SPEAK


Meaning of SPEAK in English

verb

1

BAD : We hadn't seen each other for a year and so we spent the whole night speaking.

GOOD : We hadn't seen each other for a year and so we spent the whole night talking.

DUBIOUS : We spoke about where we would go for our next holiday.

GOOD : We talked about where we would go for our next holiday.

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When just one person does all or most of the talking, either speak or talk may be used: 'He spoke/talked about his years in the army.'

When two or more people have a conversation, the usual word is talk (NOT speak ): 'We must have been talking for hours.' 'If someone brings me a problem, we just sit down and talk about it.'

2

BAD : Neither of my parents speaks in English.

GOOD : Neither of my parents speaks English.

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speak in (English) = use (English) on a particular occasion: 'My grandparents won't understand a thing if the priest speaks in French.'

speak (English) = know (English) and use it habitually: 'Do you speak German?' 'We'll have to find someone who speaks English.'

3

BAD : We were shown how to speak with customers and handle complaints.

GOOD : We were shown how to speak to customers and handle complaints.

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In British English the usual phrase is speak to someone: 'If you need any more information, you should speak to Mrs Hall.'

Note that in American English both speak to and speak with are used.

Longman Common Errors English vocabulary.      Английский словарь распространенных ошибок Longman.