Talking
1- Say (say / said / said):
* We use say when we report someone's words.
-She said 'This is horrible!'
-He said that he wanted a drink.
* We use say when we ask about language.
-A: How do you say 'book' in Spanish?
B: 'Libro'.
* We say hello / goodbye, please / thank you
Happy Birthday / Merry Chrismas / Happy New Year / Congratulations.
2- Tell (tell / told / told):
* Tell is usually followed immediately by a person. Say is not followed immediately by a person.
-He told me his name. {Not he said me his name}.
* We use tell when we want to know how to gwt to a place.
-Can you tell me where the bus station is, please? {Not can you say me...?}.
*We use tell with other wh- words too (when, how, why, where).
- You can tell someone how to do something, where something is, why something happened:
He told me how to send a fax.
Tell me when you want to have dinner.
*You can tell someone the time / a story / a joke / your name/ address / telephone number.
3- Ask:
*Ask is used for questions.
-My sister asked me where I was going. (or: My sister asked (me) 'Where are you going?'
*You can ask someone the way / the time / a question.
-She asked for the bill. (or: She said 'Can I have the bill please?')
4- Speak / talk / answer / reply:
-Do you speak Japanese? {Not do you talk Japanese?}.
-I like talking to you. (having a conversation with you).
-Can you answer the telephone / the door, please?
(pick up the phone / open the door to see who it is).
-I wrote a letter to him but he didn't reply.
(he didn't send me a letter back).
Reply→for letters / faxes / e-mails.
Tami
