Overview
In this lesson, the differences between four important English verbs, namely speak, talk, say, and tell, were explained and the usage of each was examined with examples.
General Differences Between Speak, Talk, Say, Tell
- speak and talk are usually used for general topics.
- say and tell are used for specific topics and details.
Explanations About Say and Tell
- say is used for direct speech and without an object.
- tell is used for indirect speech and with an object (e.g., he told me).
- In direct speech, the structure uses a comma and quotation marks and only say is used.
- In indirect speech, both say and tell may be used but tell always takes an object.
Common Phrases with Tell
- to tell a joke / jokes: to tell a joke.
- to tell a lie / lies: to tell a lie.
- to tell the truth: to tell the truth.
- to tell a fact / facts: to state a fact.
- to tell the news: to tell the news.
- to tell the price: to ask or tell the price.
- to tell the difference / differences: to state the differences.
- to tell someone’s name: to say someone's name.
- to tell a secret: to tell a secret.
Difference Between Speak and Talk
- Main difference: speak is used more in formal situations; talk is more informal.
- Both are usually interchangeable and do not have much semantic difference.
- speak and talk can be used with both prepositions to and with, but speak/talk to means one person talks more and others listen, speak/talk with means a two-way conversation.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Direct speech (نقل قول مستقیم) — exact repetition of someone else's sentence with quotation marks, usually with the verb say.
- Indirect speech (نقل قول غیرمستقیم) — expressing the meaning of someone else's sentence in our own words, usually with tell and an object.
- Transitive verb (فعل مفعولپذیر) — a verb that requires an object (tell).
- Intransitive verb (فعل مفعولناپذیر) — a verb that does not take an object (say).
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the table of usage of say and tell in direct/indirect speech.
- Review the provided examples and practice making sentences with each of these verbs.
- View the board images on the Telegram channel (link in the video description).
- Ask questions and unclear points in the comments section.