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Renan Resende Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Speak of/about

I've been reading these sentences and just wondered if there is any difference between them.

He spoke of (...)
He spoke about (...)

or

I thought of (...)
I thought about (...)

They both seem to have the same meaning (using either of or about) so I'd like to know if maybe one is more formal than the other or if one is british while the other is american, I don't know - couldn't find anything on google.
  

Top answer

I 'm not sure they have the same meaning. When you use of as in think of, or speak of, there is the sense of something known, specific and more definite than when you use about. If you said think of what you have done would mean think of that specific action.

— Ian_G

  • I 'm not sure they have the same meaning.
  • When you use of as in think of, or speak of, there is the sense of something known, specific and more definite than when you use about.
  • If you said think of what you have done would mean think of that specific action.
  • Whereas think about what you have done means more than just the specific action itself, but also the consequences and what can be learned from that to guide future actions.
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1 Answers
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I 'm not sure they have the same meaning. When you use of as in think of, or speak of, there is the sense of something known, specific and more definite than when you use about.

If you said think of what you have done would mean think of that specific action. Whereas think about what you have done means more than just the specific action itself, but also the conse
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