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Glite Dictionary
to speak clearly

to speak clearly

7 1.0
Say words so other people can easily understand you
  • phrasal verb
  • /spiːk ˈklɪrli/
translation icon : hablar claramente
  • During the presentation, it is important to speak clearly so that everyone understands your message.

But if they want a clarifying question, they go, hey, I'm sorry, I didn't speak clearly and wasn't able to clarify everything for you.

Examples

  • But to exercise it, Congress must speak clearly.

    Academic text (2017)

  • When correctly set up, the systems ought to recognize around 95% of what is said if the user speaks clearly.

    Academic text (2015)

  • I want you to speak clearly and I want the truth.

    88 Minutes (2007)

  • Just remember to speak clearly.

    Half Baked (1998)

  • I raised my voice and tried to speak clearly.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Wait for the tone and speak clearly.

    The Nice Guys (2016)

  • Can't you ever speak clearly?

    Judas (2004)

  • In addition to writing skills, writers who do podcasts must speak clearly and sound relaxed and interested during the podcast itself.

    Academic text (2009)

  • I would like to speak clearly and candidly to the American people, the situation is increasingly perilous.

    Alien Dawn (2012)

  • Speak clearly but not too slowly, and do not exaggerate your lip movements.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

to make oneself clear
vsto speak clearly
545 3.4

Say something so other people understand what you mean

concentrates on clear word pronunciation rather than only idea clarity
to articulate
vsto speak clearly
45 4.4

To pronounce words clearly so others understand

focuses more on clear pronunciation of words for easy understanding
to enunciate
vsto speak clearly
6 5.8

To pronounce words clearly so people understand

adds the aim of making those words easy to understand by listeners

Antonyms

to mumble
103 4.9

To speak in a low, unclear voice that is hard to understand

to slur
3 6.3

To speak so the words run together and are hard to understand

How Clearly

to articulate
45 4.4
to speak clearly
7 1.0
to mumble
103 4.9
to slur
3 6.3

Surface Forms

speak clearly infinitive
speaking clearly present participle
speaks clearly third person singular
spoke clearly past
spoken clearly past participle

Morphology

speak + clearly

The meaning 'to articulate words in a way that is easy to understand' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'speak' (use spoken words) with 'clearly' (in an intelligible manner); the adverb simply modifies the verb's manner. This verb + manner-adverb composition is common in English and cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Speak clearly comes from the image of someone making each sound clean and easy to hear, like wiping a window so words come through easily. That's why speak + clearly means 'to articulate words in a way that is easy to understand'.