No More Basic English! Use These 14 Smarter Verbs Instead of 'Say'

Hi there. This is Harry. And welcome back  to advanced English Lessons with Harry,  

where I try to get help you to get a better  understanding of the English language.

So in this advanced English lesson  we're looking at speech. And we're  

looking at verbs of speech ways that  you can improve how you speak and

different verbs that you can use.

Not just to say he said this or  she said this. Or I told him,  

or just different verbs that we can use to  mention about speech, and some of them have  

particular uses. So I'll go through them and give  you a situation, an example when you can use them.

Okay. So let's move on. We've got 14 number  one blurt. And usually we use this to blurt  

out something. It means somebody says something  very very quickly. They say it without thinking.  

And perhaps they were just trying to stop  themselves, but they couldn't stop themselves.

So they just blurted out. It’s him, it’s him,  it’s him!! So they blurted out the answer.  

Or if you're in a pub quiz and you're really  excited as you get and you've got the answer,  

oh yeah, I know what I know. Well, you  give the answer and everybody around  

you hears it. So you couldn't help  yourself. You blurted out the answer.

You give it without stopping  yourself to blurt out the answer.

Young kids often blurt out the answers,  and the teacher keeps saying, didn't I  

tell you to put up your hand? If you want to  answer the question, don't just blurted out.

Follow the rules. Don't blurt it out.

To chant is number two. Chant is almost  like singing. If you go to a football match,  

then the fans will chant the names of their  

favourite players. Beckham Beckham  Beckham. Messi Messi Messi. Ooh.

Bruno, Bruno, Bruno. He came  from Sporting like Cristiano.

Yeah. So they chant the name of  their favourite footballer. Or if  

they go to the concert, they will  chant the name of the rock star.

We want Jagger, we want Jagger. That's me. Show my  

age, Mick Jagger. Then who's going to go  listen to the Rolling Stones anymore? And

Okay, Boomer.

so. So they chant the name. So  it's almost like singing to chant

number three entreat. Well, this  is quite an old fashioned word,  

and it's quite formal. To entreat almost  means to beg. His friends entreated him  

not to go on such a crazy diet. His wife  entreated him not to resign his job just  

because he'd had a row with his boss.  To think about it before you did it.

So to entreat means to beg, or  to really plead with somebody,  

not to take a certain course  of action, to entreat.

Now the next few words are given to  you now, and I'll go through them to  

hiss to whine and to snap. These are  ways of speaking. But there are ways,

there are certain ways of doing  it. Okay, so usually we use these  

verbs when it's reported the way somebody spoke.

Okay, so when we hiss it's like a snake. Who's  that. Yeah. Like a snake. And when we whine it's  

a very, don't like that to, to whine okay. And  when we snap we say something very angry. Who  

said that. Yeah. So to hiss. This. What do you  want? Yeah. To whine. Oh, I don't like that.

And then to snap. What? What? Who said that?  Yeah. So his whine and snap. So when we use  

those type of speech verbs like his whine,  snap, it's usually conveying how somebody,

how the words feel. Okay. So they can they  replace the verb to say so when we're using it.

We use it in this way, he hissed. Yeah,  

okay. Or he snapped. Yeah. Or he  whined. Okay, so it's usually after

direct speech. Okay, but it's not. We can use  it in reported speech. So I want to go home.  

She snapped. Yeah. So it's direct speech, not  reported speech. We're not saying she snapped  

that she wanted to go home. So you can't use it  in the reported speech, but in direct speech.

You'll find it at the bottom of the  stairs. He hissed. So you use it that way,  

not he is that. You will find it at the bottom  of the stairs. I don't like orange vegetables,  

he whined. Not he whine that he  doesn't like orange vegetables,  

so we can only use it in that direct  speech. Not in that reported speech.

But they're very good verbs for describing exactly  how the person sounds. Don't whine like a baby.  

Yeah, he snapped angrily as he hissed in a fit  of anger or despair, hiss hiss snap unwavering.

And if you liked this lesson then please  like the video and if you can subscribe  

to the channel because it really, really helps.

Now the next one. Number seven.

To mouth. Now this is our mouth. Is the  noun okay, but to mouth something as a  

verb got a different pronunciation, a different  stress, but the same word, the same spelling.  

So to mouth something is to show somebody the  letters to mouth the sound. So you understand

clearly what I'm saying. Yes, he mouths yet  to mouth means to show and demonstrate to the  

person perhaps the shape of the mouth how  you pronounce the certain word to mouth.

The response. It's almost like not saying  something at all to mouth no. To mouth? No.

Okay, number eight is to nag. Okay?  Now nag is a very, very informal word.  

Almost a slang word. Nag is when somebody  says something repeatedly. They ask you,  

could you take the bins out? Would  you mind taking the bins out? I've  

asked you 100 times to take the bins out.  When are you going to take the bins in?

But you stop nagging me. I'm  going to do it in a few minutes.

When are you going to collect my mother? You said  

you go over and pick up my  mother. She's expected here

she's waiting for you to. She's  probably got a coat on. Sitting,  

waiting. Yeah, okay. Don't nag.  I'll go and I'll get her now.

So that's nagging. So when  somebody goes on and on and on,  

is it? Oh please don't. No more nagging.  I hated when you nag. So to nag somebody  

is to continuously ask them or to repeat  something over and over again to knock

number nine retort. This is quite formal to  retort. Usually it's somebody saying something  

in response to a comment or a question, and it's  usually an angry retort or it's a witty retort.

So that's, you

could be a politician. For example. He's on stage,  he's talking about the forthcoming elections,  

and somebody in the crowd shouts something out,  oh, you're useless. Yeah. And so he retorts, it's,

not as useless as you. Yeah. So, you

That would be a retort. Maybe  it's a witty remark and the  

audience laugh. Or perhaps some reporter asks him.

A particular question, and it's really

deep question. So what about  the corruption charges that

been talked about and the politician  might say that's nothing to do with me.  

So they really retort in an angry  way. Okay. So to retort means to

Answer something, but not just a polite  way, usually harsh or in a snappy way,  

or in an angry way, or in a witty way.  So it's quite a formal to retort. So  

it's about answering, responding to questions.

To scold somebody. Well, this is  what our mothers, grandmothers,  

teachers used to do. They scold us  when we do something wrong. Yeah.  

So if you break the glass or you drop the  glass and it shatters all over the floor,  

what are you do that for your stupid boy. Oh,  what a stupid child. What did you do that for?

Yeah. Or you cut yourself on something. Oh, you're  so stupid. So they scold you for something that  

you have done or something that you did. Or if  you didn't do the homework properly. Or perhaps  

when you're 4 or 5, you pee your pants in the  classroom. I think I did that once or twice.  

Certainly I remember my brother doing it when we  were in school, so the teacher would scold you,  

and then you'd be sent home to clean up and  your mother would scold you when you get home.

Okay, so to scold somebody is to give out to them,  

to complain or to be really annoyed  or angry with them, to scold.

Number 11 is to snivel. Snivel usually involves  crying and whingeing to snivel. Don't snivel.  

Yeah. Speak clearly. So if son or daughter comes  home from school and they're a little bit upset,  

maybe they've had an argument with their best  friend. Maybe the teacher has given out to them.  

Maybe they've got bad marks and that ribbon  up and you say, look, come on, don't sniff.

Tell me exactly what happened. I can't  hear you when you snivelling. Yeah. You  

have to be careful and clear and so I  can understand you. And perhaps then  

I can help you. So you try to calm  down the snivelling child to snivel.

Squeal. We usually squeal with delight. Oh, yeah.  Okay. To squeal with delight like a little mouse.  

Okay, so perhaps you bring home a beautiful  present that your partner wasn't expecting. And  

when she opens the box, there's a most beautiful  pair of earrings that she's been waiting for,  

that bracelet or whatever it was, and  she. Oh, you really haven't forgotten?

I thought you'd forgotten our anniversary.  Or you'd forgotten my birthday up here.  

Such a doll. This is wonderful. The  squid. So to squeal with delight. Oh,  

somebody wins some money on the lotto. Oh,  and they squeal with delight. So any time  

you've got some really, really good news,  something exciting happens. Then perhaps  

it's not just a question of laughing  or whoa, it's squealing with delight.

To tease somebody. When we tease somebody,  we make fun of them. Yeah. Sometimes we do  

it in a joking way and everybody laughs  or don't tease me, don't tease me. Yeah,  

okay. Or if you're planning a holiday  and your partner wants to know, well,  

where are we going? Oh, well, it's a really  nice place. And it could be a tropical island.

Then again, it could be an  adventure. Oh. Stop teasing.  

Tell me where we are going to go. So  that's about teasing. But of course,  

some people take it a little bit too far.  And in school, kids often tease other kids,  

perhaps because they wear glasses. Perhaps they've  got these train tracks or wires on their teeth.

Or perhaps they just behave a little  differently than other people behave. When I

moved from the UK

many, many, many, many decades ago, I used  to get teased because I had a very English  

accent. And of course then that would cause a  little bit of problems. Eventually you get over  

it. But to tease somebody might not be so nice  and you have to be careful how far you take it.

So to tease.

And then finally number 14, to  yell, to scream and yell. To shout,

so yelling is about shouting, raising your  voice or screaming to yell. To yell out loud  

when something happens. Yeah. To yell. Go get  your brother. Tell him his dinner is ready.

And so the young David stands at the  bottom of the steps and shouts, yeah,  

dinner is ready! Don't yell. Go up and get  him! Everybody will hear you. You just be  

careful about the neighbours, okay? Don't  make so much noise to yell. Yell out loud,

Okay. There are 14 verbs of speech. Yeah,  

different verbs that you can use to explain  how somebody speaks. And in certain ways,  

and why they speak in a certain way. And some  of them, they're those hits and whine and snap  

are very specific because they can only be used in  direct speech and not and not in reported speech.

So he hissed. He snapped. He whined. Okay,  so just remember those. So as always,  

practice them. See which ones you  like. See which ones you understand.

If you need some more examples. Come back to me. I  

will help you and you'll get me  on www.englishlessonviaskype.com

So. As always this is Harry  thanking you for watching.  

Thanking you for listening.  Don't forget the next lesson.