say or speak or tell

Pretty much - all depends upon context and the education of who says, speaks or tells whatever it is.

The 'and only but' is completely wrong in both cases. The phrase in the context of speaking the truth is '... the truth and nothing but the truth...'.

catian said:

In a similarly structured sentences, are these three verbs OK and do they mean the same thing?
'speak it as it is'
and
'say it as it is'
and
'tell it as it is' While they mean the same thing, this version is the normal phrasing. The others sound strange.

Or
'He said the truth and only but the truth'

This is the way it's usually phrased. 'He spoke the truth and only nothing but the truth'

I am trying to work out whether there is a difference or if any of them is fine to just use any.

Click to expand...

Even though the verbs mean the same thing, they are not used interchangeably in the examples you gave.

I normally wouldn't do this, but I took a huge liberty in correcting the grammar and syntax of your actual questions because I know you're working on perfecting your command of English. I hope that was OK!

When I explain these words to my Japanese students, I usually say something along the lines of this.

The verb "tell" requires a listener. This listener may or may not be mentioned in the sentence, but there has to be a listener, otherwise you would use "say"

Bob told (Sally) a story.

The listener, Sally, does not need to be mentioned for this sentence to be correct.

The verb "say" does not require a listener. It is merely indicating that words came out of someone's mouth in a verbal way.

Bob said, "Hello."

No mention of a listener. One isn't necessary for this to be correct.

The verb "speak" is usually reserved for communication. A listener does not need to be mentioned anywhere, but one is assumed in most cases because it is used for communication.

Speak is also used for languages, as in, I speak Japanese.

Speak is sometimes used to focus on the actual enunciation of the words being communicated, or the way they are being communicated.

He spoke clearly and succinctly.

I've been teaching conversational English in Japan for 14 years. I am not a trained or certified ESL teacher, nor am I a linguist. This is just my quick and dirty explanation for interested non-native speakers.

If anyone disagrees or has a better explanation, I would be happy to hear it. Anything that I can do to help my students improve their English makes me a happy camper.

That's fine and clear, Debio, for normal understanding of the meaning of the verbs but Catian's questions relate to their inclusion in isolated phrases that individually may or may not work depending upon the context in which they are used.

The US idiom is "tell it like it is," which means, "to give a clear and truthful account" or sometimes "to speak an inconvenient truth."

"This school isn't preparing us for jobs," Bob said.
"Tell it like it is, bro!" someone shouted.

or

"Do you know how long a recovery you have ahead of you?"
"Yes. My doctor always tells it like it is. It'll be three or four months."


"He spoke the truth" is idiomatic US usage, whereas "he said the truth" would not be. "He told the truth" is idiomatic US usage, though it's usually part of the phrase "he told the truth about {something}."

Oops. You are right. That will teach me not to post hours after I should be in bed. I hope that it doesn't look as, um, dickish to others, as it does to me now in the morning.

Sorry about that.

Er...excuse me but...

I think that some of those sentences are not 'correct' nor do they mean the same thing.

'speak it as it is'
No, not one to use. Maybe in dialogue by someone who hasn't much education or doesn't care about usage.

'say it as it is'
Yes, you could use that.

'tell it as it is'
As someone said this expression is used usually in a specific situation when one person's comments are being derided as not exactly truthful. You might hear it a political rally or a noisy meeting where people are opposing the speaker. And as would more usually be like.

Or
'He said the truth and only (nothing) but the truth'

No, if you are reporting what someone said then you don't use said.

'He spoke the truth and only (nothing) but the truth'

Yes, this is the expression to use.

In court, a witness is sworn to "tell the truth and nothing but the truth."

caw

Debio said:

Bob said, "Hello."

No mention of a listener. One isn't necessary for this to be correct.

Click to expand...

Insolent suggestion here, take it for what it's worth, your experience is greater than mine.

Having Bob say "Hello." implies there is someone listening, the person he's saying hello to.

A more reasonable (?) example might be,

Bob said, "What a beautiful morning." -- not addressed to anyone in particular, Bob could well be talking to himself.

-Derek

Ah, but Bob could have been a policeman on his own on night duty and spotted a knife under the hedge. "Hello. Hello. Hello."

Or, in another context, he might have been playing cards with his mates in his kitchen and said, "Get off the table, Mabel. The money's for the beer."

dpaterso said:

Insolent suggestion here, take it for what it's worth, your experience is greater than mine.

Having Bob say "Hello." implies there is someone listening, the person he's saying hello to.

A more reasonable (?) example might be,

Bob said, "What a beautiful morning." -- not addressed to anyone in particular, Bob could well be talking to himself.

-Derek

Click to expand...

I'll accept any kind of suggestion, and this is not insolent, I think. You are correct. He could very well be talking to himself.

As for my experience, hehe, I just make crap up as I go along. As long as it sounds good, everyone here is happy.

I really should have picked a better example. Next time I'll sleep first. That always helps. Hmm, sleep or write tonight? Wonder if I can get the kid to go to sleep early? Hmm....