Merry Christmas, everyone!
Talk, Say, Speak, Tell –
Those four words can be very confusing to remember which to say in which situation. I have a good link to a write-up here on “talk,” “say,” “speak,” and “tell”:
http://faculty.washington.edu/marynell/grammar/tellsay.html
When you think you have understood that lesson, here is a set of exercises you can try in order to see how well you understood:
http://usefulenglish.ru/vocabulary/synonyms-exercise-one
If there are a few you did not get correct and want to ask me why during our appointment, please feel free.
The thing that I notice is that students tend to say, “I need to tell you a question.”
Can you see what is wrong with that question? Think for a moment before you look at the answer.
Yes, they should have said, “I need to ask you a question.”
The word, “tell” is for statements or directives. The word “ask” is the appropriate one when someone needs to ask a question. It is best to just practice the phrase, “ask a question.” For practice, every time today you need to ask someone a question, take a moment to think in English, “I need to ask (person) a question.” This will give you the practice to say it correctly each time.
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