The document compares and contrasts the verbs "say", "tell", "talk", and "speak". It provides examples of proper usage for each verb in both direct and indirect speech. Say is used without a personal object, while tell implies telling someone something. Talk refers to informal conversations, while speak is used for more serious exchanges or referring to language ability.
The document compares and contrasts the verbs "say", "tell", "talk", and "speak". It provides examples of proper usage for each verb in both direct and indirect speech. Say is used without a personal object, while tell implies telling someone something. Talk refers to informal conversations, while speak is used for more serious exchanges or referring to language ability.
The document compares and contrasts the verbs "say", "tell", "talk", and "speak". It provides examples of proper usage for each verb in both direct and indirect speech. Say is used without a personal object, while tell implies telling someone something. Talk refers to informal conversations, while speak is used for more serious exchanges or referring to language ability.
USES EXAMPLE Used with direct and She said that it was my indirect speech last chance.
She said, “this was your
last change.”
Say Say is most often used
without a personal She said that she would be late. object (not She said me...)
If we want to put a And I say to all the
personal object after people of this great say, we use to. country... USES EXAMPLE used with direct and indirect She told me that she would be speech late.
after tell, we usually say who is
told, i.e., tell someone something only used to mean ‘instruct’ or She told me that it was my last ‘inform’ chance.
Tell Tell is used to tell someone to
(not He told them, ‘Good morning.’) Tom’s mother told him to do something clean his room. Tell is not used before objects Alice said a naughty word... like a word, a name, a sentence, a phrase. (not Alice told a naughty word...) We do not usually use it after ‘I’ll tell you tomorrow.’ tell to refer to a fact. (not I’ll tell you it tomorrow.) tell someone again (repeat) ‘I don’t want to tell you again to get your homework done.’ USES EXAMPLE There is not very much difference between speak and talk. Talk Talk is the more usual word When she walked into the to refer to conversational room everybody stopped exchanges and informal talking. communication. is often used for one-way I’ll have to speak to that communication and for boy -- he’s getting very exchanges in more serious lazy. or formal situations. Speak After she had finished reading the letter, nobody spoke. Speak is the usual word to She speaks three refer to knowledge and use languages fluently. of languages.