Practice

Now, you try it!

First, read more about talk and speak below. Then, practice using those words in the Comments section. Try making one sentence with talk and one with speak.

You can write about:

a conversation with a friend
a conversation with a group
someone’s language skills
a professor at a national event
a manager and his/her workers
or anything else you choose
In each sentence, be sure to use the correct word: talk or speak!

Talk | Speak
Talk and speak both mean “to say words.” But there are some differences in the ways we use each word.

Talk is less formal than speak. It is usually used for informal conversations between two or more people.

He wants to talk to you.
They talked for three hours.
Let’s talk about ideas for the show.
I can’t talk right now. I’ll call you later.
Speak is usually used for communication in more serious or formal situations. It is also used in polite requests and to talk about language ability.

She spoke on the news about world hunger.
May I speak to the manager?
Which languages do you speak?
I speak French and Haitian Creole.
Test Yourself
Test yourself on what you've learned so far!

Lesson 21 has grammar from many lessons in Level 2. See how much you can find! Look for sentences in Lesson 21 with:

Indirect questions
Reported speech
Reflexive pronouns
Adverb clauses
Present perfect
Prepositions
Then, write those sentences in the Comments section. For example:

Sue says, “You know, when I found these pieces, they were broken and in a dumpster.” (Adverb clause: “when I found these pieces”)