Say – tell – speak – talk

 

· say

a) if you say something, you use your voice to produce words. It often follows direct speech.

Ex.: “ Come round this side of me”, said Daniel.

b) if you want to mention the person being spoken to, you can do this after the preposition “to”

Ex.: I said to him, “I’d never do anything like that”.

c) note that say is usually used with an object if the object is a very general word such as something, anything or nothing.

Ex.: I said something wrong.

· tell

a) you usually use tell rather than say when you are mentioning the person being spoken to as well as the speaker

Ex.: I told him that I would be right back.

a) there are a few objects that can be used as the object of tell without mentioning the person being spoken to. These include “truth”, “lie” and story.

Ex.: I don’t know whether you are telling the truth or not.

· speak/talk

a) when you speak you use your voice to produce words.

Ex.: Uncle Sam went speaking in his hoarse voice.

b) we usually speak when one person is addressing the other, and the second is listening rather than joining in.

Ex.: Several parents spoke to the school administration expressing their concern.

c) we usually talk when two people or more are having a discussion

Ex.: A family were finishing their lunch and talking loudly.

d) we speak/talk TO smb ABOUT smth

Ex.: We talked to the lecturer about the project dates.

 

1. We … good-bye to our new friends and left. 2. The customs officer … the passengers to fill in the declaration. 3. To … the truth, I don't care what she …. 4. He … her, "He'll join us as soon as he is off duty." 5. Who is Jane …? 6. If the boss phones, … him I'll be in a quarter of an hour. 7. She can't … the language properly. 8. If you want to visit a foreign country you should know what … and how to behave in a country with its own traditions and customs. 9. My elder sister is fond of … on the telephone. 10. Don't trust him. He has … a lie. 11. He likes … about his work. 12. Sorry, what did you …? 13. Has he … you everything? 14. Has she … anything at the interview? 15. He was … another fishing story. 15. My aunt wrote and … me all about it. 16. Johnny was … almost in a whisper. 17. What were you … about when I entered? 18. I’m planning to …to the manager about my promotion.