speaking

«speaking» in Mova's school dictionary: the -ing form of «speak», which means to say words, to talk — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

verb form (speaking, from speak: speak, speaks, spoke, spoken, speaking); noun (speaking — uncountable); adjective (English-speaking etc.)

meaning for a pupil

1) Speaking is the -ing form of «speak», which means to say words, to talk. tree →

2) Speaking is the skill of talking, especially to a group (public speaking). tree →

3) -speaking means using a language, as in an English-speaking country. tree →

sense in the lessons

In school, «speaking and listening» is a key skill: taking turns, speaking clearly, looking at your audience, not interrupting. On the phone, «Speaking!» means «This is me». In everyday life, «Generally speaking» means usually, and «strictly speaking» means if we are exact. In geography, English-speaking countries include the UK, Ireland, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In stories, «speaking» shows who says what. «We're not speaking» means two people have fallen out.

examples

• She is speaking to the class about her trip. tree →
• Please wait until I've finished speaking. tree →
• Speaking in front of people can be scary. tree →
• «Can I talk to Sam?» «Speaking!» tree →
• Canada is an English- and French-speaking country. tree →
• Generally speaking, cats sleep a lot. tree →
• We practised our speaking skills in a debate. tree →
• “Nibs is speaking with his mouth full.” tree →

note

Verb: speak, spoke, spoken (irregular; not «speaked»). «Speak» vs «talk»: both are close; «speak» is a bit more formal and used for languages (speak French). «Speak to» or «speak with» someone. «Spoken» is the past participle: «English is spoken here».

In the corpora

• Some relatives get on, some do not, and a few stop speaking for years.
• A free country gives people many freedoms, like speaking and voting, but freedom still has limits set by law.
• Speaking loudly and clearly enough for the back row matters more than fancy words; this is called projecting your voice.
• A good reader asks: who is speaking, and are they being kind, polite, joking, or hiding something?
• If someone is upset with you, staying calm and speaking quietly helps them calm down too.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «speaking» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.