speak well of
speak well of は英検1級レベルの英単語で、「よく言う、褒める」という意味があります。発音記号は /ˌspiːk ˈwɛl əv/ です。
意味一覧 (2件)
よく言う
解説 Definition
人や物事について、他の人に好意的に話すという意味です。本人に向かって直接ほめるより、評判や印象を伝える場面でよく使います。職場、学校、紹介、口コミなどで自然に出る表現です。
To speak well of someone or something means to talk about them in a positive way. It is often used when you tell other people that you have a good opinion of a person, place, product, or experience. Unlike directly praising someone to their face, this phrase often focuses on reputation, recommendation, or general impression in places like work, school, or everyday conversation.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
speak well of は speak＝話す、well＝良く、of＝〜について、と分けると「〜について良く話す」と理解できます。praise のように相手を直接ほめる動作よりも、第三者にその人や物事の良い評判を話す感じが中心です。speak well of her, speak well of the school のように、of の後に評価される対象が来ます。反対表現 speak ill of と対で覚えると、well が好意的な発言を表すことがはっきりします。
Break the phrase into speak + well + of: "talk well about." That makes it easy to remember that it means saying good things about someone or something. It is often used for speaking positively to other people, not only for praising someone directly. You can also remember it with the opposite phrase, speak ill of.
例文
She always speaks well of her teachers.
彼女はいつも先生たちのことをよく言う。
People in the neighborhood speak well of the new cafe.
近所の人たちはその新しいカフェをよく言っている。
His former boss spoke well of him during the interview process.
前の上司は面接の過程で彼のことをよく言った。
褒める
(意味 2)解説 Definition
誰かの行動や性格を周囲にほめるときに使う表現です。職場や友人の話題で、その人の評判を伝えたいときに自然に出てきます。たとえば上司が部下をほめるときにもよく使われます。
To say good things about someone or something. It is used when praising a person’s character, work, or qualities. The phrase often suggests respect and approval in what is said.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
このエントリでは speak well of を「褒める」として覚えます。基本の「よく言う」は、第三者に好意的な評判を話す感じですが、ここではその発言が相手の価値や長所を認める「称賛」に近づいた用法です。praise ほど一語で直接的ではなく、speak well of someone’s work, character, efforts のように、相手の仕事ぶりや人柄を良く評価して話す場面を思い浮かべると定着します。
Break it into parts: `speak` + `well` + `of`. If you speak well of someone, you say good things about them. It often means talking positively about a person to other people, not directly to that person. Learn it with its opposite, `speak ill of`, to remember the pattern clearly.
例文
The boss always speaks well of the team when upper management visits.
上層部が来るとき、上司はいつもチームのことをよく言います。
She speaks well of her former professor, so I asked him for book recommendations.
彼女は前の教授のことをよく言うので、彼に推薦図書を聞きました。
speak well of の語源・成り立ち Etymology
speak は古英語 sprecan「話す」、well は wel「良く」、of は「〜について」に由来します。「〜について良く話す」という字義から、好意的に言及する意味になりました。
This phrase is made from speak, from Old English sprecan meaning "to speak," well, from Old English wel meaning "in a good way," and of, meaning "about" or "concerning." The literal idea is "speak well about someone or something," which developed into the meaning of mentioning them in a favorable way.
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