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Pastsimple Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Speak/talk: He's speaking about...

Hello,

I think I'm aware of all the theory behind say/speak/tell/talk but I do have one question:

Imagine a lecturer giving a lecture on astronomy with no participation from the audience (they are just listeners). Can I say He's talking about astronomy or do I have to say He's speaking about astronomy as the textbooks suggest?

I think I've heard the former somewhere but I might be mistaken.

Thanks in advance for your asnwers. Emotion: smile
  

Top answer

'He's talking about,' is less formal but more is commonly said in the UK.

— Dave Phillips

  • 'He's talking about,' is less formal but more is commonly said in the UK.
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4 Answers
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'He's talking about,' is less formal but more is commonly said in the UK.
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Hi,

Here's some thing else to ponder.

We refer to such a person as a speaker, not as a talker, in sentences like
I will now introduce tonight's speaker. . . .

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But I can say The speaker was talking about maths, can't I? Emotion: smile

Here's something else to ponder, too:

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Yes you can, and yes they do.
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