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Why is it 'speak of the devil' and not 'speaking of the devil'



 
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Why is it 'speak of the devil' and not 'speaking of the devil' #1 (permalink) Fri May 04, 2007 20:54 pm   Why is it 'speak of the devil' and not 'speaking of the devil'		  
English Language Proficiency Tests, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #70 "What the Devil", question 7

......... of the devil. We were just talking about you before you came in the room.

(a) Quote
(b) Announce
(c) Utter
(d) Speak

English Language Proficiency Tests, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #70 "What the Devil", answer 7

Speak of the devil. We were just talking about you before you came in the room.

Correct answer: (d) Speak

Your answer was: correct
_________________________

Why "not speaking of the devil"? Speak is a noun as far as I know.

SnoopyNatasha
SnoopyNatasha
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Why is it "speak of the devil" and not "speaking of the devil" #2 (permalink) Fri May 04, 2007 21:28 pm   Why is it "speak of the devil" and not "speaking of the devil"		  
The full form is 'speak of the devil and he will appear' (speak is a verb). You could also say 'speaking of the devil', although it is not as common as the set expression.
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