full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Matthew Williams: Special Olympics let me be myself -- a champion

Unscramble the Blue Letters


Hello. My name is mheattw Williams, and I am a champion. I have won medals in three different sports and national games in Canada, competed at the international level in basketball and was pruod to rpneerest Canada on the world stage.

(Applause)

I trian five days a week for basketball and speed skating, work with top qailtuy ccoehas and mental performance consultants to be at my best in my sport. By the way, all that is through Special Olympics. Does that change the way you think of me and my accomplishments?

The world does not see all people like me as champions. Not long ago, people like me were shunned and hidden away. There has been lots of change since Special oiclypms beagn in 1968, but in too many cases, people with intellectual disabilities are invisible to the wider population. People use the r-word in front of me, and they think it doesn't matter. That's the word "retard" or "retarded" used in a derogatory manner. They're not tnhiikng about how much it htrus me and my friends.

Open Cloze


Hello. My name is _______ Williams, and I am a champion. I have won medals in three different sports and national games in Canada, competed at the international level in basketball and was _____ to _________ Canada on the world stage.

(Applause)

I _____ five days a week for basketball and speed skating, work with top _______ _______ and mental performance consultants to be at my best in my sport. By the way, all that is through Special Olympics. Does that change the way you think of me and my accomplishments?

The world does not see all people like me as champions. Not long ago, people like me were shunned and hidden away. There has been lots of change since Special ________ _____ in 1968, but in too many cases, people with intellectual disabilities are invisible to the wider population. People use the r-word in front of me, and they think it doesn't matter. That's the word "retard" or "retarded" used in a derogatory manner. They're not ________ about how much it _____ me and my friends.

Solution


  1. olympics
  2. began
  3. coaches
  4. quality
  5. hurts
  6. represent
  7. matthew
  8. train
  9. proud
  10. thinking

Original Text


Hello. My name is Matthew Williams, and I am a champion. I have won medals in three different sports and national games in Canada, competed at the international level in basketball and was proud to represent Canada on the world stage.

(Applause)

I train five days a week for basketball and speed skating, work with top quality coaches and mental performance consultants to be at my best in my sport. By the way, all that is through Special Olympics. Does that change the way you think of me and my accomplishments?

The world does not see all people like me as champions. Not long ago, people like me were shunned and hidden away. There has been lots of change since Special Olympics began in 1968, but in too many cases, people with intellectual disabilities are invisible to the wider population. People use the r-word in front of me, and they think it doesn't matter. That's the word "retard" or "retarded" used in a derogatory manner. They're not thinking about how much it hurts me and my friends.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
special olympics 18
intellectual disabilities 15
world games 4
world summer 3
basketball team 3
fitness levels 2
olympics athletes 2
million times 2
million athletes 2
disabilities die 2
years younger 2
nigerian basketball 2
olympics teaches 2

ngrams of length 3

collocation frequency
special olympics athletes 2
intellectual disabilities die 2
nigerian basketball team 2
special olympics teaches 2

Important Words


  1. accomplishments
  2. applause
  3. basketball
  4. began
  5. canada
  6. cases
  7. champion
  8. champions
  9. change
  10. coaches
  11. competed
  12. consultants
  13. days
  14. derogatory
  15. disabilities
  16. friends
  17. front
  18. games
  19. hidden
  20. hurts
  21. intellectual
  22. international
  23. invisible
  24. level
  25. long
  26. lots
  27. manner
  28. matter
  29. matthew
  30. medals
  31. mental
  32. national
  33. olympics
  34. people
  35. performance
  36. population
  37. proud
  38. quality
  39. represent
  40. shunned
  41. skating
  42. special
  43. speed
  44. sport
  45. sports
  46. stage
  47. thinking
  48. top
  49. train
  50. week
  51. wider
  52. williams
  53. won
  54. word
  55. work
  56. world