say
1 saying what you know, think, feel, want, etc
2 choosing the words that you use to say sth
see also INFORM, SPEAK, WRITE, CONVERSATION
1 saying what you know, think, feel, want, etc
- to give information or show in words what you think, feel, want, etc: say* sth (to sb), tell* sb (sth)
He says he doesn't believe you. ◎ What does it say in the letter? ◎ 'I'll call back later,' she said. ◎ Did he tell you his new address? ◎ He wrote to tell us that his father had died.
- to say or write sth, often formally: state sth; noun: statement
Please state what the problem is in writing. ◎ a political statement ◎ You'll have to come to the police station to make a statement.
- to say sth that there is no doubt what you mean: make* sth/yourself clear/plain
Have I made myself clear? ◎ He made it clear that he wouldn't be coming back.
- to say that sth is (definitely) true: confirm sth; noun (U): confirmation
Please write to confirm that you will be arriving on 2 May. ◎ We're still waiting for confirmation of the news.
- to say that sth is not true: deny sth/doing sth; noun: denial
He denied being involved in the fight. ◎ The Government issued an official denial.
- to say what is true: tell* (sb) the truth
- to say sth which you know is not true: lie (to sb) (about sth), tell* (sb) a lie
- to say sth which you do not want to be told to any other person: tell* (sb) a secret
※ more on telling the truth, a lie, a secret TRUE, LIE, SECRET
- to say what you think or feel: express sth; noun (C/U): expression
Don't be afraid to express your opinion. ◎ I'd like to express my gratitude for all your help. ◎ freedom of expression (= freedom to say what you think)
- to say sth suddenly because of pain, anger, surprise, etc: exclaim sth; noun: exclamation
'Ouch!' he exclaimed suddenly. ◎ an exclamation of surprise
※ saying sth quickly or briefly
- to say sth about sb/sth, usually briefly: mention sb/sth, refer to sb/sth; nouns (C/U): mention, reference
Did he mention what time he would arrive? ◎ The next speaker referred to the problem of air pollution, but only briefly. ◎ There was no mention of the riots in the paper. ◎ The article included reference to several MPs.
- to say sth, usually briefly, that shows what you think or feel about sth: remark (on/upon sth), comment (on sth); an act of saying sth in this way: remark, comment (noun C/U)
Would you like to comment on what has happened? ◎ He made some very unkind remarks about what I was wearing. ◎ 'Do you like this hat?' 'No comment!'
- to draw a person's attention to sth: point sth out
I think I should point out that if we don't leave soon we'll miss the train.
- concerning a particular point or topic: (formal) with regard/reference to ※¦, (formal) regarding ※¦
And now, regarding your query ※¦
※ saying sth publicly
- to make sth known publicly, in an official way: announce sth
Mr Stubbs has just announced his resignation.
- a statement that tells people about sth: announcement
I'd like to make an important announcement.
- a person who announces things for a government, organization, etc: spokesman, spokeswoman, spokesperson
- if you disagree with what most people think, and say publicly that you think something is bad or wrong, you speak* out (against sth)
She spoke out against cruelty to animals.
※ saying sth strongly or directly
- to say sth clearly and firmly: declare sth, assert sth; nouns (C/U): declaration, assertion
the scene where Romeo declares his love for Juliet ◎ 'I'm going,' she declared.' ◎ to assert your innocence ◎ He was found guilty despite his repeated assertions that he was innocent.
- to say sth strongly because you think it is important: stress sth, emphasize sth; nouns (U): stress, emphasis
I'd like to stress how important it is to be ready on time. ◎ She emphasized the importance of being punctual.
- to say that sth is bigger, better, worse, etc than it really is: exaggerate (sth); noun (C/U): exaggeration
She's always exaggerating. ◎ His story was full of exaggerations.
※ saying sth weakly or indirectly
- to say sth in a gentle or indirect way: hint (at) sth, suggest sth, imply sth; something that is said in this way: hint, suggestion (noun U), implication (noun C/U)
What do you think he was trying to hint at? ◎ He implied that he thought I was lying. ◎ I thought he would understand what I meant, but he didn't take the hint. ◎ There was no suggestion that anyone had acted improperly. ◎ I didn't like the implications of what she was saying. ◎ He blames me and, by implication, my whole family for his unhappiness.
※ adding to what you have said
- to say sth more: add sth
'Give my love to Paul,' she added.
- to say sth again, or to say sth that another person has said: repeat sth
Sorry, I missed that - could you repeat what you just said? ◎ Repeat these sentences after me.
※ words that show that you are adding sth to what you have said AND/OR/BUT
2 choosing the words that you use to say sth
- to say sth in a particular way: express sth, word sth; noun (singular): wording
You haven't expressed this very clearly. ◎ The letter was very carefully worded. ◎ The wording of the contract was rather vague.
- to say sth in a different way, for example to make it easier to understand or to make it sound more polite, etc: rephrase sth, reword sth, paraphrase sth; noun: paraphrase
Could you rephrase the question, please? ◎ to give a paraphrase of sth
- as another way of saying the same thing: in other words
'I've looked everywhere and I can't find it.' 'In other words, you've lost it.'
- as another way of describing or identifying the same thing: that is, that is to say
We live in a democracy - that is, a country with a freely elected government.
- as a short form of what you have said: to sum up, to summarize, in short
Things couldn't be worse, financially: in short, we're broke.
- if you want to give more exact information, you can say at any rate, anyway
They said they would come early, or at any rate before eight o' clock.
- if you want to correct what you have just said, you can say at least
That's the best film I've ever seen, or at least, the best this year.
- when you think that sb may misunderstood what you have just said, you can say not that ※¦
This music is very loud. Not that I dislike it. I would just prefer something quieter.
※ quotation
- to repeat the exact words of sb/sth: quote sb/sth; noun (U): quotation
He's always quoting Shakespeare.
- the words that you quote: quotation, (informal) quote
Make sure you include a few relevant quotations from the text. ◎ a quote from the Bible
- to quote sb/sth wrongly: misquote sb/sth
The bishop complained that he was frequently misquoted in the press.
- a short well-known sentence which people often quote (for example: 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket.'): saying, proverb
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