Speak vs.Talk

Speak and talk have similar meanings

Talk is more common in spoken English and usually suggests that two or more people are having a conversation or discussing something: We talked on the phone for nearly an hour  . John and I have been talking about our families  . Could I talk to you about the travel arangements? Talk with is more formal than talk to in BrE, but it is very general in AmE: He refused to talk with/to reporters

Speak is a little more formal and suggests that someone is using their voice or that one person is saying somthing to a group: I was so shocked I couldn't speak  . Could you seak louder?  . A docor spoke to the class about/on stress. Speak to / with is often used in polite requests, for example when you are making a phone call. Speak with is a little more formal in BrE: Hello, could I speak to Michael?  . I'd like to speak to/with the manager, please

When a noun follows speak, it must be a language: He speaks Italian. Talk can b followed by nuns such as business or sense.

Do vs. Make

The differences between do &make.

Do and Make are two verbs which frequently confuse students. Here we will learn about the difference between Do and Make and when to use each one.

When do you use DO?
DO is used as follows:
1. DO is used when talking about work, jobs or tasks. Note, they do not produce any physical object.
Have you done your homework?
I have guests visiting tonight so I should start doing the housework now.
I wouldn't like to do that job.
2. DO is used when we refer to activities in general without being specific. In these cases, we normally use words like thing, something, nothing, anything, everything etc.
Hurry up! I've got things to do!
Don't just stand there – do something!
Is there anything I can do to help you?
3. We sometimes use DO to replace a verb when the meaning is clear or obvious. This is more common in informal spoken English:
Do I need to do my hair? (Do = brush or comb)
Have you done the dishes yet? (Done = washed)
I'll do the kitchen if you do the lawns (do = clean, do = mow)

Remember Do can also be as an auxiliary verb (for making questions in the present tense - Do you like chocolate?) For more about Doused in this case, see our page about Do vs Does. Here we will be talking about Do as a normal verb.

When do you use MAKE?
Make is for producing, constructing, creating or building something new.
It is also used to indicate the origin of a product or the materials that are used to make something.

His wedding ring is made of gold.
The house was made of adobe.
Wine is made from grapes.
The watches were made in Switzerland
We also use Make for producing an action or reaction:
Onions make your eyes water.
You make me happy.
It’s not my fault. My brother made me do it!
You make after certain nouns about plans and decisions:
Make the arrangements,
Make a choice
We use Make with nouns about speaking and certain sounds:
Make a comment
Make a noise
Make a speech
We use Make with Food, Drink and Meals:
Make a cake
Make a cup of tea
Make dinner

Compare Do and Make
A: You have to make a cake for Simon.
B: I’ll do it later.

Notice how in the response the verb DO is used. This is because the meaning is clear and to avoid saying “I’ll make it later.” which could sound repetitive.

Hope vs, Wish

If you want to use "I hope" and "I wish" correctly, you just need to memorize these two phrases:

I hope I can...
I wish I could...

You may be wondering: why do English speakers use the present tense for "hope" and the past tense for "wish"?

The secret is that "could" is not really past tense. It looks like the past tense, but it's secretly something different. It's the "unreal" aspect. In other words, it expresses something that's not really true, or not very likely.

We use "wish" to talk about things that are impossible, or things that probably won't happen:

I wish I could fly.
I wish there were more hours in the day.
I wish I'd studied something a little more practical.

On the other hand, we use "I hope..." when there's a good chance that something might happen. You can use it to say what you want to happen in the future:

I hope this cake turns out OK.
I hope we can still be friends.

The grammar of "wish" and "hope"
Here's how "wish" and "hope" look in the present, past, and future.

Present
I hope this is the last mistake.
I wish my phone worked here.

Past
I hope Antonio got home safely.*
I wish you'd told me sooner.

* You can't use "hope" to talk about something in the past, unless you don't know what happened yet. In this example, you haven't heard whether Antonio got home safely.

Future
I hope it stops raining soon.*
I wish it would stop raining.

* You follow "hope" with the present tense of a verb, even when you're talking about the future. So you say "I hope it stops" instead of "I hope it will stop."