Time for brain picker. What is the difference between "Say," "Tell," "Speak," and "Talk”?
4 answers from our tutors
Best answer
Say: focuses on the word spoken ( e.g, She said hello ) Tell: require a listener and conveys information ( e.g , He told me a story ) Speak: formal or one way communication (e.g , She speaks five languages ) Talk: informal, conversational exchange ( e.g They talk about the movie )
Say smth to smbd-I said it to you Tell smbd-He told me about it. Speak to smbd - I am speaking to you(formal) Talk to smbd - I talked to him(informal)
Say: quote someone's exact words or make a statement. Example: "He said, 'I'm going to the store.'" Tell: give information, instructions, or advice. Example: "Can you tell me the time?" Speak: formal talk, like public speaking or language ability. Example: "She spoke at the conference." Talk: informal conversation or discussion. Example: "We talked about the movie last night."
Check your English level for free
Take our quick and free test to find out your current level of English
Start test
I say I know the difference. You can tell I'm not sure. If anyone is sure please speak up. It's good for us to talk about these things. 😊🤗🦥
Other student questions
Best answer
It seems some of the foundational topics are evergreen and I'm currently reading textbooks to build up my own foundational knowledge. Right now, I'm reading a book called Comprehensive Articulatory Phonetics with the idea that it may give me more tools to assist pupils with accent reduction. Sometimes, I also run my own experiments and try to be the cutting edge rather than just be on the cutting edge. Although, this approach is not always easy if one is working for a company that requires tutors to strictly adhere to their materials and methods. I think one of the most enjoyable things I ever did was teach a student who did not know all the vocabulary words for items in a kitchen by cooking scrambled eggs. He never forgot the word "spatula" again.
Best answer
Monologues in the mirror can be good for shy people. Otherwise speaking to fluent speakers, not being afraid to ask questions, make mistakes and being patient with the process.
Best answer
It's really fun to make up a story with the number of words (10-15). Start the story with a phrase " It was a dream.." - and there can be anything you imagine 😂 ( dreams could be really weird ) . Also use something like "story dice" app - you shake your phone, see 6-9 pictures and make up story or sentences.
