- VERB 说话;讲话
When you speak, you use your voice in order to say something.
- He tried to speak, but for once, his voice had left him...
他想说话,却一时语塞。 - He speaks with a lisp...
他说话口齿不清。 - I rang the hotel and spoke to Louie...
我打电话到酒店,跟路易通了话。 - She says she must speak with you at once...
她说她必须立刻跟你谈谈。 - She cried when she spoke of Oliver.
她提起奥利弗的时候哭了。 - ...as I spoke these idiotic words.
当我说这些傻话的时候
- VERB 发言;演说
When someone speaks to a group of people, they make a speech.
- When speaking to the seminar Mr Franklin spoke of his experience, gained on a recent visit to Trinidad...
在研讨会上发言的时候,富兰克林先生谈到了他最近游览特立尼达的经历。 - He's determined to speak at the Democratic Convention...
他决定在民主党全国代表大会上发言。 - The President spoke of the need for territorial compromise.
总统谈到了在领土问题上达成和解的必要性。
There are some differences in the way the verbs speak and talk are used. When you speak, you could, for example, be addressing someone or making a speech. Talk is more likely to be used when you are referring to a conversation or discussion. I talked about it with my family at dinner... Sometimes we'd talk all night. Talk can also be used to emphasize the activity of saying things, rather than the words that are spoken. She thought I talked too much.
speak 和 talk 的用法有所不同。speak 可以指向某人发表讲话或演讲,talk 多用于指谈话或讨论。例如:I talked about it with my family at dinner (进餐的时候,我和家里人谈论了这个问题),Sometimes we'd talk all night (有时候我们会谈上一整夜)。talk 也用来强调说话的动作而不是说话的内容,例如:She thought I talked too much (她认为我话太多了)。
- VERB 代表…讲话;充当…的代言人
If you speak for a group of people, you make their views and demands known, or represent them.
- He said it was the job of the Church to speak for the underprivileged...
他说,为贫困群体说话是教会的义务。 - I speak for all 7,000 members of our organization...
我代表本组织的 7,000 名成员发言。 - Obviously I can't speak for other people, but certainly no one I know would entertain the idea.
我显然不能代表其他人的意见,可是我认识的人当中肯定没有人会有这样的想法。
- VERB (会)讲,说(外语)
If you speak a foreign language, you know the language and are able to have a conversation in it.
- He doesn't speak English...
他不会讲英语。 - Many of them can speak two or three or more languages.
他们当中许多人都会说两三门语言,有的人甚至更多。
- VERB (在文中)谈起,提到
People sometimes mention something that has been written by saying what the author speaks of .
- In the book she speaks of his “social ineptitude” and says he verbally abused her...
她在书中提到他“缺乏社交技能”,并且说他曾经对她出言不逊。 - St Paul speaks of the body as the 'temple of the Holy Spirit'.
圣保罗把身体描述为“圣神的宫殿”。
- V-RECIP (吵架之后)不说话,不搭理
If two people are not speaking, they no longer talk to each other because they have quarrelled.
- He is not speaking to his mother because of her friendship with his ex-wife...
因为母亲和前妻仍旧保持着友好的关系,他便不再和母亲说话。 - The co-stars are still not speaking.
两位联袂主演的明星仍然互不理睬。
- VERB 表明;显示
If you say that something speaks to you of a quality, experience, or feeling, you mean that it is evidence of it or expresses it.
- His behaviour spoke of an early maturity...
他的举止流露出早熟的痕迹。 - The length of the car and the high polish of its fittings both spoke of money...
长车身和高档配置无不象征着财富。 - Their music speaks to us with an innate grandeur we can all understand.
他们的音乐里流露出一种我们都能体会到的天生的高贵。
- VERB 不言而喻
If you say that something speaks for itself, you mean that its meaning or quality is so obvious that it does not need explaining or pointing out.
- ...the figures speak for themselves — low order books, bleak prospects at home and a worsening outlook for exports...
这些数字本身就说明了问题——订单订购量低,国内销售前景惨淡,出口形势日趋恶化。 - The results speak for themselves.
结局不言自明。
- See also: speaking
- CONVENTION 你说的只是你的看法;这只是你的高见
If you say 'Speak for yourself' when someone has said something, you mean that what they have said is only their opinion or applies only to them.
- 'We're not blaming you,' Kate said. 'Speak for yourself,' Boris muttered.
“我们没有怪你,”凯特说。“也就是你这么想,”鲍里斯嘟囔道。
- PHRASE 已被预订;早已订购;已经许给别人
If a person or thing is spoken for or has been spoken for, someone has claimed them or asked for them, so no-one else can have them.
- She'd probably drop some comment about her 'fiancé' into the conversation so that he'd think she was already spoken for...
她可能会在谈话的时候不着痕迹地对她的“未婚夫”作些评论,这样他便会认为她已经名花有主了。 - By December last year most of the resources had been spoken for.
去年 12 月之前,绝大多数的资源就被预订了。
- 行动胜于言语
If you say that actions speak louder than words, you mean that people's actions show their real attitudes, rather than what they say. This expression is sometimes used to advise a person to do something positive.
- PHRASE (没什么)值得一提
Nothing to speak of means 'hardly anything' or 'only unimportant things'.
- They have no weaponry to speak of...
他们没有什么武器值得炫耀。 - 'Any fresh developments?' — 'Nothing to speak of.'
“有什么新进展了吗?”——“谈不上什么新进展。”
- PHRASE 更不用说
You can use not to speak of when adding something which your previous statement also applies to, or applies to even more than other things.
- This move caused consternation among universities and the government, not to speak of the students affected.
这个举措在大学和政府里造成了恐慌,更不用说受到影响的学生们了。
- PHRASE 说…的好话/坏话;称赞/批评
If you speak well of someone or speak highly of someone, you say good things about them. If you speak ill of someone, you criticize them.
- Both spoke highly of the Russian president...
双方均盛赞俄罗斯总统。 - It seemed she found it difficult to speak ill of anyone.
她似乎觉得说别人的坏话很难。
- PHRASE 可以说;可谓
You use so to speak to draw attention to the fact that you are describing or referring to something in a way that may be amusing or unusual rather than completely accurate.
- I ought not to tell you but I will, since you're in the family, so to speak...
我本来不该告诉你的,但我还是要这么做,因为好歹你是家里的一员。 - The five countries have now all passed, so to speak, their entry test.
可以说,这5个国家现在都已经通过了入门考试。
- PHRASE 见面交谈的;相识的
If you are on speaking terms with someone, you are quite friendly with them and often talk to them.
- For a long time her mother and her grandmother had hardly been on speaking terms.
很久以来,她的母亲和外婆两人之间几乎不怎么说话。
- to speak your mind → see: mind