Speak Better English with Harry | Episode 550

In this episode, you will learn 10 popular English expressions with speak and talk. These idioms are used every day in real conversations by native speakers. I explain each expression with clear examples so you can understand the meaning and start using them yourself.

Learning these English idioms will help you speak English more naturally, sound more fluent, and understand native speakers better. These are important expressions for advanced English speaking, useful for IELTS, TOEFL, or any exam, but also in daily conversation. If you want to improve English vocabulary, learn English phrases for speaking, and sound more confident in English, this video is for you.

Transcript

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Hi there, this is Harry. Welcome back to Advanced English Lessons with Harry, where I try to help you to get a better understanding of the English language, to help you with your conversational skills, your business English skills, interview skills, whatever your goals are, we're here to help. And for those of you and your friends or family who want one-to-one lessons, well, you know what to do. Just get in touch, www.englishlessonviaskype.com and you can apply for a free trial lesson and we'll be very happy to hear from you and very happy to help you. The lesson today is advanced English and it's idioms specific and really super idioms that you can use with speak and talk. As usual I have 10 in the list. I'll go through them and I'll outline them and then I'll give you some examples and then hopefully you'll get to understand how to use them, practice them. Okay let's go. To be on speaking terms with somebody or not to be on speaking terms with somebody. What this really means is that if we are on speaking terms with somebody, we know them. We know them to pick up the telephone or walk into their office or when we meet them on the street, we can talk to them. Yeah, I know the guy well. I mean he's not my best friend, but if you need a favor, if you want me to ask something, I'll give him a call and see if he can help you. Yeah, we're on good speaking terms. Certainly the last time I met him, he was very friendly. Okay, so to be on speaking terms, somebody you know, somebody who won't refuse you if you ask them for a favor. Now, if we're not on speaking terms, then it does mean something a little bit different. It usually means there's been an argument or perhaps a breakup of a relationship or some problem in a family. Oh, those two, they haven't been on speaking terms for years now. I can't remember the last time I heard either of them mention each other. So they had a fallout over something quite trivial. But you know, the way these family things work, they just got bigger and bigger. So no, they haven't been on speaking terms for many, many years now. Okay, next, to speak for yourself. Speak for yourself. Well, we use this in a sort of exclamation. Let me give you an example of this. So your husband or boyfriend says, oh, I think I'm putting on a little bit of weight. I think I need to go on the diet. In fact, why don't we both go on a diet? And you look at him and say, well, speak for yourself. My weight is fine. There's nothing wrong with me. I think you're the one who's got the problem, all those cakes you eat. So speak for yourself. So when we say speak for yourself, it means a little bit humorous and a way of saying, okay, whatever you're saying, it might refer to you, but it doesn't necessarily refer to me as well. Or somebody says, oh, I'm going to give up wine for the month before Christmas. And I think it will be good for us. Huh, speak for yourself. I enjoy my glass of wine on a Friday or a Saturday, so I'm definitely not giving up my wine. You can, if you wish, speak for yourself. Okay. Next, so to speak. Squeaky clean, so to speak. Now, we use so to speak when we want to indicate to somebody that we're using words in quite a funny way or a peculiar way or an unusual way. Okay, so we might be talking to, let's say, the boyfriend or girlfriend of your son or daughter. And you say, look, I shouldn't really be telling you this, but you're part of the family, so to speak. Yeah, so they're not quite the family because they haven't married your son or daughter yet, but they've been around the family for a long time. So you treat them as part of the family. So you can say, well, I shouldn't really be saying this to you, but I will anyway, because you are part of the family, so to speak. Okay, so we are indicating that they're not quite family, but we're treating them as family, so to speak. Okay, so we use it when we want to explain something that we're using words in a quite unusual, different, funny, peculiar, strange way. Okay. Speak volumes. Well, when we say speak volumes, it means it really underlines something. Yeah? Okay, so perhaps one country's attitude to another country speaks volumes for that country's feeling of superiority. Okay, so many, many years ago, the British Empire, as it was, controlled many different countries around the world. It was some of the Caribbean islands, or indeed even countries like Australia and New Zealand. And they looked down their noses at them a little bit in a superior way. And that spoke and would speak volumes of the attitude of those people to the people living in those other countries. So to speak volumes for something underlines the reason why we feel the way we do. Okay, so if we have a problem with our government and we're trying to get the government to or persuade them to give extra money to the poor people or the needy people, then it speaks volumes for the government if they refuse to do it in a negative way. So it underlines the fact that really the government are out of touch with the real people. So if the government say no, we're not going to make any extra payments, then it speaks volumes for their attitude towards the people that they don't really take these things seriously and they've lost touch with reality. So to speak volumes. Speak your mind. Well, I always encourage people, I've always encouraged my children and I always encourage anybody to speak their mind in a rational way and a respectful way. Speak your mind, son. So when you speak your mind, you tell people what you're thinking. You don't hide it. You don't pretend to be agreeing with somebody when you really don't agree with them. You speak your mind. You tell them what's on your mind, what you think, how you feel. Okay, so never be afraid to speak your mind, to offer your opinion, to give your view. So if somebody says, oh, look, I'd like you to work a little bit harder and I'd like you to work a little bit later and it would be really good for you for the future and it would be good for us to get the work done. You might not agree with that at all. If you disagree, then you should be prepared to speak your mind and say, well, actually, I don't agree with you on that. I mean, why don't you think I work hard or why don't you think I work late? Have you seen the work I've produced recently? So never be afraid to speak your mind. But of course, if you do, then it's really important to do it in a respectful way, yeah, and a really well-mannered way, not shouting and screaming. So to speak your mind. Like talking to a brick wall. Well, it's like talking to a brick wall. What did he say? This is a really good idiom. When we say like talking to a brick wall, if you stand and you talk to the wall, you're not going to get an answer. Well, hopefully, you're not going to get an answer. So when you have a problem with somebody and you feel they are not listening to you, or they don't follow your instructions, or they make no response, you stand there, it's like talking to a brick wall. I mean, they never answer, they never reply. Yeah, it's like talking to a brick wall. Always problems with teenage children. So you tell them what time they have to be home at. You tell them that they shouldn't drink. You tell them that they shouldn't smoke. You tell them that they have to study harder. All the instructions, directions, guidance that you give them, and you get no response. Oh, I don't know. I give up. It's like talking to a brick wall. When am I ever going to get through to that girl, Jenny? Just impossible. Okay, so like talking to a brick wall. To talk sense. Well, when we talk sense, obviously it's the opposite of talking nonsense. If it's nonsense, it doesn't make any sense. So somebody might say, ah, come on, talk sense. You can't do that. So somebody is saying, oh, okay, I'm just going to walk into the office. I'm going to tell the manager exactly what I think about him. I'm going to give him my resignation and that's it. I'm gone. Get my coat, get my bag, I'm gone. And your friend said, okay, and what are you going to do for a living? How are you going to pay your rent? How are you going to pay your mortgage? I'll get another job. Well, it's not so easy to get another job these days. So talk sense. Why don't you make an appointment with your manager, go in and talk to him and tell him you've got some problems. So don't go in shouting and screaming. Okay, so please talk sense. Or we might say it to our children when they come in and they're really excited and they're jumping up and down and okay, okay, slow down, talk sense. What are you saying? What are you trying to tell me? So when they get a little over excited or very, very nervous. So please talk sense. I might be able to understand it, to talk sense, to talk in a way that I can understand what you're saying. To talk someone's head off. Well, this is when we get a little bit or more than a little bit bored when somebody is talking and talking and talking. Oh my God, that neighbor. I was in the garden. I was only just hanging out the washing and she was talking to me for it seemed like hours and hours. I'm sure it wasn't. She just talked my head off. I mean, I couldn't get a word in. I mean, you'd ask her a simple question and she'd talk your head off. So she was yap, yap, yap, yap, yap, yap, yeah. So eventually I had to make an excuse that I had to run and pick up the kids and hope I didn't insult her in any way. So when somebody talks your head off, they talk constantly and in a way that you just get eventually bored and you just have to excuse yourself and disappear to talk someone's head off. And then talk the hind legs off a donkey. It's a little bit similar to talk the hind legs off a donkey, very old expression, the hind legs or the back legs, okay? And to talk the hind legs off a donkey means somebody who can talk as a sport. Like if it was in the Olympic Games talking, they'd get a gold medal every time. So to talk the hind legs of a donkey, when you start, you introduce a topic, they could go on forever. They have a comment, an opinion, a view on everything. They just talk and talk non-stop. So to talk the hind legs off a donkey. That young guy, I don't know where you got him from, but wow, he's amazing. Yeah, he can talk the hind legs off a donkey. Once you start in the classroom, he doesn't stop. You have to keep trying to interrupt, to talk the hind legs off a donkey. And then finally, talk the talk, walk the walk. There are two types of people. Those that talk the talk and those that walk the walk. Well, we use this expression when we tell somebody that if they're giving us advice or they're giving somebody else advice, it's really a good idea if they do or have done what they're telling us to do. So you say to them, okay, it's easy to tell somebody what to do, but it's not so easy to do it. So talk the talk means tell us, but walk the walk means actually do it. Yeah, okay. So if you're a manager of a football team and you're telling the guys, you've got to train a little bit harder, you've got to do these things a little bit tougher, then yeah, you've got to do it with them. You've got to show them what to do. So you can talk the talk, tell them what to do, but you've also got to walk the walk, get out there, run with them, train with them, do the same work in the gym. And it's the same goes for the kids. If you're telling them what to eat to eat healthy food, so there should be no fast food, there should be no bags of crisps, no fizzy drinks. So you tell them that this is good for their health, good for their teeth, good for their physique, yeah? Okay, maybe good for their mental health. But if you're sitting in the corner of the kitchen eating a bag of crisps or you're going to tuck into a big hamburger, well, they might come into you and say, dad, yeah, talk the talk, walk the walk. So if we can't eat that, then you can't eat it either. So talk the talk, walk the walk. Not just say it, but also do it. Put it into practice. Okay, so there are really, really super idioms connected with speak and talk. So I'll give them to you one more time. Ten. Yep. To be on speaking terms or not to be on speaking terms with somebody. Speak for yourself. So to speak. Speak volumes. Speak your mind. Like talking to a brick wall, like talking to a brick wall. Talk sense. Talk someone's head off. Talk the hind legs of a donkey. And then finally, talk the talk and walk the walk. Okay, well, hopefully you will enjoy those. Hopefully you'll understand them. And hopefully you'll be able to put some of them into practice. And if you want to contact me or any of the teachers, feel free to do so. www.englishlessonviaskype.com and I'll do the best to answer your questions. As always, thanks very much for listening. Thanks for joining me. Join me again soon.