Spoken English (by Andrew Wilkinson et al) was published in 1965; it coined the word oracy and has been a seminal influence on the increasing emphasis on talking and listening in our classrooms. Spoken English Illuminated echoes the title of its predecessor, and uses some quotations from it, but otherwise it is a different book which can assume rather than argue for the centrality of oracy (along with numeracy and literacy) in the curriculum. It explores oral work such as argument, story-telling, exposition and group discussion. It crosses the curriculum from literature to science, and examines pre-school language as well as classroom oracy. It makes practical proposals and provides case-studies for methods of teaching and assessment but, throughout, practice is informed by current theory.