While getting my students prepared for living in English-speaking countries, I see them face the same problem of being confused by multiple options of choice. And one of the confusions like that is the matter of choice between the four basic words associated with the subject of speaking itself by SPEAKING, TALKING, SAYING something, or TELLING someone something, in general.
We've got to position the following four (4) verbs properly into the two couples, as follows:
WHICH ONE DO I HAVE TO USE:
TO SPEAK OR TO TALK?
TO SAY OR TO TELL?
In order to give an ultimate answer to the question above and never again make a wrong choice, let's get a bit deeper into the meanings of the two couples above by setting the right definitions:
TO SPEAK (TO SOMEONE) vs
TO TALK (TO SOMEONE)
TO SPEAK - GOES FOR PRODUCING SPEECHES NOT NECESSARILY PRESUMING A MUTUAL DIALOGUE WITH ANYONE ELSE AT ALL.
TO TALK - GOES FOR PRODUCING AT LIST A DIALOGUE OR A POLYLOGUE GETTING AT LEAST TWO PEOPLE OR MORE INVOLVED IN THE CONVERSATION OR TALK.
TO SAY (WORDS) VS TO TELL (SOMEONE)
TO SAY - GOES FOR PRODUCING JUST A SOUND OR A WORD, A PHRASE AS SOMETHING WE CAN SOUND ALOUD WITHIN OUR SPEAKING
TO TELL - GOES FOR RATHER SOME INFORMATION DELIVERY TO THE ONE YOU ARE SPEAKING OR TALKING TO.
(TO BE CONTINUED WITH MORE PICS AND CLARIFICATIONS TO BE ADDED LATER)