Communicating ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

UNIT 9

Communicating

A

Collocations with say, speak, talk and tell I wouldn’t say no to a nice cup of tea. [informal: I’d really like] Needless to say / It goes without saying that the workers voted in favour of the wage increase. Jana didn’t say a word when I told her I was leaving. Generally speaking, people are aware of the environmental consequences of their actions. Strictly speaking, a tomato is a fruit and not a vegetable because it contains seeds. She always speaks very highly of you. [says good things about you] Charlie, stop mumbling and speak properly. I can’t understand a word you’re saying. [generally used by parents or teachers to children, not between adults] Now we’ve got to know each other, I think it’s time we talked business. At first, Andrew appears to be talking nonsense but after a while you realise he’s actually talking a lot of sense. I’ll tell you a secret but please don’t tell anyone else. The old woman looked at Glen’s palm and began to tell his fortune. [predict his future life]

B

Collocations meaning communicate example comment I asked why she didn’t trust him but she wouldn’t give me a reason. NOT say a reason The charity states its aim as being to help underprivileged children. (formal) also state your purpose/goal The staff on reception required each visitor to state their business before issuing them with an entry permit. (formal) = say what their intentions are In her lecture Lucia gave an account of her trip to the Andes. used about both speech and writing The speech got the message about the policy changes across. (informal) = conveyed the idea I declare Hiroshi Yamamoto the winner of the gold medal. (formal) statement made at the time of the win He was pronounced dead at 1.10. (formal) used when making an official statement of death The old man tried to impart his knowledge to his sons. (formal) = transfer knowledge; also impart wisdom That journalist gets amazing stories but he won’t divulge his sources. (formal) = make something secret known; also divulge a secret The internet is a powerful means of disseminating information. (formal) = spreading information to a lot of people We notified the police of the burglary. (formal) = officially informed Although found guilty, Robson continued to protest his innocence. (formal) = insist he was not guilty He professed ignorance of the dent to the car but I think he was lying. (formal) = claimed – perhaps insincerely – that he did not know Did you break the news to her that her mother is in prison? used for news that is very upsetting

EXERCISES

9.1	Complete each sentence with the appropriate form of say, speak, talk or tell. 1 Strictly____________ , you shouldn’t be here. 2 Joel ____________me a secret and made me promise not to pass it on to anyone else. 3 It goes without ____________that we’ll invite you to our wedding. 4 I spend most days with my three-year-old son, so forgive me if I start ____________nonsense. 5 The teachers always ____________very highly of my son’s abilities. 6 I had my fortune ____________at the fair yesterday. 7 It’s so hot. I wouldn’t ____________no to an ice cream, would you? 8 Shall we have lunch first and then sit down to ____________business? 9 I think that, generally ____________, it’s better to use public transport than drive yourself.
9.2	Rewrite the underlined part of each sentence to make it more formal. 1 The victim was asked why he had not told the police sooner about the mugging. 2 The older generation has always attempted to pass its wisdom on to young people. 3 Stockman has always insisted that he is innocent. 4 Robert claimed that he knew nothing of the damage to the car. 5 The reporter had no option but to explain where she had got her information from. 6 The doctors said he was dead when they arrived at the scene of the accident. 7 The judges said that Magda Karlson had won the competition. 8 The charity does a great deal to inform people about its activities.
9.3	Are these sentences correct or incorrect? If they are incorrect, correct them. 1 Do you think I managed to give the message across in my speech? 2 Needless to say, he didn’t tell a word to his parents about what had happened. 3 You can’t chew gum and say properly at the same time. 4 He refused to say his reasons for turning down our invitation. 5 She was devastated when we dropped the news to her. 6 In your report we would like you to give a detailed account of what happened. 7 I really like this documentary maker; she tells a lot of sense. 8 At the beginning of your dissertation you must say your goals clearly.
9.4	Use a dictionary to find nouns to complete these phrases based on collocations in B. 1 ______________ of innocence in the face of evidence to the contrary 2 a company’s ______________ of aims 3 ______________ of information among the population 4 ______________ of a crime to the police 5 ______________ of the winner of a competition
9.5	Use a dictionary to complete these collocation forks.

ANSWER KEY

9.1 1 speaking        6 told 2 told                7 say 3 saying            8 talk 4 talking           9 speaking 5 speak 9.2 1 notified 2 impart its wisdom 3 protested his innocence 4 professed ignorance 5 divulge her sources 6 pronounced him 7 declared Magda Karlson the winner of 8 disseminate information 9.3 1 Do you think I managed to get the message across in my speech? 2 Needless to say, he didn’t say a word to his parents about what had happened. 3 You can’t chew gum and speak properly at the same time. 4 He refused to give his reasons for turning down our invitation. 5 She was devastated when we broke the news to her. 6 Correct 7 I really like this documentary maker; she talks a lot of sense. 8 At the beginning of your dissertation you must state your goals clearly. 9.4 1 protestation(s) (The noun protest is not accurate here because it carries a meaning of opposition. Protestation, however, means a declaration, which echoes the meaning of protest in the collocation protest one’s innocence, meaning to declare one’s innocence.) 2 statement 3 dissemination 4 notification 5 declaration 9.5 Possible answers: 1 declare war on, declare independence, declare support for 2 impart bad news, impart facts, impart knowledge 3 divulge information, divulge secrets, divulge confidential details