Praise a very softly spoken liberal, a guide at intervals (7)
I believe the answer is:
applaud
'praise' is the definition.
(I know that applaud is a more specific form of the action praise)
'a very softly spoken liberal a guide at intervals' is the wordplay.
'very softly' becomes 'pp' (abbreviation for pianissimo - very quietly).
'spoken liberal' becomes 'l' (abbreviation. I am not sure about the 'spoken' bit.).
'at intervals' indicates alternate letters (letters are taken at regular intervals).
The alternate letters of 'guide' are 'ud'.
'a'+'pp'+'l'+'a'+'ud'='APPLAUD'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for applaud that I've seen before include "Big up" , "Express approval of a performance" , "Clap (a performance)" , "Show approval by clapping hands" , "Reward for performance" .)