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speak(verb)BrE / spiːk / NAmE / spiːk / - to talk to somebody about something; to have a conversation with somebody
- I've spoken to the manager about it.
- The President refused to speak to the waiting journalists.
- ‘Can I speak to Susan?’ ‘Speaking.’ (= at the beginning of a telephone conversation)
- ‘Do you know him?’ ‘Not to speak to.’ (= only by sight)
- I saw her in the street but we didn't speak.
- Can I speak with you for a minute?
- We talked on the phone for over an hour.
- Have you discussed the problem with anyone?
- I’ve spoken to the manager about it.
- ‘Can I speak to Susan?’ ‘Speaking.’ (= at the beginning of a telephone conversation)
- Have you talked to your parents about the problems you’re having?
- I’ve spoken to Ed about it and he’s promised not to let it happen again.
- We only communicate by email.
- Dolphins use sound to communicate with each other.
- Politicians will be debating the bill later this week.
- You shouldn’t have done it without consulting me.
- to use your voice to say something
- He can't speak because of a throat infection.
- Please speak more slowly.
- Without speaking, she stood up and went out.
- He speaks with a strange accent.
- She has a beautiful speaking voice.
- to mention or describe something/somebody
- She still speaks about him with great affection.
- Witnesses spoke of a great ball of flame.
- Speaking of travelling, (= referring back to a subject just mentioned) are you going anywhere exciting this year?
- The brochure speaks of beautiful secluded grounds.
- Nobody mentioned anything to me about it.
- I promised not to refer to the matter again.
- Witnesses spoke of a great ball of flame.
- He cited his heavy workload as the reason for his breakdown.
- Can you quote me an instance of when this happened?
- to be able to use a particular language
- to speak several languages
- to speak a little Urdu
- Do you speak English?
- to use a particular language to express yourself
- What language is it they're speaking?
- Would you prefer it if we spoke in German?
- speaking the language mentioned
- French-speaking Canada
- non-English-speaking students
- to make a speech to an audience
- to speak in public
- to speak on the radio
- to speak at a conference
- Professor Wilson was invited to speak about the results of his research.
- She spoke in favour of the new tax.
- He has a number of speaking engagements this week.
- to say or state something
- She was clearly speaking the truth.
- He spoke the final words of the play.
- what a person actually does means more than what they say they will do
- to be willing to be polite or friendly towards somebody, especially after an argument
- She's not been on speaking terms with her uncle for years.
- Are they speaking to each other again yet?
- it is not necessary to give any further explanation about something because the information that is available already proves that it is true
- used to show that what you are saying is true in a general, etc. way
- Generally speaking, the more you pay, the more you get.
- There are, broadly speaking, two ways of doing this.
- Personally speaking, I've always preferred Italian food.
- Women generally earn less than men.
- Generally speaking, jobs traditionally done by women are paid at a lower rate than those traditionally done by men.
- In general/By and large, women do not earn as much as men.
- Certain jobs, like nursing and cleaning, are still mainly carried out by women.
- Senior management posts are predominantly held by men.
- Most senior management posts tend to be held by men.
- Women are, for the most part, still paid less than men.
- Economic and social factors are, to a large extent, responsible for women being concentrated in low-paid jobs.
- if you think about it in a particular way; true in some but not all ways
- All these points of view are related, in a manner of speaking.
- such a small amount that it is not worth mentioning
- They've got no friends to speak of.
- She's saved a little money but nothing to speak of.
- used to emphasize that you are expressing something in an unusual or amusing way
- They were all very similar. All cut from the same cloth, so to speak.
- to be so easy to see and understand that you do not need to say anything else about it/them
- Her success speaks for itself.
- Recent events speak for themselves.
- to express what you think or want yourself, rather than somebody else doing it for you
- I'm quite capable of speaking for myself, thank you!
- used to tell somebody that a general statement they have just made is not true of you
- ‘We didn't play very well.’ ‘Speak for yourself!’ (= I think that I played well.)
- used to say that you are the type of person mentioned and are expressing your opinion from that point of view
- Speaking as a parent, I'm very concerned about standards in education.
- to say exactly what you think, in a very direct way
- She’s never hesitated about speaking her mind.
- to say something when you should not, for example because it is not the right time or you are not the right person to say it
- people say speak/talk of the devil when somebody they have been talking about appears unexpectedly
- Well, speak of the devil—here's Alice now!
- to say something that you should not because it is the wrong situation or because it offends somebody
- to be able to communicate easily with another person because you share similar opinions and experience
- to say or think bad things about somebody
- Don't speak ill of the dead.
- to tell you a lot about something/somebody, without the need for words
- His achievement speaks volumes for his determination.
- What you wear speaks volumes about you.
- to say good or bad things about somebody
- She never speaks ill of anyone.
- if you are using words or rules in their exact or correct sense
- Strictly speaking, the book is not a novel, but a short story.
- Using the word in that context is not, strictly speaking, correct.
Extra Examples- Ed and Dave aren’t speaking at the moment.
- Everyone should have the right to speak their mind.
- He lost his ability to speak.
- He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
- He speaks German fluently.
- He speaks very warmly of you.
- He spoke out against mismanagement.
- He will be speaking to history students about the causes of war.
- I didn’t get a chance to speak to him.
- I heard him speak at the debating society.
- I need to speak to Joseph about this matter.
- I speak for all my colleagues.
- I speak on behalf of many thousands of women.
- I’m speaking from experience, having been there often.
- No one had ever dared speak to him like that before.
- She opened her mouth to speak and found she couldn’t.
- She speaks on women’s issues.
- She spoke eloquently about the need for action.
- She was invited to speak at a Harvard conference.
- She was so moved she could hardly speak.
- Speaking of Brett, why isn’t he here?
- The ability to speak another language is a valued skill.
- The main character speaks directly into the camera.
- They had the courage to speak the truth.
- We are still on speaking terms after the argument.
- We spoke briefly on the phone.
- Would you prefer it if we spoke in French?
- You must speak loudly and clearly on the stage.
- learning to speak a foreign language
- ‘Can I speak to Susan?’ ‘Speaking.’
- ‘Do you know him?’ ‘Not to speak to.’.
- He can’t speak because of a throat infection.
- He was so afraid of breaking down he couldn’t trust himself to speak.
- I’ve spoken to Ed about it and he’s promised not to let it happen again.
- I’ve spoken to the manager about it.
- She speaks several languages/a little Urdu/an unusual dialect.
- Speaking of travelling, are you going anywhere exciting this year?
- What language are they speaking in?
Verb Forms- present simple I / you / we / they speak
- he / she / it speaks
- past simple spoke
- past participle spoken
- -ing form speaking
Word Origin- Old English sprecan, later specan, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch spreken and German sprechen.
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