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Questions tagged [speech]

Questions about spoken English.

Questions about spoken English, both formal and informal.

Speaking involves the articulation and intonation of the dialogue.

509 questions
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What is the difference between "here" and "over here"?

Sometimes people use "here/there" sometimes "over here/there" what is the difference?
dyatchenko
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6
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Changing from 1st Person to 2nd Person in the same paragraph?

I want to know if it's okay to change from 1st person (our,we) to 2nd person (you, your) in the same paragraph as follows: TV need not dictate our lives. There is a choice. We can either submit ourselves to continue living in the ‘twilight zone’ or…
Sherif
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What is correct: "You've got to be kidding me" or "You are too kind"

There is a question in my test that makes me confused. Here is the dialogue and I need to fill in the blank: A: You are a great dancer! B: _____. I dance terribly. That is what I remember (not word by word). I was reluctant between two choices:…
Dat
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4
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1 answer

Using word "hate" in American English

Having lived in the USA for several years I've noticed that Americans use the word "hate" a lot. What do they mean? Do they have hate emotion attached when they use this word? Or do they really mean "I don't like" when they say "I hate?" I use the…
bodacydo
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4
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Reported to Direct speech conversion

This is one of the questions in an exam. According to the official answer key, correct answer is (B). But I found that the most correct answer could be (A). Can any one please point out the right answer with justification? DIRECTIONS: The following…
Vikram
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3
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How to place pauses in a sentence when speaking?

I would like to know how to place pauses in a sentence when speaking (besides pauses on comma and semicolon) to deliver a better message to audiences. I researched this for a while but I don't find any formal documents on this subject on the…
bnguyen82
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1 answer

Is it right to say "How much do I owe you"?

When going to work today, I stopped to buy a bottle of water in a supermarket held by an anglophone from Nigeria. When it was time to ask him how much is the price of the bottle of water, as a good francophone I asked him : "How much do I owe you…
Edouard HINVI
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What does "I fort" stand for?

In Terry Pratchett's The Truth, Mr Tulip says "I fort" 5 times. "I fort that at the start" "I fort so!" (twice) "I fort you said this city was a -ing pushover?" "I fort we wanted to find.." Is this a kind of mispelling for "I thought" or…
Hemme
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What is this word spoken in this video and what does it mean?

Prior to the word/s I can't understand there was a discussion on what the historical sources of British individual civil freedoms have been. A few of the reasons given for these British values have included things such as the Magna Carta, the…
Zebrafish
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How common are "shooken" and "tooken" in spoken speech?

I've been constantly been hearing the non-standard forms "tooken" and "shooken" in many people's spoken speech (particularly in the Northeast of the USA). Does anyone know when these forms originated and when and how they are used in place of shook…
TheAsh
  • 562
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Should I pause before or after the "that" of an object clause?

For example, if I want to pause in speech, which way is better: I {a very long adverb phrase} realized | that English is so useful but not easy to master. or I {a very long adverb phrase} realized that | English is so useful but not easy to…
an0
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5 answers

Alternative expressions to 'you have to trust me''

In novels, movies etc. especially when someone asks or tells to do something rather risky, new etc. they say 'you have to trust me' which sounds a bit dramatic to me. What alternatives for this expression for everyday, common usage can you…
user73373
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Which one is correct "I have a lot of free time." OR "I have much free time."

Which one is correct and should be used I have a lot of free time. OR I have much free time.
Melad Basilius
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I think "The man who I thought was thoroughly honest proved to be a swindler" is acceptable. But my book says the answer should be "whom"

I got this question from a book. In opinion both whom and who sounds correct. The Question is. "The man whom i thought was thoroughly honest proved to be a swindler." But my book says the answer should be "whom".
Dev
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Is it possibly to say "take this" or "take that"?

Sometimes could be see sentences like "take this one". And I don't know which one is correct.
Klony Rowan
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