spoke

Everyday

1. Spoke is the past form of «speak»: «She spoke to the teacher.» tree →
2. A spoke is one of the thin bars or wires that join the middle (hub) of a wheel to its rim, as on a bike. tree →

In the lessons

In grammar, «spoke» is an irregular past form (speak – spoke – spoken). In everyday life bike wheels have spokes; in maths and design, spokes go out from the centre of a circle like radii. Phrases: «spoke to», «spoke up», «put a spoke in someone's wheel».

Examples

• She spoke very quietly. tree →
• I spoke to my teacher about the problem. tree →
• He finally spoke up for his friend. tree →
• One spoke on my bike wheel is broken. tree →
• The spokes of the wheel go from the centre to the edge. tree →
• We put beads on the spokes so they clicked when we rode. tree →
• He spoke for a long time. tree →

Note

Irregular verb: speak, spoke, spoken — never «speaked». The noun «spoke» is countable (spokes). In a circle, spokes are like radii: all the same length from the centre.

In Jewish tradition

Here it mostly means God or a person said something aloud, often in the form "the LORD spoke unto Moses." It is the ordinary past of speak, with "unto" as an old word for "to."

Interpretation. Tradition teaches that God spoke to Moses more clearly than to any other prophet, "mouth to mouth." Commentators say the Torah speaks in human language to describe divine communication.

Examples

• And God spoke unto Noah, saying: (Torah GEN.8.15, JPS 1917) tree →
• And Cain spoke unto Abel his brother. (Torah GEN.4.8, JPS 1917) tree →
• And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: (Torah EXO.6.10, JPS 1917) tree →
• And the LORD spoke unto Joshua, saying: (Prophets JOS.4.15, JPS 1917) tree →
• My soul failed me when he spoke. (Writings SNG.5.6, JPS 1917) tree →
• And the LORD spoke again unto Ahaz, saying: (Prophets ISA.7.10, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Irregular verb: speak, spoke, spoken — never «speaked». The noun «spoke» is countable (spokes). In a circle, spokes are like radii: all the same length from the centre.