When a Man Rewrote the Keynote
Grammar: Inversion
A Business English English lesson exploring business.
What's in this lesson
A Business English ESL lesson on business, practising inversion. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary, a grammar reference with practice and discussion questions.
From the reading: The Man Who Rewrote the Keynote
"Today," Steve Jobs told the Macworld audience in San Francisco on 9 January 2007, "Apple is going to reinvent the phone." He paused for three full seconds. Not only had he opened with a declaration rather than an agenda, but he had also told the room exactly what emotional register to adopt — excitement, not attention. Rarely does a single sentence compress a brand narrative so completely: one subject, one verb, one promise.
Vocabulary
- brand narrative
- cadence
- keynote
- rhetorical pause
Grammar: Inversion
- Not only… but also
- Not only did he open with a story, but he also avoided all bullet points. — subject-auxiliary inversion after not only
- Never / Rarely /
- Rarely does a single sentence compress a brand narrative so completely. — auxiliary before subject after restrictive adverb
Discussion questions
- Have you ever noticed how some speakers make silence feel powerful rather than awkward?
- Why do you think people remember a great presentation years later but forget a competent one immediately?
- Have you noticed that the most memorable lines from speeches rarely start with 'I would like to say'?
When a Man Rewrote the Keynote
Grammar: Inversion
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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