisfactory use of visual aids
 Very minimal use of visual aids

4. LANGUAGE USE

(i) Pronunciation
We need to use the standard sound and rhythm for word pronunciation. This is
because the way we pronounce the sounds or words will affect our listeners’
understanding.

(ii) Articulation and Slang/Informal Language

Proper articulation is the key to effective delivery of a presentation. Thus, avoid
using “wanna”; “gonna”; “wilya”; “donno” etc.

(iii) In delivering a presentation, we use the standard language, not a dialect.

(iv) Stress and intonation.

A change in intonation can show a difference in the meaning conveyed. A
different intonation conveys a different meaning and mood of the speaker.

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Notice how the intended meaning is conveyed, based on the stress in the
sentences
 YOU called him yesterday.
 You CALLED him yesterday.
 You called HIM yesterday.
 You called him YESTERDAY.

Figure 1: GENRES FOR TELEVISION PROGRAMME

Figure 2: GENRES FOR FILM

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