Tra từ speak - Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

speak [speak speaks spoke speaking spoken] BrE [spiːk] NAmE [spiːk] verb (spokeBrE [spəʊk] ; NAmE [spoʊk] spokenBrE [ˈspəʊkən] ; NAmE [ˈspoʊkən] )

HAVE CONVERSATION
1. intransitive to talk to sb about sth; to have a conversation with sb
•~ (to sb) (about sth/sb) I've spoken to the manager about it.
• The President refused to speak to the waiting journalists.
•‘Can I speak to Susan?’ ‘Speaking.’ (= at the beginning of a telephone conversation)
•‘Do you know him?’ ‘Not to speak to.’ (= only by sight)
•I saw her in the street but we didn't speak.
• (especially NAmE)~ (with sb) (about sth/sb) Can I speak with you for a minute?

USE VOICE
2. intransitive to use your voice to say sth
• He can't speak because of a throat infection.
• Please speak more slowly.
•Without speaking, she stood up and went out.
•He speaks with a strange accent.
•She has a beautiful speaking voice.

MENTION/DESCRIBE
3. intransitive ~ of/about sth/sb to mention or describe sth/sb
• She still speaks about him with great affection.
• Witnesses spoke of a great ball of flame.
•Speaking of travelling, (= referring back to a subject just mentioned) are you going anywhere exciting this year?
•The brochure speaks of beautiful secluded grounds.

A LANGUAGE
4. transitive (not used in the progressive tenses)~ sth to be able to use a particular language
•to speak several languages
•to speak a little Urdu
• Do you speak English?
5. transitive, intransitive to use a particular language to express yourself
•~ sth What language is it they're speaking?
•~ in sth Would you prefer it if we spoke in German?

-SPEAKING
6. (in adjectives)speaking the language mentioned
•French-speaking Canada
•non-English-speaking students

MAKE SPEECH
7. intransitive (+ adv./prep.) to make a speech to an audience
•to speak in public
•to speak on the radio
•to speak at a conference
• Professor Wilson was invited to speak about the results of his research.
• She spoke in favour of the new tax.
•He has a number of speaking engagements this week.

SAY/STATE
8. transitive ~ sth to say or state sth
•She was clearly speaking the truth.
•He spoke the final words of the play.
more at actions speak louder than words at ↑action _n., speak/talk of the devil at ↑devil, the facts speak for themselves at ↑fact, speak/think ill of sb at ↑ill _n., speak/talk the same language at ↑language, in a manner of speaking at ↑manner, strictly speaking at ↑strictly, speak/talk out of turn at ↑turn _n.
Idioms: generally/broadly/roughly/relatively speaking ▪ no … to speak of ▪ ↑on speaking terms ▪ ↑so to speak ▪ ↑speak for itself ▪ ↑speak for myself ▪ ↑speak for yourself ▪ ↑speak ill of somebody ▪ ↑speak out of turn ▪ ↑speak volumes ▪ ↑speak your mind ▪ ↑speaking ▪ ↑speaking as something
Derived: ↑speak for somebody ▪ ↑speak of something ▪ ↑speak out ▪ ↑speak to somebody ▪ ↑speak up
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
Old English sprecan, later specan, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch spreken and German sprechen.

Thesaurus:
speak verb
1. I
•Can I speak to Paddy?
talk • • chat • • discuss • • communicate • • consult • • debate • |formal confer •
speak/talk/chat/discuss sth/communicate/consult/debate/confer with sb
speak/talk to sb
speak/talk of sth
Speak or talk? Speak can suggest a more formal level of communication than talk. You talk to sb in order to be friendly or to ask their advice. You speak to sb to try to achieve a particular goal or to tell them to do sth
•‘What were you two talking about?’ ‘Oh, this and that.’
• Have you talked to your parents about the problems you're having?
• I've spoken to Ed about it and he's promised not to let it happen again.
2. I
•Please speak more slowly.
talk • • say •
speak/talk/say sth to sb
speak/talk/say sth about sth
They were speaking/talking (in) French.
Speak or talk? If sb can't speak they are physically unable to speak because of illness, disability or emotion. If you are talking about a baby who has not learned to talk yet, use talk.
3. I
•She speaks of him with great affection.
mention • • refer to sb/sth • |formal allude to sb/sth •
speak of/mention/refer to/allude to sb/sth as sth
sb is frequently/often spoken of/mentioned/referred to/alluded to

Word Family:
speak verb
speaker noun
speech noun
spoken adjective (≠ unspoken)

Language Bank:
generally
Ways of saying ‘in general’
▪ Women generally ▪ earn less than men.
Generally speaking ▪, jobs traditionally done by women are paid at a lower rate than those traditionally done by men.
In general ▪ / By and large ▪, women do not earn as much as men.
▪ Certain jobs, like nursing and cleaning, are still mainly ▪ carried out by women.
▪ Senior management posts are predominantly ▪ held by men.
▪ Most senior management posts tend to ▪ be held by men.
▪ Women are, for the most part ▪, still paid less than men.
▪ Economic and social factors are, to a large extent ▪, responsible for women being concentrated in low-paid jobs.
Language Banks at ↑conclusion, ↑except, ↑similarly

Synonyms:
mention
refer to sb/sth • speak • cite • quote
These words all mean to write or speak about sb/sth, often in order to give an example or prove sth.
mention • to write or speak about sth/sb, especially without giving much information: ▪ Nobody mentioned anything to me about it.
refer to sb/sth • (rather formal) to mention or speak about sb/sth: ▪ I promised not to refer to the matter again.
speak • to mention or describe sb/sth: ▪ Witnesses ▪ spoke of ▪ a great ball of flame.
cite • (formal) to mention sth as a reason or an example, or in order to support what you are saying: ▪ He cited his heavy workload as the reason for his breakdown.
quote • to mention an example of sth to support what you are saying: ▪ Can you quote me an instance of when this happened?
cite or quote?
You can cite reasons or examples, but you can only quote examples: He quoted his heavy workload as the reason for his breakdown. Cite is a more formal word than quote and is often used in more formal situations, for example in descriptions of legal cases.
to mention/refer to/speak of/cite/quote sb/sth as sb/sth
to mention/refer to/cite/quote a(n) example/instance/case of sth
frequently/often mentioned/referred to/spoken of/cited/quoted
the example mentioned/referred to/cited/quoted above/earlier/previously

Synonyms:
talk
discuss • speak • communicate • debate • consult
These words all mean to share news, information, ideas or feelings with another person or other people, especially by talking with them.
talk • to speak in order to give information, express feelings or share ideas: ▪ We talked on the phone for over an hour.
discuss • (rather formal) to talk and share ideas on a subject or problem with other people, especially in order to decide sth: ▪ Have you discussed the problem with anyone?
You cannot say ‘discuss about sth’: I'm not prepared to discuss about this on the phone.
speak • to talk to sb about sth; to have a conversation with sb: ▪ I've spoken to the manager about it. ◇ ▪ ‘Can I speak to Susan?’ ‘Speaking.’ ▪ (= at the beginning of a telephone conversation)
talk or speak?
Speak can suggest a more formal level of communication than talk. You speak to sb about sth to try to achieve a particular goal or to tell them to do sth. You talk to sb in order to be friendly or to ask their advice: ▪ Have you talked to your parents about the problems you're having? ◇ ▪ I've spoken to Ed about it and he's promised not to let it happen again.
communicate • (rather formal) to exchange information or ideas with sb: ▪ We only communicate by email. ◇ ▪ Dolphins use sound to communicate with each other.
Communicate is often used when the speaker wants to draw attention to the means of communication used.
debate • to discuss sth, especially formally, before making a decisionor finding a solution: ▪ Politicians will be debating the bill later this week.
consult • (rather formal) to discuss sth with sb in order to get their permission for sth, or to help you make a decision: ▪ You shouldn't have done it without consulting me.
to talk/discuss sth/speak/communicate/debate/consult with sb
to talk/speak to sb
to talk/speak to sb/consult sb about sth
to talk/speak of sth

Example Bank:
•Ed and Dave aren't speaking at the moment.
•Everyone should have the right to speak their mind.
•He lost his ability to speak.
•He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
•He speaks German fluently.
•He speaks very warmly of you.
•He spoke out against mismanagement.
•He will be speaking to history students about the causes of war.
•I didn't get a chance to speak to him.
•I heard him speak at the debating society.
•I need to speak to Joseph about this matter.
•I speak for all my colleagues.
•I speak on behalf of many thousands of women.
•I'm speaking from experience, having been there often.
•No one had ever dared speak to him like that before.
•She opened her mouth to speak and found she couldn't.
•She speaks on women's issues.
•She spoke eloquently about the need for action.
•She was invited to speak at a Harvard conference.
•She was so moved she could hardly speak.
•Speaking of Brett, why isn't he here?
•The ability to speak another language is a valued skill.
•The main character speaks directly into the camera.
•They had the courage to speak the truth.
•We are still on speaking terms after the argument.
•We spoke briefly on the phone.
•Would you prefer it if we spoke in French?
•You must speak loudly and clearly on the stage.
•learning to speak a foreign language
•‘Can I speak to Susan?’ ‘Speaking.’
•‘Do you know him?’ ‘Not to speak to.’.
•He can't speak because of a throat infection.
•He was so afraid of breaking down he couldn't trust himself to speak.
•I've spoken to Ed about it and he's promised not to let it happen again.
•I've spoken to the manager about it.
•She speaks several languages/a little Urdu/an unusual dialect.
•Speaking of travelling, are you going anywhere exciting this year?
•What language are they speaking in?