Engaging in Verbal Communication: English Vocabulary List

to have a casual and light conversation without sharing a lot of information

"They confabulated about the old times."

"The two old friends sat on the porch and began to confabulate about their shared memories from high school many decades ago."

to talk a lot about unimportant things and in a way that may seem foolish

"The child prattled on about his toys."

"The toddler continued to prattle on about his day at the park without noticing that his mother was not really listening to every word he said."

to discuss the terms of an agreement with an opposing side, usually an enemy

"The generals parleyed before the battle."

"The two rival gang leaders agreed to parley in neutral territory to discuss a possible ceasefire and end the violence between their groups."

to aimlessly talk a lot

"They palavered for hours without agreement."

"The politicians spent hours in a pointless palaver without actually making any real decisions or solving any of the pressing problems facing the country."

to make random, meaningless sounds

"The baby babbled happily all day."

"The confused patient began to babble nonsense after waking up from the anesthesia and the nurses could not understand a single word that he said."

to talk at length in a foolish or inconsequential way

"He prated endlessly about his achievements."

"The annoying guest would not stop prating about his expensive car and large house making everyone else at the dinner party feel uncomfortable and bored."

to have a casual conversation, often involving gossip

"She nattered on the phone for hours."

"My aunt loves to natter on the phone with her friends for hours about absolutely nothing important or interesting to anyone else."

to talk excessively or thoughtlessly

"Do not blab our secret to anyone."

"Please do not blab about the surprise party to anyone because we want it to be a secret until the day of the event."

to reveal someone's wrongdoing or misbehavior to others

"The child tattled on his older sister."

"The younger brother constantly tattles on his older sister to their mother hoping to get her in trouble for even the smallest rule violations."

to talk excessively or continuously, often in a way that is annoying to others

"The small dog yapped at the mailman."

"The tiny dog would not stop yapping at the mailman every single morning making it impossible for anyone in the house to sleep late."

to talk persistently, often in a tedious or annoying manner

"He yakked on the phone all night."

"My coworker yakked on the phone for nearly an hour about her weekend plans while I was trying to finish an important report before the deadline."

to speak loudly, expressing strong opinions or complaints

"He ranted about the poor service online."

"The angry customer began to rant about the poor service for ten minutes straight while the manager just stood there and listened silently without responding."

to chat casually for an extended period, often in a lively manner

"They gabbed all afternoon over coffee."

"The teenagers spent the entire afternoon gabbing on their phones instead of doing their homework or studying for their upcoming exams at school."

to speak formally and at length, especially in a public setting

"The politician orated for two hours."

"The politician loves to orate in front of large crowds but his speeches are often long and boring and do not contain any real substance or new ideas."

to speak or express opinions in a lengthy, fervent, or pompous manner

"He spouts nonsense."

"The motivational speaker continued to spout cliches about success and happiness as if he had discovered some profound secret that no one else had ever known before."

to engage in light, playful, and teasing conversation or exchange of remarks

"They bantered playfully during lunch."

"The two coworkers enjoyed a friendly banter during their coffee break teasing each other about their favorite sports teams and recent dating lives."

to talk at length in a tedious or annoying way

"They jawed about politics at the pub."

"The two old men sat on the park bench and continued to jaw about politics for hours without ever agreeing on anything at all."

to utter something hesitantly or with uncertainty

"His voice faltered during the emotional speech."

"The witness began to falter when questioned about the inconsistencies in his testimony, making the jury suspicious."

to shout loudly and emotionally, often expressing distress, anger, or frustration

"The baby bawled loudly for his bottle."

"The baby began to bawl loudly when his mother left the room because he was very attached to her and did not like being left alone with strangers."

to talk rapidly and incoherently, making it hard for others to understand what is being said

"He raved about the movie."

"The food critic raved about the new restaurant in her review saying that the pasta was the best she had eaten in years and the service was excellent."

to mock with contempt

"He scoffed at the warning of danger."

"He scoffed at the idea that he might need help with his homework because he thought he was smarter than everyone else in the class."