Expression "it's only hear say"

thinker · Mon Feb 23, 2004 15:49 pm *Expression "it's only hear say"*

Test No. incompl/inter-9 "Say/Tell", question 4

You shouldn't take any notice of that because it's only hear..........

(a) telling
(b) says
(c) tells
(d) say

Test No. incompl/inter-9 "Say/Tell", answer 4

You shouldn't take any notice of that because it's only hearsay.

Correct answer: (d) say
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Hello Alan and Torsten!

I don't understand the expression 'it's only hear say'.

Thank you
Thinker

Torsten · Mon Feb 23, 2004 16:19 pm *Hearsay*

Hi Thinker,

'Hearsay' is information that people receive from other people by word of mouth. Oftentimes there is no evidence whether or not the information is true. You 'hear people say' something but you don't know how much of it is real.
Another word might be 'gossip' or 'rumours'.
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Haihao · Tue Dec 19, 2006 3:13 am *Expression "it's only hear say"*

Hi,

Could you tell me the 'hearsay' here in 'it's only hearsay' is a noun or an adjective?

Thank you.
haihao

Yankee · Tue Dec 19, 2006 8:50 am *Expression "it's only hear say"*

I't's a noun, Haihao.

To use hearsay as an adjective, it would have to precede a noun:
That's hearsay information.

Amy
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

Alan · Tue Dec 19, 2006 11:29 am *Expression "it's only hear say"*

Hi Haihao,

You can substitute 'hearsay' as a noun with an alternative noun having the same meaning -'rumour'.

A
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