11.   A measure of the slow pace of change is that the speaker said essentially the same thing last month.

12.   Active listening can be difficult because it requires staying focused on what the speaker is saying.

13.   All politics, as a former Democratic speaker once said, is local.

14.   But all speakers said efforts must now be stepped up.

15.   But other speakers said religious opposition movements had nothing to be ashamed of, and they pledged to press on with their political protests.

16.   But other speakers said the Internet could boost democratic participation because of its power to educate people on the issues and encourage discussion of them.

17.   Did you ever hear a speaker say a semicolon?

18.   Finally, the speaker said his proposed commission should study whether new laws should expand the ability of major political parties to collect money.

19.   For now, the speaker says he wants a bipartisan study, but the system has been studied to the umpteenth decimal place.

20.   GOP officials Saturday released a number of internal memorandums dictating what the speakers could say and do, including a review of all speeches and requiring rehearsals.