These words all mean to share news, information, ideas or feelings with another person or other people, especially by talking with them. 以上各词均含交流、交谈之义。

• talk to speak in order to give information, express feelings or share ideas 指说话、讲话、谈话：◆We talked on the phone for over an hour. 我们在电话里谈了一个多小时。
• discuss (rather formal) to talk and share ideas on a subject or problem with other people, especially in order to decide sth 指谈论、讨论、商量：◆Have you discussed the problem with anyone? 你与谁商量过这个问题吗？ NOTE You cannot say 'discuss about sth'. 不能说 discuss about sth：◆I'm not prepared to discuss about this on the phone.
• speak to talk to sb about sth; to have a conversation with sb 指谈话、交谈：◆I've spoken to the manager about it. 那件事我已经和经理谈过了。◆'Can I speak to Susan?' 'Speaking.'(= at the beginning of a telephone conversation) “请问苏珊在吗？” “我就是。”

talk or speak? 用 talk 还是 speak？

Speak can suggest a more formal level of communication than talk. You speak to sb about sth to try to achieve a particular goal or to tell them to do sth. You talk to sb in order to be friendly or to ask their advice. 与 talk 比较，speak 所指的交谈可能更正式。与某人交谈试图达到某一目的或让对方做某事用 speak，为表示友好或询问建议用 talk：◆Have you talked to your parents about the problems you're having? 你同你父母谈过你的问题吗？◆I've spoken to Ed about it and he's promised not to let it happen again. 我已经同埃德谈过了，他答应不让这种事情再次发生。

• communicate (rather formal) to exchange information or ideas with sb 指与某人交流信息或意见：◆We only communicate by email. 我们只通过电子邮件进行交流。◆Dolphins use sound to communicate with each other. 海豚用声音相互沟通。 NOTE Communicate is often used when the speaker wants to draw attention to the means of communication used. 说话者要让人注意交流的方式时常用 communicate。
• debate to discuss sth, especially formally, before making a decision or finding a solution （尤指正式）讨论、辩论：◆Politicians will be debating the bill later this week. 政界将在本周晚些时候讨论这项议案。
• consult (rather formal) to discuss sth with sb in order to get their permission for sth, or to help you make a decision 指（与某人）商议、商量（以得到许可或帮助决策）：◆You shouldn't have done it without consulting me. 你不该不和我商量就做。

Patterns

• to talk/discuss sth/speak/communicate/debate/consult with sb
• to talk/speak to sb
• to talk/speak to sb/consult sb about sth
• to talk/speak of sth

These words all mean to write or speak about sb/sth, often in order to give an example or prove sth. 以上各词均含写到、说到、谈及或举例说明之义。

• mention to write or speak about sth/sb, especially without giving much information 指提到、写到、说到，尤指未给出详细信息：◆Nobody mentioned anything to me about it. 没人跟我提过这事。
• refer to sb/sth (rather formal) to mention or speak about sb/sth 指提到、谈及、说起：◆I promised not to refer to the matter again. 我答应过再不提这事了。
• speak to mention or describe sb/sth 指提起、讲述：◆Witnesses spoke of a great ball of flame. 目击者都谈到有个大火球。
• cite (formal) to mention sth as a reason or an example, or in order to support what you are saying 指提及（原因）、举出（示例）证明：◆He cited his heavy workload as the reason for his breakdown. 他提到繁重的工作负荷是导致他累垮的原因。
• quote to mention an example of sth to support what you are saying 指举例说明：◆Can you quote me an instance of when this happened? 你能否给我举例说明一下发生这事的情况？

cite or quote? 用 cite 还是 quote？

• You can cite reasons or examples, but you can only quote examples. * cite 可指提及原因或举出示例，但 quote 只用于举例：◆He quoted his heavy workload as the reason for his breakdown. Cite is a more formal word than quote and is often used in more formal situations, for example in descriptions of legal cases. * cite 较 quote 正式，常用于较正式的场合中，如说明法律案件。

Patterns

• to mention/refer to/speak of/cite/quote sb/sth as sb/sth
• to mention/refer to/cite/quote a(n) example/instance/case of sth
• frequently/often mentioned/referred to/spoken of/cited/quoted
• the example mentioned/referred to/cited/quoted above/earlier/previously