Two sets of verbs catch me out quite often - or at least I have to think about before using.
The first of these is bring and take, while the second is lay and lie. The latter is easier to get right, because 'to lay' takes an object, whereas 'to lie' does not (except when the past tense arises, at which point it becomes more complicated).
But bring and take? Not so easy. It's obvious when you have to take something to the local tip, or ask your friend to bring her favourite CD with her to the party at your house, but there don't seem to be any obvious helps to get it right.
Have you got any grammatical tricks up your sleeve for this one?
Bring here, take there is how I'd distinguish them
It's directional
You take things from somewhere and bring them to somewhere else.
Direction:
Bring - towards
Take - away
Blimey, never considered these 2 words as having the same meaning!
Funny that the first meaning in the dictionary definition of "bring" is take...
[i]bring
verb [ T ] UK /brɪŋ/ US /brɪŋ/ brought, brought
bring verb [ T ] (TOWARDS PLACE)
A2 to take or carry someone or something to a place or a person, or in the direction of the person speaking:
"Shall I bring anything to the party?" "Oh, just a bottle."[/i]
But, yeah it does say "in the direction of person speaking" which is the obvious difference to "take"
To take is to remove.
to bring something is to take it with you 🙂
Yeah they are different things, not sure the confusion - unless you're thinking 'shall I bring the MTB?' vs 'shall I take the MTB?'
Panther and Woody are right - but when you yourself are going somewhere, you can take it with you because you are going 'there' ie away somewhere, but you can also bring it with you because you are bringing something towards you as you travel. Don't think either is wrong or right.
to bring something is to take it with you
Yeah, but it can't be brung until it has been took 😉
To take is to remove.
Unless you yourself are removing, in which case you bring something towards you as you both remove yourselves.
To bring is to move something to a given (or implied) location.
To take is to move something from a given (or implied location.
If I’m going to a party I might tell my wife I’m taking some beer but I’ll tell the host that I will bring some beer.
Bloody colonials, bringing their poor grammar over here and taking the piss
But you'd ask your mate that was going with you if they were taking any beer.
Bloody colonials,
Takes one to know one.
I'm not a Colonial. I'm a Lieuteniant.
Now, what about people who say they "brought it for £2.50 from a shop".
GRRRRR!
Bloody colonials... 🙂
I'm sure there are regions within the UK where grammar is used incorrectly as part of everyday speech. Annoyingly, can't think of any examples!
Where does "brung" fit in to this? 😉
I was asked by a Polish woman living in Manchester if it was correct to say 'us' instead of 'me' as in 'give us a lift' when there's only one person.
I said no, but it's so widespread I think you could argue it's a dialectic variation and hence legitimate...
Now, what about people who say they “brought it for £2.50 from a shop”.
I know, it's enough to make you loose your mind
I was asked by a Polish woman living in Manchester if it was correct to say ‘us’ instead of ‘me’ as in ‘give us a lift’ when there’s only one person.
I said no, but it’s so widespread I think you could argue it’s a dialectic variation and hence legitimate…
Yeah, it's dialect, innit. It'd be acceptable to say it but incorrect to write it.
Funny how we hold written English to higher standards than spoken. I'd never really thought about that before.
Funny how we hold written English to higher standards than spoken. I’d never really thought about that before.
English is the way it is; adaptable and efficient, because it grew as a language when no-one was holding it to account. French and Latin were the languages of the elite, of law, court and the church, those languages were taught, written and usage held to account. It was the commoners speaking "english" without and control or oversight, evolving it by omission of unnecessary complication, and invention and inclusion of new words and foreign words and concepts.
Take the Noise
Take it on!
Bring Five
Bring That
Bring on Me
Take your Daughter to the Slaughter
Taking on the heartache
Don't Take me Down
Stormtaker
Where does “brung” fit in to this?
It’s an important part of your bladder.
If I’m going to a party I might tell my wife I’m taking some beer but I’ll tell the host that I will bring some beer.
Yes because you are taking it there but bringing it from somewhere else.
Where does “brung” fit in to this?
Tense init? So my phone goes bring bring or my phone went brung brung
Affect. Effect.
Discuss...
and to save perchy having to do it:
"Take your Daughter to the Slaughter"
Somehow sounds more wrong.
Turn it up! Take the Noise !
That's not a perch
It’d be acceptable to say it but incorrect to write it.
Acceptable to say casually, but not in a formal situation.
AFAIK in Switzerland they speak Swiss German in almost all situations every day but learn Standard German in schools which is a variant of what's spoken in Germany. Swiss German is different enough that Germans need subtitles to understand it. But because the Swiss get taught Standard German they read and write in it too. So the written language is effectively different to the spoken language.
Bonkers, but more or less the same situation that the Welsh were in in the 19th century having to use English in school but use Welsh everywhere else. And probably similar in China and India too tbh.
It’s not a discus either
author">IHN
MemberBut you’d ask your mate that was going with you if they were taking any beer.
If my mate said "IHN's having a party; what are you bringing?" I'd say "a few beers, maybe bottle of wine"
If my mate said "IHN's having a party; what are you taking?" I'd say "some of the family silver and another pair of his wife's undies from the washing"
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It’s not a discus either
Au contraire my piscine punster:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discus_(fish)
Got it.
So you wouldn't "Take Bob mountain biking"?
You'd "Bring Bob mountain biking"
I'm taking Bob mountain biking, and he's bringing Rita and Sue with him.
Of course I'd take Bob biking. Can I bring him next weekend?
Au contraire my piscine punster:
I've never punned in a french swimming pool in my life. They won't let me in with baggies on.
Bringen: The less successful Liam Neeson film where he drops his daughter off at an Eastern European brothel and then flies home to America by himself.
it looks like a frozen sausageI
<span>A baggie yesterday.</span>
I’m taking Bob mountain biking, and he’s bringing Rita and Sue with him.
Excellent, can I come for a ride too?
Bloody colonials
That would be "Bloody Colonial-ists"
Honestly, standards people!
That would be “Bloody Colonial-ists”
Sure?
The difference between a colonialist, a colonist and a colonial are subtle but important, i feel.
I choosed my word carefully as I didn't want the OP to bring offence
Colon explorer?