verb
ADVERB
▪ aloud , out loud
▪ loudly
▪ gently , quietly , softly
▪ gruffly , huskily
▪ at once
▪ at last , at length , finally
▪ simply
▪
‘I am home,’ he said simply.
▪ hastily , hurriedly , quickly
▪ slowly
▪ abruptly , suddenly
▪ briskly , curtly , shortly , tersely
▪ angrily , bitterly , crossly ( esp. BrE ), fiercely , sharply
▪
‘I don't know,’ she said crossly.
▪ bluntly , flatly , matter-of-factly , plainly
▪ firmly , weakly
▪ harshly , sternly
▪ kindly , sweetly
▪ brightly , cheerfully , cheerily , happily
▪ enthusiastically
▪ with a grin , with a smile
▪
‘You'll see!’ Lianne said with a smile.
▪ with a smirk , with a wink
▪ with a chuckle , with a laugh
▪ with a frown , with a shrug , with a sigh
▪
‘Well, at least we tried!’ he said with a shrug.
▪ miserably , sadly
▪ gravely , grimly , seriously , solemnly
▪ airily , casually , lightly , nonchalantly , smoothly
▪
‘There's nothing wrong with him,’ she said airily.
▪ stiffly
▪ proudly
▪ smugly
▪ thoughtfully
▪ conversationally
▪ calmly , evenly , mildly
▪ impatiently , patiently
▪ defensively , indignantly
▪ politely
▪ soothingly
▪ apologetically , sheepishly
▪ awkwardly , hesitantly , lamely , nervously
▪ jokingly , teasingly
▪ drily , mockingly , sarcastically
▪ coldly , coolly , icily
▪ breathlessly
▪ absently
▪ honestly , sincerely , truthfully
▪
Can you honestly ~ you're sorry?
VERB + SAY
▪ be about to , be going to
▪
I've forgotten what I was going to ~.
▪ hasten to
▪ long to , want to
▪
I want to ~ how much we have all enjoyed this evening.
▪ hate to
▪
I hate to ~ it, but I think Stephen may be right.
▪ dare (to)
▪
I dared not ~ a word about it to anyone.
▪
I dare ~ they she'll come to the wedding.
▪ suffice it to , suffice to
▪
Suffice it to ~, I refused to get involved.
▪ be fair to
▪
It is fair to ~ a considerable amount of effort went into the project.
▪ have nothing to , have something to
▪
Be quiet, I have something to ~.
▪ hear sb
▪
I heard him ~ they were leaving tomorrow.
PREPOSITION
▪ about
▪
Do you have anything to ~ about this?
▪ to
▪
That's not what he said to me.
PHRASES
▪ be quoted as ~ing sth
▪
A government spokesman was quoted as ~ing that they would take steps to restore order.
▪ a thing to ~
▪
That was a very cruel thing to ~.
▪ I have to ~ , I must ~
▪
I have to ~ I didn't expect it to be so good.
▪ it has to be said
▪
She wasn't at her best, it has to be said.
▪ needless to ~
▪
Needless to ~, it all went smoothly in the end.
Say is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑ act , ↑ ad , ↑ advert , ↑ advertisement , ↑ advocate , ↑ article , ↑ banner , ↑ Bible , ↑ clock , ↑ computer , ↑ constitution , ↑ critic , ↑ document , ↑ email , ↑ estimate , ↑ expert , ↑ forecast , ↑ headline , ↑ horoscope , ↑ inscription , ↑ institute , ↑ judge , ↑ legend , ↑ letter , ↑ magazine , ↑ manifesto , ↑ manual , ↑ message , ↑ notice , ↑ observer , ↑ paragraph , ↑ poll , ↑ poster , ↑ report , ↑ researcher , ↑ resolution , ↑ rule , ↑ sceptic , ↑ scientist , ↑ sign , ↑ slogan , ↑ source , ↑ study , ↑ survey , ↑ tradition , ↑ watch , ↑ writer
Say is used with these nouns as the object: ↑ blessing , ↑ congratulations , ↑ farewell , ↑ line , ↑ mass , ↑ pledge , ↑ prayer , ↑ thank you , ↑ thing , ↑ word , ↑ yes