Style of language

The language of Steve Jobs’ Commencement Address at Stanford University is neutral. Jobs uses contractions and a few informal phrases, such as “no big deal” .The overall tone of his speech is conversational but not overly informal. 

The sentences in Jobs’ speech are of short to medium length, which keeps the audience engaged. Jobs occasionally uses longer sentences when he tries to explain more complex concepts and make sure he can get his message across, such as: 

You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever – because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference.

With this longer...