说英语，当然是要“说”，但你是say呢，还是speak呢，还是talk呢，还是tell？
这四个是关于“说”动作的最基本的4个动词，在大部分的对话中，你都需要用到它们。搞清楚他们之间的区别，对你的英语学习很有帮助。
BUT，光是看它们之间的解释，你能看出区别吗？
SAY
释义：to express an idea, feeling, thought etc. using words
SPEAK
释义：to talk to someone about something
TALK
释义：to say things to someone as part of a conversation
TELL
释义：if someone tells you something, they communicate information, a story, their feelings etc. to you
完了，光是看词典意思的话，看里看去似乎都像是一个意思。怎么办？简单，直接看它们之间最大的不同——用法就行了。
SAY
用法：
1. Say is used with direct and indirect speech
2. Say is most often used without a personal object.
3. If we want to put a personal object after say, we use to.
其实简单来说，say描述的是说话的内容，比如“他说了他一定会来”。如果要表达和谁说了什么的意思，要说“say to”。
例句：
She said you can’t go.
“Don’t cry,” she said to me.
Anything he says is not true.
I don’t know why she went away, because she didn’t say.
SPEAK
用法：
1. Speak is often used for one-way communication and for exchanges in more serious or formal situations.
2. Speak is the usual word to refer to knowledge and use of languages.
与say描述说话内容不同，speak描述的是说话的动作，或者是单方面的谈话。比如“他没有说话”，“他向我说话”。Speak还有演讲的意思，“说某种语言”也是用speak。
例句：
Hello, may I speak to Jim Smith?
Sorry, I don’t want to speak.
Excuse me, can you speak Chinese?
Robert spoke at the teachers' annual convention.
TALK
用法：
1. There is not very much difference between speak and talk.
2. Talk is the more usual word to refer to conversational exchanges and informal communication.
虽说与speak的用法差不多，但speak是指单方面说话，而talk则是两者之间互相的、非正式的交谈。
例句：
Bill Gates is talking to him.
English people love to talk about the weather.
Look, they are talking in English.
I like to talk with Helena.
TELL
用法：
1. used with direct and indirect speech
2. after tell, we usually say who is told, i.e., tell someone something
3. only used to mean ‘instruct’ or ‘inform’
4. Tell is used to tell someone to do something
5. Tell is not used before objects like a word, a name, a sentence, a phrase.
6. We do not usually use it after tell to refer to a fact.
7. tell someone again (repeat)
这些用法看似复杂，其实不然。简单地说，tell是告诉的意思，也就是把一些信息传递出去，让某个人接收到这个信息。另外，tell还有“辨识”的意思。
例句：
Tell Jack to attend the meeting.
Tell Jack the meeting is canceled.
Mary told a story to her son.
Now, I can tell the differences among the words SAY, SPEAK TALK and TELL.
看完了这些单词用途的不同后，你对它们的认识是否更加深入了？让我来为你总结一下这4个单词的常见意思：
Say是“说了某某话”；
Speak是说话的动作，或“向某人说话”；
Talk也是说话的动作，但是“两人或以上互相对话”；
Tell是“告诉”的意思，也就是通过语言传递信息给别人，还有“辨识”的意思。
如果你对它们的感觉还是比较模糊，可以抽空注意一下老外们都是如何使用它们的，要知道模仿是很重要的学习途径。
亲，您还可以通过输入关键字“交换生”或是“美国留学”等等来获取交换生项目的进一步信息。或者加戴老师QQ：784214284；刘老师QQ：732415890
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