SAY


Meaning of SAY in English

(~s, ~ing, said)

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.

1.

When you ~ something, you speak words.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said...

She said they were very impressed...

Forty-one people are said to have been seriously hurt...

I packed and said goodbye to Charlie...

I hope you didn’t ~ anything about Gretchen...

Did he ~ where he was going?...

It doesn’t sound exactly orthodox, if I may ~ so.

VERB: V with quote, V that, be V-ed to-inf, V n to n, V n, V wh, V so

2.

You use ~ in expressions such as I would just like to ~ to introduce what you are actually ~ing, or to indicate that you are expressing an opinion or admitting a fact. If you state that you can’t ~ something or you wouldn’t ~ something, you are indicating in a polite or indirect way that it is not the case.

I would just like to ~ that this is the most hypocritical thing I have ever heard in my life...

I must ~ that rather shocked me, too...

Dead? Well, I can’t ~ I’m sorry.

VERB: V that, V that, V that

3.

You can mention the contents of a piece of writing by mentioning what it ~s or what someone ~s in it.

The report ~s there is widespread and routine torture of political prisoners in the country...

You can’t have one without the other, as the song ~s...

‘Highly inflammable,’ it ~s on the spare canister...

Jung believed that God speaks to us in dreams. The Bible ~s so too.

VERB: V that, V with quote, it V with quote, V so

4.

If you ~ something to yourself, you think it.

Perhaps I’m still dreaming, I said to myself...

VERB: V to pron-refl with quote

5.

If you have a ~ in something, you have the right to give your opinion and influence decisions relating to it.

The students wanted more ~ in the government of the university.

N-SING: usu a N, also more/some N

6.

You indicate the information given by something such as a clock, dial, or map by mentioning what it ~s.

The clock said four minutes past eleven...

The map ~s there’s six of them.

VERB: V n, V that

7.

If something ~s something about a person, situation, or thing, it gives important information about them.

I think that ~s a lot about how well Seles is playing...

The appearance of the place and the building ~s something about the importance of the project.

VERB: V amount about n, V pron about n

8.

If something ~s a lot for a person or thing, it shows that this person or thing is very good or has a lot of good qualities.

It ~s a lot for him that he has raised his game to the level required...

It ~s much for Brookner’s skill that the book is sad, but never depressing.

VERB: V amount for n, it V amount for n that

9.

You use ~ in expressions such as I’ll ~ that for them and you can ~ this for them after or before you mention a good quality that someone has, usually when you think they do not have many good qualities.

He’s usually smartly-dressed, I’ll ~ that for him...

At the very least, he is devastatingly sure of himself, you can ~ that.

VERB: V pron for n, V pron

10.

You can use ~ when you want to discuss something that might possibly happen or be true.

Say you could change anything about the world we live in, what would it be?

= suppose

VERB: only imper, V that

11.

You can use ~ or let’s ~ when you mention something as an example.

To see the problem here more clearly, let’s look at a different biological system, ~, an acorn...

12.

If you ~ that something ~s it all, you mean that it shows you very clearly the truth about a situation or someone’s feelings.

This is my third visit in a week, which ~s it all.

PHRASE: V inflects

13.

You can use ‘You don’t ~’ to express surprise at what someone has told you. People often use this expression to indicate that in fact they are not surprised.

‘I’m a writer.’—‘You don’t ~. What kind of book are you writing?’

CONVENTION feelings

14.

If you ~ there is a lot to be said for something, you mean you think it has a lot of good qualities or aspects.

There’s a lot to be said for being based in the country.

PHRASE: amount PHR

15.

If someone asks what you have to ~ for yourself, they are asking what excuse you have for what you have done.

‘Well,’ she said eventually, ‘what have you to ~ for yourself?’

PHRASE

16.

If something goes without ~ing, it is obvious.

It goes without ~ing that if someone has lung problems they should not smoke.

PHRASE: oft it PHR that

17.

When one of the people or groups involved in a discussion has their ~, they give their opinion.

The Football Association have had their ~.

PHRASE: V inflects

18.

You use ‘I wouldn’t ~ no’ to indicate that you would like something, especially something that has just been offered to you. (INFORMAL)

I wouldn’t ~ no to a drink.

CONVENTION formulae

19.

You use to ~ nothing of when you mention an additional thing which gives even more strength to the point you are making.

Unemployment leads to a sense of uselessness, to ~ nothing of financial problems.

PHRASE: PHR n

20.

You use that is to ~ or that’s to ~ to indicate that you are about to express the same idea more clearly or precisely. (FORMAL)

...territories that were occupied in 1967, that is to ~, in the West Bank and Gaza.

PHRASE: PHR with cl/group

21.

You can use ‘You can ~ that again’ to express strong agreement with what someone has just said. (INFORMAL)

‘Must have been a fiddly job.’—‘You can ~ that again.’

CONVENTION emphasis

22.

to ~ the least: see least

needless to ~: see needless

Collins COBUILD.      Толковый словарь английского языка для изучающих язык Коллинз COBUILD (международная база данных языков Бирмингемского университета) .