Tra từ speak - Từ điển tiếng Anh - Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary

speak UK US [spiːk] [ spoke ], [ spoken ] verb [ spoke spoken speaks speaking ]

SAY WORDS

1. <E > intransitive or transitive to say words, to use the voice, or to have a conversation with someone
• Would you mind speaking more slowly, please?
• "Can I speak to/ mainly US with Ian please?" "Speaking (= This is Ian) "
• If he tells Julie what I said, I'll never speak to him again.
• formal She spoke of her sadness over her father's death.
• She speaks very highly of (= says good things about) the new director.
• I can certainly come but I can't speak for my wife (= I can't tell you whether she can or not).
• formal Who is going to speak for (= represent in a court of law) the accused?
• He's old enough to speak for himself (= to say what he thinks).
• I went with Ava - speaking of (= on the subject of) Ava, have you seen her new haircut?
• We've been invited to Rachel and Jamie's wedding - speaking of which, did you know that they're moving to Ealing?
• Speaking as (= With my experience as) a mother of four, I can tell you that children are exhausting.
• Sue speaks with an American accent.
• Why are you speaking in a whisper (= very quietly)?
• For five whole minutes, neither of them spoke a word (= they both said nothing).
Thesaurus⁺: ↑Saying and uttering ↑Saying again

2. broadly/historically/strictly, etc. speaking
talking from a particular point of view
• Historically speaking, the island is of great interest.
• Generally speaking, it's quite a good school.
• Strictly speaking (= If I behave according to the rules), I should report it to the police.
Thesaurus⁺: ↑Lecturing and addressing
3. speak to sb
to tell someone that they have done something wrong
• The manager promised that she would speak to the person responsible.
Thesaurus⁺: ↑Chastising and rebuking

Common errors:
Warning: choose the correct verb!
To talk about two people or a group of people having a conversation, the most usual verb is talk:
✗ They spoke all night about their childhood memories.
• They talked all night about their childhood memories.

• Choking back my anger, I tried to speak calmly.
• She cleared her throat nervously before she began to speak.
• Can I speak to you confidentially?
• "Can I speak to Isobel, please?" "She's still in bed. I'll just go and see if she's conscious yet."
• It is considered bad manners in some cultures to speak with your mouth full of food.

LANGUAGE

4. <E > transitive to (be able to) talk in a language
• He speaks fluent French.
• How many foreign languages do you speak?
• I couldn't speak a word of (= I did not know any) Spanish when I got there.
• I couldn't work out what language they were speaking.
Thesaurus⁺: ↑Using other languages

• Unable to speak a word of the language, he communicated with his hands.
• They speak a language akin to French.
• Do you speak English?
• I'd like to speak English fluently.
• Do you speak Swedish?

FORMAL TALK

5. <A > intransitive to give a formal talk to a group of people
• Who is speaking in the debate tonight?
• The Queen speaks to the nation on television every Christmas.
• Janet is speaking for the motion (= trying to persuade the people listening that the idea is good) and Peter is speaking against (it) (= trying to persuade them that it is bad).
Thesaurus⁺: ↑Lecturing and addressing

• The audience clapped and cheered when she stood up to speak.
• I've deputed Lara Brown to speak for me at the conference.
• They invited her to speak especially because of her experience in inner cities.
• There was loud jeering from the opposition parties when the prime minister stood up to speak.
• He didn't want to be involved in the organization of the conference, although he was willing to attend and speak.

SUGGEST

6. intransitive + adverb or preposition transitive literary to show or express something without using words
• She was silent, but her eyes spoke her real feelings for him.
• The whole robbery spoke of (= made it seem that there had been) inside knowledge on the part of the criminals.
Thesaurus⁺: ↑Showing and demonstrating
Idioms: Speak when you're spoken to! ▪ none to speak of ▪ not be on speaking terms ▪ on speaking terms ▪ so to speak ▪ speak for yourself ▪ speak to somebody ▪ speak too soon ▪ speak volumes ▪ speak your mind ▪ speaks for itself
Phrasal Verbs: speak up ▪ speak up for somebody