speak up — express an opinion openly
phrasal verbB2IELTS 6+neutralcommon
to say what you think or feel, especially if it is important or difficult.
Say it like a native
Textbook One should voice one's objections when one witnesses injustice.
Native You should speak up when something's wrong.
'Speak up' is the natural verb for saying what you think, especially when it's hard.
Pattern: speak up (about/for/against something)
In use
- It's important to speak up if you see something unfair happening.work
- In my opinion, students should speak up in class discussions to share their ideas and learn from each other.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ She spoke up her opinion at the meeting.
✓ She spoke up at the meeting.
'Speak up' is used alone here — don't add 'her opinion'.
Common collocations
speak up + cause— for yourself, against it, about the problem, in meetings
Don't confuse it
'Speak up' here is about sharing your opinion, not about volume.
Related
- speak up (talk louder) — Another meaning of 'speak up' is 'talk louder'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.