![]() We use the verb ‘speak’ (instead of ‘talk’) when we are in a more formal situation and wish to emphasise that something is important. I will speak – I am speaking – I spoke – I have spoken ![]() I speak – She/He/It speaks – They/We speak The preposition ‘to’ shows the direction in which the information is going. Remember to include ‘to’ between ‘said’ and the object! Just as you would ‘send a letter TO someone’, you would also ‘say something TO someone’. Learners of English often make mistakes like ‘He said me…’ or ‘She said me that…’. ‘Laura said to me that she would be late for work.’.‘Laura told me that she would be late for work.’.In this case, the construction would be: ‘tell’ + object or ‘say’ + ‘to’ + object. Sometimes ‘say’ and ‘tell’ can be used interchangeably to express the same meaning when information is being passed from one person to another. ‘You forgot to tell me to bring my swimming costume!’.‘The teacher told the class to do their homework.’.you/her/us) immediately after the verb. The verb ‘tell’ is used when we say something to someone, and is commonly used when giving an order or instruction. When we use ‘tell’, we also include the object (e.g. I will tell – I am telling – I told – I have told Say can also be used to express an opinion or thought, as in: ‘I say we should give each person twenty tickets each to sell.’ ‘I won’t say this again! – Will you please get ready for school now?’.‘The weatherman said it would rain today.’.me/them/you) immediately after the verb. The verb ‘say’ is used when we quote people directly and also when we give instructions. When we use ‘say’, we do not use an object (e.g. I will say – I am saying – I said – I have said Let’s look at the differences between say, tell, speak and talk by explaining how each word is used separately. Say, tell, speak and talk are four very similar words that can be difficult to use correctly in English! Mistakes are common when there are no exact equivalents in your native language, or when rules on usage differ. Say, tell, speak or talk – what’s the difference? Differences between say/tell/speak/talk. ![]() ![]() Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. ![]()
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