Basic Details
Word: Speaking
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Saying words aloud or talking; also giving a talk to a group of people.
Synonyms: talking, saying, addressing
How to Spell Speaking
Syllables: speak - ing
Tricky part: The long e sound in speak is spelt ea, not ee, so speeking is wrong. Then ing is added with no change.
Watch out for: speeking, spaeking, speakin
Memory tip: You speak with your mouth, but others hear you with an ear, and speak holds the e-a that starts ear.
Idioms and Phrases
- on speaking terms: friendly enough to talk to each other, often after a quarrel. Example: "After the fight over the cricket bat, the two brothers were not on speaking terms for a day."
- generally speaking: in most cases. Example: "Generally speaking, the trains in our town run on time."
Usage Examples
Example 1: Speaking clearly is more important than speaking fast.
Example 2: The chief guest was speaking about road safety when the lights went off.
Example 3: My grandmother enjoys speaking Kannada with her old school friends.
Fun Fact
Fear of public speaking is very common and has its own name, glossophobia, from the Greek glossa, tongue.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Pick the word closest in meaning to speaking in this sentence:
Speaking at the morning assembly made Arjun nervous at first.
a) talking
b) listening
c) writing
d) reading
Show answer
a) talking. At the assembly Arjun had to talk to the whole school; the others are different skills.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Our debate coach says that clear speeking matters more than big words when you try to win over an audience.
a) audience
b) debate
c) speeking
d) clear
Show answer
c) speeking. Speak is spelt with ea, as in teach; audience, debate and clear are correct.
Mingle-Mangle
The jumbled word in the sentence hides a real word. Choose it:
In the group discussion, each of us took turns gnakpies for two minutes.
a) peaking
b) speaking
c) sneaking
d) sparking
Show answer
b) speaking. Sparking would need an r and sneaking a second n, while peaking leaves out the s, so speaking it is.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In 'Strictly speaking, a tomato is a fruit', strictly speaking means ____.
a) if we are being exact
b) in a foreign language
c) in a very loud voice
d) after a long argument
Show answer
a) if we are being exact
2. Choose the correct word: Yesterday she ____ to the principal.
a) speaked
b) spoken
c) speak
d) spoke
Show answer
d) spoke
