A speech act is the basic unit of human communication, like a word or morpheme. Speech acts can be classified into five categories: representatives, which make assertions; directives, which include requests and commands; expressives, like apologies and thanks; comissives, such as promises and offers; and declaratives, like decrees and declarations.

2. SPEECH ACTS: A speech act is a minimal functional unit in human
communication. Just as a word (refusal) is the smallest free form found in
language and a morpheme is the smallest unit of language that carries
information about meaning (-al in refuse-al makes it a noun), the basic unit of
communication is a speech act (the speech act of refusal).

3. CLASSIFICATION
OF THE SPEECH
REPRESENTATIVES DIRECTIVES EXPRESIVES

4. Representatives Directives Expressives Comissives Declaratives
assertions suggestions apologies promises decrees
claims requests complaint threats declarations
reports commands thanks offers
COMMISIVES DECLARATIVES

5. Component Explanation Sample Analysis
Setting or locale 
Scene or situation 
Scientific information about where it
occurred
(place, time)
Los Angeles, 5 pm on May 21, 2004
Generic information about the social
occasion
Business meeting
Participants
Who was there
(addressor/ addressee,
performer/audience,questioner/answerer)
Addressor – Mr. Robertson, the manager
Addressee – Doris, employee
Ends Outcomes 
Goals 
Purpose of the event
(exchange of goods, etc…)
Refusal
Purpose of the participants
(impart knowledge, minimize price)
Addressor – to request from the employee
Addressee – to refuse the request
Act sequences Content and forms particular to its use
Content: refusal to a request that the
employee stays in late to finish an
important proposal
Key
.
Tone or mood
.
Instrumentalities
Type of discourse or channel
(spoken, written, recitation, etc.)
Spoken
Types of speech
(dialect, style)
Formal standard business English
Norms Interaction 
Interpretation 
Conventions of the interaction
After addressing the employee, the
manager makes a request, the employee
says she would love to help, refuses
politely and offers to come in early the next
day
Normal interpretation
Employee recognizes that the manager’s is
a little upset while the manager recognizes
that the employee is making an attempt to
offer an alternative solution to the problem
Genres
Category of event
(poem, story, conversation)
Conversation
EXAMPLES