talking
talking — 動詞
1. to produce words with your voice so that other people can hear and understand wh
說話
用嘴巴發出話語；與人溝通
to produce words with your voice so that other people can hear and understand what you mean — for example, telling someone a piece of news, asking a question, or just sharing your thoughts aloud.
Amihan could hear someone talking loudly in the room next door.
Amihan 聽到隔壁房間有人大聲說話。
hear + object + talking (perception verb pattern)
Yumi's doctor told her to rest her voice and avoid talking for two days.
Yumi 的醫生要她讓嗓子休息，兩天內不要說話。
avoid + -ing form: 'avoid talking'
The librarian asked the students to stop talking during the examination.
圖書館員要求學生在考試期間停止說話。
stop + -ing form: 'stop talking'
Samir's baby started talking when she was about eighteen months old.
Samir 的寶寶大約一歲半時開始說話。
start + -ing form: 'started talking'
Nellie finds that talking to a friend on the phone helps her relax after work.
Nellie 發現打電話跟好朋友聊天有助於下班後放鬆。
- hear someone talking
- stop talking
- start talking
- keep talking
- avoid talking
- talking to a friend
- talking with colleagues
文法句型
talking + to/with + someone
start/stop + talking
hear + someone + talking
用法筆記
Frequently used in patterns with a verb of perception (hear someone talking) or with aspectual verbs (start/stop/keep/avoid talking).
常見錯誤
❌ 'I talked with her yesterday in the meeting.' (when meaning general speaking, not a discussion) — This sentence is grammatically fine, but if you mean merely greeting or small talk, consider 'I spoke with her' or 'I chatted with her' to avoid sounding as if a serious discussion took place.
2. to hold a conversation with someone in order to work through a problem, disagree
商談；協商
透過對話解決分歧
to hold a conversation with someone in order to work through a problem, disagreement, or conflict, with the aim of reaching a solution.
After two hours of talking, the manager and the staff finally reached an agreement.
經過兩小時的商談，主管和員工終於達成了協議。
talking + reach an agreement (result pattern)
Tamás believes that talking is better than arguing when couples face a disagreement.
Tamás 認為伴侶之間有歧見時，溝通比吵架好。
The union representatives kept talking with management to end the strike.
工會代表持續與管理階層協商以結束罷工。
keep + -ing: 'kept talking' for ongoing effort
Renata hoped that talking things through with her neighbour would solve the fence problem.
Renata 希望和鄰居好好商量能解決圍牆的問題。
talking things through (phrasal verb pattern)
- talking with management
- talking things through
- talking to settle a dispute
- talking to reach an agreement
- keep talking
- negotiating
more formal and implies a structured process of give-and-take, often in business or politics
- discussing
more neutral; can be used for any serious exchange, not just disagreements
文法句型
talking + with + someone + about + something
keep + talking
用法筆記
The object of the discussion is typically a problem, disagreement, or conflict. Unlike sense 1 (SPEAKING), this sense implies a purposeful conversation aimed at resolution.
常見錯誤
❌ 'We are talking about the new restaurant that opened downtown.' (when you mean casual conversation from sense 1) — Use sense 1 or 'chatting' for casual subjects; sense 2 is specifically for resolving issues.
3. to have a conversation that centres on a particular subject, theme, or area of i
談論
針對特定主題對話
to have a conversation that centres on a particular subject, theme, or area of interest, without necessarily trying to solve a problem.
Devika's family spent the whole evening talking about their summer holiday plans.
Devika 一家人整個晚上都在談論暑假計畫。
spend + time + talking about [topic]
The teachers kept talking about the new school rules during the lunch break.
老師們在午休時間一直談論新的校規。
Eli enjoys talking about science with his classmates after school.
Eli 喜歡放學後和同學談論科學話題。
enjoy + -ing: 'enjoys talking about'
Christopher and his grandfather spent hours talking about old family photographs.
Christopher 和祖父花了幾個小時談論舊的家庭照片。
- talking about politics
- talking about music
- talking about the weather
- talking about plans
- spend time talking about
- discussing
more formal and often suggests a deeper or more analytical treatment of the subject
- conversing about
more formal; implies a polite, structured exchange rather than spontaneous talk
文法句型
talking + about + topic
spend time + talking + about
用法筆記
The topic is the centre of the conversation. Unlike sense 2, this sense does not imply a conflict or search for a solution — it simply names what the conversation is about.
常見錯誤
❌ 'They were talking about the weather.' — This is correct usage for sense 3, but learners sometimes use 'discuss' without 'about' ('They discussed about the weather'). Remember: 'talk about' needs the preposition 'about', while 'discuss' does not.
4. to give a formal spoken presentation or lecture about a subject that you know we
演講
就某主題發表正式談話
to give a formal spoken presentation or lecture about a subject that you know well, usually to an audience in an academic or professional setting.
Professor Élise will be talking about climate change at the university hall next week.
Élise 教授下週將在大學會堂演講氣候變遷的議題。
talking about [topic] at [venue] (lecture pattern)
The author is talking about her latest novel at the city library this Thursday.
這位作家本週四將在市立圖書館演講她的最新小說。
Mert felt very nervous about talking in front of three hundred students.
Mert 對於在三百名學生面前演講感到非常緊張。
talking in front of [audience size]
A well-known cardiologist has been talking about heart disease at medical conferences for over a decade.
一位知名的心臟科醫師在醫學會議上演講心臟疾病的議題已經超過十年了。
- talking about climate change
- talking at a conference
- talking in front of an audience
- talking on a subject
- talking to students
- lecturing
more specific; implies a structured academic or educational talk
- presenting
broader; can refer to any formal spoken or visual presentation
- speaking
more general; 'speaking at a conference' is a common fixed phrase
- listening
the audience's role during a lecture
文法句型
talking + about/on + subject + to + audience
talking + in front of + audience
用法筆記
Unlike sense 1 (SPEAKING), this sense implies a prepared presentation to an audience. It is often followed by a topic phrase (about/on + subject) and a venue or audience phrase (at/in front of + audience).
常見錯誤
❌ 'The professor is talking in the classroom to his students.' (ambiguous between sense 1 and 4) — If the professor is giving a formal lecture, specify the topic: 'The professor is talking about photosynthesis in the lecture hall.'
talk back
phrasal verbto reply rudely or disrespectfully to a person in authority, such as a parent, teacher, or boss.
頂嘴
When the teacher told Mert to sit down, he talked back and refused to follow instructions.
Amihan's mother scolded her for talking back during the family dinner.
talk through
phrasal verbto discuss something carefully and in detail, step by step, so that everyone involved understands it or finds a solution.
詳細討論；逐一商討
The therapist helped the couple talk through their problems without raising their voices.
Before signing the contract, Devika talked through every clause with her lawyer.
talk into
phrasal verbto persuade someone to do something that they are not sure about or do not want to do.
說服（某人）做（某事）
Samir talked his friend into joining the hiking club by promising it would be fun.
Nellie did not want to go to the party, but her sister talked her into it.
talk out of
phrasal verbto persuade someone not to do something they were planning to do.
勸阻；說服（某人）不要做（某事）
Renata's friends talked her out of quitting her job by reminding her of her long-term goals.
The financial advisor talked a young investor out of making a risky investment.
talk over
phrasal verbto discuss a problem, plan, or issue thoroughly before making a decision.
仔細討論；商量
The team sat down to talk over the proposed changes before voting on them.
Tamás and his business partner talked over the budget for more than two hours.
talking point
idioma specific subject or argument that people are likely to discuss or debate, especially one promoted by a political group or campaign.
話題；討論焦點
The senator's speech included several key talking points about tax reform that the party wanted to promote.
Climate change became the main talking point at the international summit.
talking head
idioma person on television who speaks directly to the camera, especially in news programmes, discussion shows, or political commentary.
電視上直接對鏡頭講話的人；名嘴
The news channel fills its evening schedule with talking heads debating current events.
Yumi prefers documentaries over shows with talking heads because she likes to see real places.
talking-to
idioma serious conversation in which someone is told they have done something wrong and are given a warning or scolding.
訓斥；告誡
After Eli broke the neighbour's window, his father gave him a stern talking-to about respecting other people's property.
The manager gave the team a talking-to after they missed three deadlines in a row.