Say or Tell?
Say and tell have similar meanings. They both
mean to communicate verbally with someone. But we often use
them differently.
The simple way to think of say and tell is:
- You say something
- You tell someone something
| You say something |
You tell someone
something |
| Ram said that he was tired. |
Ram told Jane that
he was tired. |
| Anthony says you have a new job. |
Anthony tells me
you have a new job. |
| Tara said: "I love you." |
Tara told John that
she loved him. |
But, of course, it is not always so easy. Here are a few
rules to help you.
Personal object
We usually follow tell with a personal object (the person that
we are speaking to). We usually use say without a personal object:
- She told me that she loved John.
- She said that she loved John.
- He told everybody that he had to leave.
- He said that he had to leave.
Say "to someone"
With say, we sometimes use "to someone":
- He said to me that he was tired.
- Tara said to Ram that he had done very well.
- Anthony said to her, "I hope you come soon."
- "I'd like to sleep," she said to him quietly.
Direct speech
We can use say with direct speech. We use tell only with direct
speech that is an instruction or information:
- Amanda said, "Hello John. How are you?"
- "That's great'" she said.
- He told her: "Open the door quietly."
- She told me, "I have never been to England."
We can use say with direct questions, but we cannot use tell:
- She said: "Do you love me?"
- The policeman said to the prisoner, "Where were you
at 8pm?"
Reported speech
We can use say and tell to talk about reported information:
- She said that it was raining.
- She told me that she would call at 2pm.
We cannot use say or tell to talk about reported questions.
We must use ask (or a similar verb):
- She asked if I had ever been there.
- They asked what I wanted to eat.
- She asked where he lived.
- He asked if she wanted to go home.
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