speak out
If you speak out against something or in favour of something, you say publicly that you think it is bad or good.
As tempers rose, he spoke out strongly against some of the radical ideas for selling off state-owned property.
随着火气越来越大,他公开对出售国有资产的一些激进观点表示强烈反对。
speak up
If you speak up, you say something, especially to defend a person or protest about something, rather than just saying nothing.
Uncle Herbert never argued, never spoke up for himself.
赫伯特叔叔从不与人争吵,也从不为自己辩护。
If you ask someone to speak up, you are asking them to speak more loudly.
I'm quite deaf – you'll have to speak up.
我耳朵很背——你得大声点说。
be spoken for
If a person or thing is spoken for or has been spoken for, someone has claimed them or asked for them, so no one else can have them.
She'd probably drop some comment about her 'fiancé' into the conversation so that he'd think she was already spoken for.
她很可能会在交谈中故意提到她的“未婚夫”,这样他就会知道她已名花有主了。
speak well of someone , speak highly of someone , speak ill of someone
If you speak well of someone or speak highly of someone, you say good things about them. If you speak ill of someone, you criticize them.
Both spoke highly of the Russian president.
双方都高度评价了那位俄罗斯总统。
so to speak
You use so to speak to draw attention to the fact that you are describing or referring to something in a way that may be amusing or unusual rather than completely accurate.
I ought not to tell you but I will, since you're in the family, so to speak.
我本来不该告诉你的,但我还是要这么做,因为好歹你是家里的一员。
speaking as something
You can say 'speaking as a parent' or 'speaking as a teacher', for example, to indicate that the opinion you are giving is based on your experience as a parent or as a teacher.
Well, speaking as a journalist, I'm dismayed by the amount of pressure there is for pictures of combat.
嗯,作为一名新闻工作者,拍摄战争场面的巨大压力让我深感不安。
generally speaking , technically speaking
You use speaking in expressions such as generally speaking and technically speaking to indicate which things or which particular aspect of something you are talking about.
Generally speaking there was no resistance to the idea.
总的说来没有人反对这个观点。
speaks , speaking , spoke , spoken
When you speak, you use your voice in order to say something.
He tried to speak, but for once, his voice had left him.
他试图说话,却一时语塞。
I rang the hotel and spoke to Louie.
我打电话给宾馆,跟路易通了话。
She cried when she spoke of Oliver.
她提起奥利弗时哭了。
When someone speaks to a group of people, they make a speech.
When speaking to the seminar Mr Franklin spoke of his experience, gained on a recent visit to Trinidad.
在研讨会上发言时,富兰克林先生谈到了他最近一次在特立尼达访问时所获得的经验。
He's determined to speak at the Democratic Convention.
他决心在民主党大会上发言。
If you speak for a group of people, you make their views and demands known, or represent them.
He said it was the job of the Church to speak for the underprivileged.
他说为弱势群体说话是教会的职责。
I speak for all 7,000 members of our organization.
我代表本组织的全体7000名成员发言。
If you speak a foreign language, you know the language and are able to have a conversation in it.
He doesn't speak English.
他不会说英语。
People sometimes mention something that has been written by saying what the author speaks of.
Throughout the book Liu speaks of the abuse of Party power.
刘在全书中都谈到党权的滥用问题。
If two people are not speaking, they no longer talk to each other because they have argued.
He is not speaking to his mother because of her friendship with his ex-wife.
因为母亲和前妻仍旧保持着友好的关系,他便不再和母亲说话。
If you say that something speaks for itself, you mean that its meaning or quality is so obvious that it does not need explaining or pointing out.
the figures speak for themselves – bleak prospects at home and a worsening outlook for exports.
这些数字本身就能说明问题–国内销售前景暗淡,出口形势日趋恶化。