What is the difference of “speak at” and “speak of”?
- They allow him to speak at every hazard.
This sentence is ambiguous.
In theory, it could mean either of the following:
They allow him to speak whenever they encounter a hazard.
→ "Now that we've encountered another hazard, you can take your gag out if you have something to say."They allow him to address himself to every hazard they encounter.
→ "Hi, hazard. I'm glad to meet you.")
But neither of those interpretations mean the same thing as the following:
- They allow him to speak of every hazard.
- They allow him to orate on the topic of every hazard they will or might encounter.
→ "On this journey, we'll encounter many hazards. The first is well documented . . .")